Definition and Usage in Scripture:
The term "vapour" in the Bible is often used metaphorically to describe the transient and fleeting nature of life and human endeavors. It is a vivid image that conveys the idea of something insubstantial, temporary, and elusive. In the original Hebrew and Greek texts, words translated as "vapour" can also mean mist, smoke, or breath, emphasizing the ephemeral quality of the subject being described.

Biblical References:

1. James 4:14 : "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." This verse uses the imagery of vapour to highlight the brevity and uncertainty of human life. It serves as a reminder of the need for humility and reliance on God's will, rather than on human plans and ambitions.

2. Psalm 39:5-6 : "Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. Truly, each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah. Surely every man walks in futility; like a phantom he bustles about, in vain he heaps up riches not knowing who will gather them." Here, the psalmist reflects on the fleeting nature of life, using the metaphor of a breath or vapour to underscore the futility of earthly pursuits without a focus on eternal values.

3. Ecclesiastes 1:2 : "Futility of futilities, says the Teacher, futility of futilities! Everything is futile!" While the word "vapour" is not directly used in this verse, the concept of futility and transience is central to the book of Ecclesiastes. The Hebrew word "hebel," often translated as "vanity" or "futility," can also mean breath or vapour, reinforcing the theme of life's fleeting nature.

4. Job 7:7 : "Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness." Job laments the brevity and suffering of human existence, using the imagery of a breath or vapour to express the transient nature of life and the inevitability of death.

Theological Implications:
The use of vapour as a metaphor in the Bible serves to remind believers of the temporal nature of earthly life and the importance of focusing on spiritual and eternal matters. It calls for a perspective that values the eternal over the temporal, encouraging a life lived in accordance with God's will and purpose. The imagery of vapour challenges individuals to consider the brevity of life and to seek meaning and fulfillment in their relationship with God, rather than in worldly achievements or possessions.

Practical Application:
Understanding the biblical concept of vapour can lead to a more intentional and purpose-driven life. Believers are encouraged to live with an awareness of life's brevity, prioritizing spiritual growth, service to others, and the pursuit of God's kingdom. This perspective fosters humility, gratitude, and a reliance on God's sovereignty, as well as a commitment to living a life that reflects eternal values.822. atmis -- vapor
... Word Origin of uncertain origin Definition vapor NASB Word Usage vapor (2). vapor.
From the same as aer; mist -- vapour. see GREEK aer. (atmida) -- 1 Occurrence ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/822.htm - 6k5387. nasiy' -- one lifted up, a chief, prince
... Or nasi' {naw-see'}; from nasa'; properly, an exalted one, ie A king or sheik; also
a rising mist -- captain, chief, cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour. ...
/hebrew/5387.htm - 5k

7008. qitor -- thick smoke
... smoke, vapur. Or qiytor {kee-tore'}; from qatar; a fume, ie Cloud -- smoke, vapour.
see HEBREW qatar. 7007, 7008. qitor or qitor. 7009 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7008.htm - 6k

Of Perfect Conversion, which is an Effect of this Method of Prayer ...
... virtue, which draws the soul more strongly towards Himself; and in attracting it,
He purifies it: as we see the sun attracting a dense vapour, and gradually ...
/.../chapter ix of perfect conversion.htm

Of Conversion
... and more powerfully to Himself, the nearer it approaches towards Him, and, in
attracting, He purifies and refines it; just as with a gross vapour exhaled by ...
/.../guyon/a short and easy method of prayer/chapter xi of conversion.htm

April 25, 1893
... When the sun darts forth its ardent rays, the delicate pearls adorning each
blade of grass quickly pass into the lightest of vapour. . . . ...
//christianbookshelf.org/therese/story of a soul/xiv april 25 1893.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John v. 2, "Now There is in Jerusalem ...
... "For what is your life?" saith Holy Scripture; "it is a vapour that appeareth for
a little time, and then vanisheth away." [3678] Therefore in that health was ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxiv on the words.htm

Authorities in Support of the Council. Theognostus; Dionysius of ...
... is not one procured from without, nor accruing out of nothing [923] , but it sprang
from the Father's essence, as the radiance of light, as the vapour [924] of ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/chapter vi authorities in support of.htm

You Observe How New and Terrible a Form of Oath this is which He ...
... Flaccus,' our Maro.' As to Chrysippus and Aristides, Empedocles and all the rest
of the Greek writers, he scatters their names around him like a vapour or halo ...
/.../7 you observe how new.htm

Of the Origin of the World, and the Nature of Affairs, and the ...
... If you shall breathe upon wax, or if a light vapour shall touch anything"either
the hard surface [1685] of marble or a plate of metal"water is gradually ...
/.../a treatise on the anger of god addressed to donatus/chap x of the origin of.htm

The Doxology
... as the moon,"that tail of fiery light which you see streaming up from it, and which
looks a few feet long, is a stream of fiery vapour, stretching, most ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon x the doxology.htm

The Right of Entry
... A thin film of vapour in our sky tonight will hide the moon. Though the vapour
itself may be invisible, it will be efficacious as a veil. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the right of entry.htm

"What is Your Life?"
... For what is your life? It is even as a vapour, that appeareth for a little time,
and then vanisheth away.""James 4:14. ... It is a bubble, a vapour, a shadow. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/what is your life.htm

Vapour (6 Occurrences)
...Vapour (6 Occurrences). Acts 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs
in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: (KJV DBY YLT). ...
/v/vapour.htm - 7k

Vapor (6 Occurrences)
... (3) In Job 36:33, the King James Version has "vapour" ("concerning the vapour")
for `alah, alah, "to go up," where the Revised Version (British and American ...
/v/vapor.htm - 11k

Vapors (4 Occurrences)

/v/vapors.htm - 7k

Vapours (5 Occurrences)

/v/vapours.htm - 7k

Vanishing (3 Occurrences)
... James 4:14 who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it
is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing; (YLT). ...
/v/vanishing.htm - 7k

Vanisheth (2 Occurrences)
... morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for
a little time, and then vanisheth away. (KJV ASV WBS). Job ...
/v/vanisheth.htm - 7k

Formeth (11 Occurrences)
... pillar. (YLT). Job 36:27 For he draweth up the drops of water: they distil
in rain from the vapour which he formeth, (DBY). Psalms ...
/f/formeth.htm - 9k

Refine (9 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV). Job 36:27 When He doth diminish droppings
of the waters, They refine rain according to its vapour, (YLT). ...
/r/refine.htm - 9k

Droppings (4 Occurrences)
... silver. (BBE). Job 36:27 When He doth diminish droppings of the waters,
They refine rain according to its vapour, (YLT). Psalms 19 ...
/d/droppings.htm - 7k

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