Divine Breath Spirit
God's breath gives life and Spirit; divination is forbidden.
The concept of divine breath and spirit in the passages centers on God's life-giving breath and the impartation of the Holy Spirit, contrasted with human and false forms of divination. In Genesis 2:7, the LORD God forms man from dust and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life, making him a living soul. In John 20:22, Jesus breathes on his disciples and says, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost,' linking divine breath to the gift of the Spirit. These passages show a direct, life-giving or empowering action from God, distinct from the forbidden practices of divination and enchantment condemned elsewhere.
Lore & Background
The divine breath appears as a creative and redemptive force. In Genesis 2:7, God's breath transforms dust into a living soul, establishing the origin of human life. In John 20:22, Jesus' breath conveys the Holy Spirit to his followers, echoing the Genesis act but now associated with spiritual empowerment. These two passages form a motif of God's breath as a direct, personal impartation of life or spirit, without intermediaries or rituals.
Reader's Guide
The passages portray divination as a human or pagan practice that is consistently condemned. Deuteronomy 18:10-14 forbids divination, enchantment, and sorcery, contrasting Israel with nations that hearken to diviners. Numbers 23:23 declares no divination against Israel, affirming God's protection. Prophets like Jeremiah (14:14, 27:9, 29:8) and Ezekiel (13:6-9, 22:28) denounce false prophets who use lying divination, claiming divine authority without God's sending.
In contrast, the divine breath in Genesis 2:7 and John 20:22 is a direct, truthful act of God, not a human technique. The Philistines (1 Samuel 6:2) and King Saul (1 Samuel 28:8) seek divination, but it is portrayed as a practice of those outside God's covenant or in disobedience. Ezekiel 21:21-23 shows the Babylonian king using divination (arrows, images, liver) as a military tactic, but it is called a false divination. Thus, the passages consistently distinguish God's life-giving breath from human attempts to gain hidden knowledge or power through divination.
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