Genesis

1:2 - Spirit of God, a Mighty Wind, or a Wind from God?

A number of commentators translate the Hebrew words ruach 'elohim as "a mighty wind," or "a terrible storm," instead of "the Spirit of God."1 Similarly, the New Jerusalem Bible and NRSV translate ruach 'elohim as "a divine wind" and "a wind from God" respectively. There is no grammatical problem with these renditions. The basis for this proposal is simple. Ruach can mean wind or spirit. While 'elohim is the commonest word for God in the Old Testament, it can also be taken as an expression of the superlative, meaning "great," "terrible," though such occurrences are infrequent.

B. W. Waltke weighs in for such a translation with the arguments that "the juxtaposition of the 'spirit of God' (a nonphysical entity) sweeping/hovering over the waters (a physical reality) seems incongruent," and that ruach "in the homological (i.e., similarly structured) narrative of the re-creation after the Flood clearly means 'wind' (Gen.8:1)."2 Two points may made be in response to this.

The first argument lacks cogency; that "the juxtaposition seems incongruent" is neither logically self-evident nor theologically congruent. The categories of differentiation, 'nonphysical' and 'physical' may be meaningful to modern man but it is doubtful if the ancient author would have thought in such categories; the OT is consistent (even insistent) that the veil between the physical and non-physical/spiritual is totally permeable. It could also be added that this very visible hyphenation of the material with the non-physical/spiritual is indeed a distinctive and central tenet of a biblical theology of nature (see commentary below on v6), one from which the Enlightenment has distracted us for far too long.

The second argument is not decisive: 8:1 is not as homological as it seems, since there ruach is the object and 'elohim the subject, whereas here ruach is the subject (with 'elohim either as an adjective or a genitive).

In summary we note that these translations also lack narrative cogency. In an account that is so concerned to stress the majestic power of God at work in creation, it is rhetorically anticlimactic to open the account with a nondescript subject such as "a wind from God" (sent out to do what?). What does a "wind from God" or "divine wind" mean in this context? These translations do nothing to clarify what the text is saying.

In deciding on the merits of such a translation, we note the following:

1) The name of God used everywhere in Gen 1 is 'elohim. It would take a very inapt author to use the same word which every else in the immediate context refers to God to mean something else like "mighty" or "terrible."

2) The expression, ruach 'elohim, is a common one in the Old Testament (see also Gen. 41:38; Exod. 31:3; 35:31; Num. 24:2; 1 Sam. 10:10; 11:6; 16:15; 16:16; 16:23; 18:10; 19:20; 19:23; 2 Chr. 15:1; 24:20; Ezek. 11:24). In all these other occurrences, it always refers to "the Spirit of God."

3) Two unambiguous expressions already exist for something like "a mighty wind" or "a terrible storm," ruach gedolah (1 Ki 19:11; Job 1:19 and Jon 1:4) or ruach se'arah (see, e.g., Psm 107:25; 148:8; Eze 1:4). It may be argued that the fact that the author of Genesis chooses to use a rare expression such as he does here weights in favour of "the Spirit of God" as the likely meaning intended: that what was about to happen (and reported in the following verses) was not the result of any merely mechanical outcome of some "mighty wind," but the fruits of decidedly divine considerations.

Taken together, therefore, we believe the "Spirit of God" remains the best rendering of ruach 'elohim in this verse.

Preaching Relevance
It is doubtful if it is ever useful or wise to raise the questions discussed below in a sermon or even in an adult Sunday School lesson. Nonetheless, if the question should ever be raised from the floor, you can now be prepared to respond to it, or at least know where to find the resources for responding to it. Few things instil in our audience confidence in our teaching like being prepared.