Inspiration refers to the drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of respiration. It commonly describes a breath, a single inhalation, a supernatural divine influence on the prophets, apostles, or sacred writers, by which they were qualified to communicate moral or religious truth with authority; a supernatural influence which qualifies people to receive and communicate divine truth; also, the truth communicated, and the act of an elevating or stimulating influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity, which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to a person, object, or situation which quickens or stimulates an influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity and a new idea, especially one which arises suddenly and is clever or creative, so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Inspiration as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language.
