Prophetic Telegraph

Literary works of Arthur Eedle

Menu
  • Home
  • Series

      • The Prophetic Telegraph
      • The Prophetic Telegraph 2014
      • The Wayside Pulpit
      • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 – Another series of brief articles to foster thought on a variety of subjects.
      • The Wellspring
      • The Standard
      • The Restitution Times
      • Recognising the Hand of Judgment
      • Resurrection and Change
      • Before He comes
      • The City of God
      • Seekers Corner
      • God’s Spoken Word
      • The Song of Solomon
      • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects – Evangelistic tracts for use in outreach work. First used them back in 1987 and now brought up to date for extended use.
      • Prophecy considerations
      • The Millennial Octave
      • All our Yesterdays
      • Mysteries of Science & Faith
    • Close
  • Books
      • Albion Restored
      • Arithmetic of Creation
      • Cathedral
      • Flood Tide
      • Full Cycle
      • Hidden Treasures
      • Into His Hands
      • King’s Fountain
      • King’s Fountain Omnibus Edition
      • Restoring the Honour of His Name
      • Seven Steps To Bethlehem
      • Shiraz meets Jesus
      • Showdown
      • Susans Journal – Omnibus Edition
      • The Caxton Conspiracy
      • The Last Days
      • The Periodic Table of the Elements
      • The Prophetic Telegraph
      • Unless the Lord build the House
      • Unless the Lord builds the house – Vol. 2 eBook
      • Unless the Lord builds the house – Vol. 2
    • Close
  • About Arthur Eedle
  • Statement of Belief
  • Contact Us

2. The Wind Blows where it Wills

13th November 2004 by Arthur Eedle

“Mind if I join you for Tiffin, Doc?”

“By all means, Andrew! . . . It’ll be my pleasure.”

Andrew Winter is a lecturer in New Testament theology at Caxton College. The half-hour mid-morning break between assignments is known at Caxton as Tiffin. Winter sat down opposite Dr Quinton in the Library Annexe with coffee in one hand and a muffin in the other.

“Are your students responding well to your expositions?” asked Doc.

“I can’t grumble. . . . there’s always the odd chap who always wants to query everything for the sake of hearing his own voice, but yes, things are going well this term. . . . I was wondering whether you could give me a bit of advice about a verse in John chapter 3.”

“You surprise me! That chapter of all chapters in John.”  Doc laughed. “So may I ask what’s niggling at your active mind?”

“The wind in verse 8. D’you know, I looked up the Greek concordance and counted how many times PNEUMA occurred in the New Testament. No less than 384, and this is the only time when it is not translated Spirit. It set me wondering whether we should seek a different translation for the verse.”

“I’m fascinated. . . So what else have you done to resolve the problem?”

“Well, it’s like this. Statistically, there’s no doubt about it. The word should be translated Spirit, exactly as it has always been translated at the end of the verse, but the trouble arises with the next word.”

“The Spirit blows? . . . Is that the problem?” asked Doc.

“Exactly. . . You see, I did the same with the verb for “blow”, and found seven references, all of which referred to wind blowing. That seems to drive us back to PNEUMA meaning wind.”

“What is the Greek word for “blow”?”

“PNEO.”

“What is its basic meaning?”

“To breathe.”

“I’m sure you know enough Greek to appreciate that PNEUMA derives from PNEO. Does that help?” asked Doc, gently.

“Yes, you’re right of course. I should have realised that. So you think it should read, “The Spirit breathes”?”

“Look at the wider context of the chapter. What is it all about?”

“New birth, becoming a new creation in Christ,” answered Andrew almost automatically.

“Now cast you mind back to Genesis. What happened when God created Adam?”

“Yes, of course! . . . God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” A smile of appreciation appeared on Andrew’s face.

“Now you’ve got it!  Read the rest of the verse to see how it reinforces what you’ve just understood.”

