Def: Inspiration

(Latin in-, “in” + Latin spirare, “to breathe”)

The doctrine relating to the divine origin of Scripture, that it is a joint product of God and man. “Scripture is not only man’s word, but also, and equally God’s word, spoken through man’s lips or written with man’s pen” (J. I. Packer, The Origin of the Bible). The term comes from the Latin translation, and some English translations (esp. KJV), of the Greek theopneustos, found in 2 Tim. 3:16. Though the English connotes a “breathing in,” both the Latin and Greek imply a “breathing out,” specifically from God to the human authors.

For more on the history of this doctrine, see here.

From: Theological Word of the Day