"gen., to breathe into or upon; to respire, breathe; met. to breathe of, be animated with the spirit of, Acts 9:1*"
Definition and meaning
gen., to breathe into or upon; to respire, breathe; met. to breathe of, be animated with the spirit of, Acts 9:1*
In the original Greek the word is written: ἐμπνέω
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of empneo (G1709) across the King James Bible.
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
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Common questions
Strong's G1709 (empneo) is a Greek word that means: gen., to breathe into or upon; to respire, breathe; met. to breathe of, be animated with the spirit of, Acts 9:1* It appears 1 times in the King James Bible.
The word empneo (G1709) appears 1 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G1709 is empneo, a Greek word defined as: gen., to breathe into or upon; to respire, breathe; met. to breathe of, be animated with the spirit of, Acts 9:1*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
empneo is a Greek word found in the New Testament.