What does it mean that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7)?

The book of Genesis says that God created the first man, Adam, in a way that set him apart from every other creature He had made. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” This verse recounts the moment when God gave Adam the gift of life. The description of God breathing into his nostrils the breath of life means that He was directly involved in giving people physical and spiritual life.

Unlike animals, which God spoke into existence (Genesis 1:24–25), the Lord personally formed Adam from the dust of the ground. The first man’s unique origin implies a personal and purposeful act. After fashioning Adam’s physical body, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” and Adam became a “living being.” The breath of life was more than just air for respiration; it was a gift from the life-giving Spirit of God.

The fact that God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life is a reminder of people’s dependence on God. Other parts of the Bible relate life and breath with God’s sustaining presence in a person’s life. For instance, Elihu declared, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). The Creator God is the one “who gives breath to [the earth’s] people, and life to those who walk on it” (Isaiah 42:5). Our entire existence depends on God.

The breath of life also emphasizes the spiritual aspect of human life. When God gave Adam life, He created him as a being who could know, worship, and love Him. This sets humans apart from animals, who do not bear God’s image or possess the same spiritual capacity (Genesis 1:27). Genesis 2:7 describes Adam’s physical creation, but it also implies a spiritual nature that sets humans apart from the animals. Without God’s breath, Adam was only a lifeless physical form; with it, he became a complete person with a material body and an immaterial soul.

Other passages affirm that God is the source of life. In Ezekiel 37, the prophet has a vision of dry bones coming to life when God commands breath to enter them. He says, “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:6). This vision concerning Israel’s restoration is not only about physical regathering but also spiritual renewal. In the New Testament, Jesus performed a symbolic act when He “breathed on” His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Both Ezekiel’s vision and Jesus’ action allude to Genesis 2:7, indicating that God alone gives physical and spiritual life.

An important implication of Genesis 2:7 is that human life is sacred because it comes directly from God. As Psalm 139:13–14 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” In opposition to the claims of Darwinian evolution, which suggest that life is the product of chance and time, the breath of life highlights God’s direct involvement in creating people.

Finally, Genesis 2:7 reveals that people need God, physically and spiritually. Just as Adam’s life began when God breathed into him, new life begins for sinners when they put their faith in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:15). Without God, people are lifeless dust, and without Christ, they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:12, NKJV). Through Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, people are made spiritually alive: “The Spirit gives life,” Jesus said; “the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63).