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It is always interesting to compare Bible versions and their treatment of the word "spirit," especially in the first instance the word is used in Scripture (Genesis 1:2). If the word is capitalized, then it is meant to depict a personified Spirit. When it is not capitalized, the word then leads itself to the many other definitions of the word...such as:
"Spirit is the principle of life and vital activity. The spirit is the breath of life (Gn 6:17; 7:15, 22; BS 38:23; WS 15:11, 16; 16:14). The breath is the breath of God, the wind, communicated to man by divine inspiration....The spirit of Yahweh or the spirit of God (Elohim) is a force that has unique effects upon man...and the spirit of Yahweh is a force which operates the works of Yahweh the savior and the judge. The spirit of Yahweh is often the force which inspires prophecy (Nm 11:17 ff; 24:2; 2 S 23:2; 1 Ch 12:18; Is 61:1; Mi 3:8; Ezk 2:2; 3:12, 14, 24; 8:3; 11:1, 5, 24; 37:1; 43:5; Ne 9:30; Zc 7:12). The prophet is a man of the spirit (Ho 9:7)." Dictionary of the Bible by John L. McKenzie, S.J.
“In the OT, Heb. Ruah means first of all wind and breath, but also the human spirit in the sense of life force and even personal energy.” Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible (see also Brown Driver Brigg’s Lexicon)
"The Spirit of God.--Heb., a wind of God, i.e., a mighty wind, as rendered by the Targum and most Jewish interpreters. (See Note on Genesis 23:6.) So the wind of Jehovah makes the grass wither (Isaiah 40:7); and so God makes the winds His messengers (Psalm 104:4). The argument that no wind at present existed because the atmosphere had not been created is baseless, for if water existed, so did air. But this unseen material force, wind (John 3:8), has ever suggested to the human mind the thought of the Divine agency, which, equally unseen, is even mightier in its working." ~Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (Ellicott still wants to join this "energy" to the 3rd person of the Trinity however)
I will first list all of the Bible versions that capitalize the world "Spirit" at Gen. 1:2:
The King James Version
The New King James Version
The New International Version
The New American Standard Bible
Holman Christian Standard Bible
New Living Translation
English Standard Version
Contemporary English Version
The above are all Bibles used by Protestants, particularly Evangelicals and Fundamentalists.
Once we move away from this, things start to change. We will now look at Bible versions that use the word "spirit" in the same Scripture, but render this word in the lower case:
Jewish Publication Society Scriptures
The Julia Smith Bible 1876
The Holy Scriptures by Isaac Leeser
The Catholic Jerusalem Bible
The Catholic Douay Version
James Moffat Translation
Revised English Bible
Concordant Literal Version
JPS Tanakh 1917
English Revised Version
Leeser
Other Bibles move even farther away:
"a tempestuous wind" Smith & Goodspeed Bible
"breath of God" Ferrar Fenton Bible; Knox translation; Thomson LXX
"a wind from God" New Revised Standard Version; New JPS; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Judaism
"a mighty wind" Catholic New American Bible; New English Bible
"God’s Breath" 2001Translation
"the power of God" Good News Bible Catholic Edition
"a divine wind" New Jerusalem Bible
"a great or vehement wind" https://tinyurl.com/y4q4ypzn
"The Spirit of God is analogously the Divine force or agency." The Book of Genesis by S.R. Driver
The People's Pulpit Commentary states that the "Ruach Elohim, or breath of God, was not 'a great wind,' or 'a wind of God,' is determined by the non-existence of the air at this particular stage in the earth's development." The New Century Version seems to back this up by translating Genesis 1:7 as "So God made the air." This is however a unique translation, and the Septuagint uses the Greek word STEREWMA here which means "literally, a support (foundation); (figuratively) strength (solidity), making one immoveable because solid." https://biblehub.com/greek/4733.htm - This definition doesn't really add support for the word "air."
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Judaism the spirit is a "divine force" and 'breath', 'wind', or some invisible moving force" which lends credence to the New World Translation of Genesis 1:2 - "God’s active force was moving about over the surface of the waters."
Remember also Genesis 8:1 - "God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged."
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