“The Spirit breathes where it will . . . but I suppose we should alter that to ‘The Spirit breathes where He will’, bearing in mind that PNEUMA is neuter. ‘And you hear the sound thereof.'”

“Stop there for a moment. What is the sound of the Spirit?” asked Doc.

“PHONÉ, usually translated Voice, except when used of trumpets.”

“Doesn’t that make it more meaningful?”

“Yes, it does.  ‘The Spirit breathes where He wills, or where He pleases, and you hear His voice, but you do not know where He comes from or where He is going, and so it is with everyone born of the Spirit’. . . . Great! That makes a lot more sense. Every new-born Christian has that inward sense of new life, equivalent to the Voice of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know why I haven’t seen it before. Never in my years at College, or since then have I ever thought of looking this up. Strange, isn’t it?”

“Most translations prefer to keep to the idea of wind. But I’ve noticed that Rotherham made a break with tradition in his Emphasised Bible. It reads, ‘The spirit, where it pleaseth, doth breathe, and the sound thereof thou hearest.’  So he made a partial recovery of the truth of ourSaviour’s words. And of course, if you look at the marginal notes in Bullinger’s Companion Bible, you will find a much more rounded translation.”

“Thank you, Doc. I wonder how many other gold nuggets of truth lay hidden beneath inadequate translation.”

“I’ve found a good number over the years! . . .  Now there goes the bell for your next lecture.”

Filed Under: Seekers Corner

About Arthur Eedle

Arthur was born in 1931, and became a Christian in 1948. At London University he gained a 2nd honours degree in Physics. He went on to get a Teaching Diploma, and throughout his career life taught physics in England, Kenya, and Hong Kong. Coupled with his love of science, he was a keen student of Greek and Hebrew, and gave many lectures on Biblical subjects. Read more

Seekers Corner

1. “Caught Up”

3rd November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

2. The Wind Blows where it Wills

13th November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

3. Sarah’s Faith Vindicated – Part 1

18th November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

4. Sarah’s Faith Vindicated – Part 2

22nd November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

5. Snake in the Apple Tree – Part 1

27th November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

6. Snake in the Apple Tree – Part 2

27th November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

7. Snake in the Apple Tree – Part 3

30th November 2004 By Arthur Eedle

8. The Change

3rd December 2004 By Arthur Eedle

9. Noah’s Vineyard – Part 1

9th December 2004 By Arthur Eedle

10. Noah’s Vineyard – Part 2

12th December 2004 By Arthur Eedle

11. Christmas Carols

19th December 2004 By Arthur Eedle

12. Cursing the Fig Tree

22nd January 2005 By Arthur Eedle

13. Making Atonement

27th January 2005 By Arthur Eedle

14. The Location of Haran

5th February 2005 By Arthur Eedle

Article Series

  • All our Yesterdays (30)
  • Before He comes (13)
  • God's Spoken Word (37)
  • Mysteries of Science & Faith (8)
  • New Series (101)
  • Newsletter (3)
  • Original Series (109)
  • Prophecy considerations (5)
  • Recognising the Hand of Judgment (33)
  • Resurrection and Change (16)
  • Seekers Corner (14)
  • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects (6)
  • The City of God (18)
  • The Millennial Octave (23)
  • The Restitution Times (22)
  • The Song of Solomon (6)
  • The Standard (19)
  • The Wayside Pulpit (107)
  • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 (96)
  • The Wellspring (101)
  • The Wellspring 2017 (55)

Index of Topics

Arthur & Rosalind Eedle's Personal Testimonies Discipleship Expository Items Good and Evil Human Pre-Existance Jane Leade. Philadelphian Numerology in the Bible Quotations from other Authors Resurrection and the Change Ron Wyatt. Archaeology Science Topics The Kingdom of God the Millennium and the Return of Christ The Sabbath Day Universal Reconcilliation

Copyright © 2025 · Website Design and Hosting by Perspective Design