In the context of the Bible, the term "gasps" is not directly mentioned; however, the concept of gasping, as an expression of shock, awe, or desperation, can be inferred from various scriptural narratives and descriptions of human emotion and divine encounters. The act of gasping can be seen as a physical manifestation of a deeper spiritual or emotional experience, often reflecting the human response to the divine or the overwhelming nature of certain events.

Expressions of Awe and Fear

Throughout the Bible, there are numerous instances where individuals encounter the divine presence or witness miraculous events, leading to reactions that could be described as gasps of awe or fear. For example, when the Israelites witnessed the power of God at Mount Sinai, they were filled with fear and trembling (Exodus 19:16). The overwhelming presence of God often elicited a profound physical and emotional response from those who experienced it.

Desperation and Suffering

Gasps can also be associated with moments of intense desperation or suffering. In the Book of Job, Job's lamentations and expressions of anguish reflect a deep, visceral response to his trials and tribulations. While the text does not explicitly mention gasping, Job's cries for relief and understanding (Job 3:24-26) convey a sense of breathless desperation that aligns with the concept.

Divine Encounters

Encounters with angels or divine messengers often left individuals in a state of shock or awe, akin to gasping. When the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, they were initially terrified (Luke 2:9). Such encounters frequently resulted in a profound, immediate reaction, highlighting the stark contrast between the divine and the human.

Prophetic Visions

Prophets who received visions from God often experienced overwhelming emotions that could be likened to gasping. In the Book of Daniel, when Daniel received a vision, he was left without strength and fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground (Daniel 10:8-9). The intensity of the vision and the presence of the divine messenger left him physically and emotionally overwhelmed.

The Breath of Life

The concept of breath, closely related to gasping, is significant in the biblical narrative. In Genesis, God breathes the breath of life into Adam, making him a living being (Genesis 2:7). This divine breath signifies life itself, and the act of gasping can be seen as a reminder of humanity's dependence on God's sustaining power.

Spiritual Awakening

In a metaphorical sense, gasping can represent a spiritual awakening or realization. When individuals come to a profound understanding of God's truth or experience a conversion, the sudden clarity and recognition of divine grace can be likened to a gasp of spiritual enlightenment. The Apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6) serves as a powerful example of such a transformative moment.

In summary, while the Bible does not explicitly mention "gasps," the concept is woven throughout the scriptural narrative in various forms, reflecting human responses to the divine, moments of intense emotion, and the profound impact of spiritual encounters.

Jesus is God, Following us Up.
... This other air is too heavy. It's malarial, and full of gases and germy
dust. In it he chokes and gasps. Yet he knows not why. He ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/jesus is god following us.htm

My Children have Been Slain
... 5. The suckling falls, from its mother and gasps,"because it cannot suck, nor
can she give suck:"they breathe out their spirit and die. ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn x my children have.htm

The Knowledge of God to be Obtained from the Scripture. The Plan ...
... But when we come to divine things, this faculty turns away; it cannot behold; it
pants, and gasps, and burns with desire; it falls back from the light of truth ...
/.../chapter 7 name knowledge of.htm

It was Our Purpose to Leave Unnoticed those Mysteries Also into ...
... His mother burns, foams, gasps, boils with fury and indignation; and being unable
to repress the storm [4396] and tempest of her wrath, received the name Brimo ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/20 it was our purpose.htm

Fresh Supplies of Power.
... Air is the native element of the bird. Away from air it gasps and dies. Water is
the native element of the fish. Out of water it chokes and gasps and dies. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on power/fresh supplies of power.htm

The Purifying Influence of Hope
... If you take a fish out of water and bring it up into the upper air, it writhes and
gasps, and is dead presently; and our evil tendencies and sins, drawn up out ...
/.../the purifying influence of hope.htm

The Right to the Ordinary Safeguards of Good Health
... The young missionary spots a particularly luscious plum, picks it up, and takes
a bite. "Mary!" a scandalized senior gasps. "Whatever are you thinking of? ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/williamson/have we no rights/chapter 3 the right to.htm

Lovely to a Poet or an Artist's Eye is the Unevenly-Built and ...
... at the venerable Felix, whose face and figure expressed such composed dignity and
sweetness; and Madame Patoux, nastily and with frequent gasps for breath ...
//christianbookshelf.org/corelli/the master-christian/ii lovely to a poet.htm

On the Article, and in one Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which Spake ...
... foam comes instead of words; the man is filled with darkness; his eye is open, yet
the soul sees not through it; and the miserable man gasps convulsively at ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture xvi on the article.htm

While the Foregoing Scene was Taking Place at the Vatican...
... His breath came and went in uneasy gasps. "Angela!" he muttered thickly,""Angela!"
She lay prone and horribly still. He was afraid to touch her. ...
/.../corelli/the master-christian/xxix while the foregoing scene.htm

Gasps (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gasps (1 Occurrence). Jeremiah 4:31 For I have
heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of ...
/g/gasps.htm - 6k

Gat (21 Occurrences)

/g/gat.htm - 12k

Gasping (2 Occurrences)

/g/gasping.htm - 7k

Gasp (5 Occurrences)
... violently. 2. (vi) To pant with eagerness; to show vehement desire. 3. (vt)
To emit or utter with gasps; -- with forth, out, away, etc. 4 ...
/g/gasp.htm - 8k

Faints (8 Occurrences)
... I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings
forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath ...
/f/faints.htm - 8k

Murderers (9 Occurrences)
... I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings
forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath ...
/m/murderers.htm - 10k

Spreads (31 Occurrences)
... I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings
forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath ...
/s/spreads.htm - 14k

Travail (54 Occurrences)
... I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings
forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath ...
/t/travail.htm - 26k

Anguish (75 Occurrences)
... I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings
forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath ...
/a/anguish.htm - 29k

How does God see me in Christ? | GotQuestions.org

What is sensationalism? What is a sensationalist? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus