thinking bible.

You asked

what does the bible suggest about consciousness?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Job 12:7-10

“But ask now the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who doesn’t know that in all these, the hand of Yahweh has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”

This passage is from the book of Job, where Job is responding to his friend Zophar. Job is defending his understanding of God's wisdom and power, suggesting that the very natural world testifies to the Creator's active involvement in sustaining all life.

How does recognizing the shared source of 'life' and 'breath' in all creatures, including humans, shape our understanding of our own awareness?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Genesis 2:7

    Describes God breathing 'the breath of life' into Adam, making him a living soul.

  • Psalm 104:29-30

    Speaks of God withdrawing 'breath,' causing death, and sending 'breath' to renew creation.

  • Acts 17:28

    States that 'in him we live, and move, and have our being,' attributing existence to God.

Ask your own follow-up