H5380 H5380
to blow (of wind); cause to blow or drive away by blowing
This verb describes wind blowing or causing something to blow. The Qal form appears in Isaiah 40:7: 'the breath of the LORD blows upon it'—causing grass to wither and flowers to fade, illustrating human mortality. The Hiphil causative appears in Psalm 147:18, 'he makes his wind blow,' resulting in ice melting into flowing water. Genesis 15:11 uses it differently: Abraham 'drove away' birds of prey from the sacrifice, perhaps originally meaning he blew them away or made sounds like blowing. The verb captures the power of breath or wind to affect change—withering, melting, scattering.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Isaiah's theological use contrasts human fragility with God's enduring word: divine breath withers all flesh like wind-scorched grass. The Psalm celebrates God's sovereign control over weather—the same wind he 'makes blow' melts winter ice in spring. Genesis presents the puzzling 'drove them away' usage, possibly preserving an older sense of blowing/scattering. Cross-linguistic renderings struggle with the semantic range: 'sopla' (blows), 'ahuyentó' (drove away), 'chassa-au-loin' (chased far away). The common thread is forceful breath-wind causing movement or change. 3×
AR["هَبَّتْ", "وَ-طَرَدَهَا", "يُهَبُّ"]·ben["এবং-তাড়াল", "প্রবাহিত-করেন", "বহে"]·DE["[נשבה]", "er-macht-blow", "und-verscheuchte"]·EN["and-drove-away", "blows", "he-makes-blow"]·FR["[נשבה]", "et-chassa-au-loin", "habiter"]·heb["ו-ישב", "ישב", "נשבה"]·HI["और-भगय", "चली", "वह-बहाता-है"]·ID["Ia-meniupkan", "dan-mengusir", "meniup"]·IT["[נשבה]", "e-cacciò-away", "ritornera'"]·jav["Panjenenganipun-nganginaken", "lan-nundhung", "sumilir"]·KO["그리고-쪰았다", "불게-하신다", "불었느니라"]·PT["e-afugentou", "faz-soprar", "soprou"]·RU["и-отгонял", "подует", "подул"]·ES["hace-soplar", "sopla", "y-los-ahuyentó"]·SW["anapuliza", "imevuma", "na-akawafukuza"]·TR["esdi", "estirir", "ve-kovdu"]·urd["اور-بھگایا", "وہ-چلاتا-ہے", "چلی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [נָשַׁב] vb. blow (NH = BH; 𝔗 נְשַׁב (but also נְתַב), Syriac ܢܫܰܒ, all blow; ‖ form of נָשַׁף);— Qal Pf. 3 fs. רוּחַ י׳ נָֽשְׁבָה בּוֹ Is 40:7 the breath of י׳ has blown upon it. Hiph. Impf. 3 ms. יַשֵּׁב רוּחַ ψ 147:18 he causes his wind to blow; וַיַּשֵּׁב אֹתָם Gn 15:11 and he drove them away (perhaps orig. blow away, drive away by blowing, or by a sound like blowing).