inspiration
die Eingebung, die Eingebungen
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inspiration
A thought or idea that suddenly comes to someone without their consciously looking for it.
Mitten in der Nacht hatte sie die rettende Eingebung, wie sich das Problem lösen ließ.
In the middle of the night, she had a flash of inspiration that showed her how to solve the problem.
divine inspiration
A thought or insight believed in a religious context to be conveyed by God or a higher power.
Der Prophet erklärte, er habe diese Botschaft durch göttliche Eingebung empfangen.
The prophet declared that he had received this message through divine inspiration.
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Eingebungen |
| genitive | der Eingebung |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Eingebung | die Eingebungen |
| accusative | die Eingebung | die Eingebungen |
| dative | der Eingebung | den Eingebungen |
| genitive | der Eingebung | der Eingebungen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
You can usually tell whether a personal idea or a religious message is meant by looking at its source: with a spontaneous idea, the focus is often on a person; with the religious meaning, it is frequently on God, a higher power, or a prophet.
Die Eingebung kam ihr beim Spaziergang.
The inspiration came to her while she was out walking.
Der Prophet sprach von einer Eingebung durch Gott.
The prophet spoke of inspiration from God.
When referring to an idea that suddenly occurs, 'Eingebung' (inspiration) is often used with verbs such as 'haben' (to have), 'bekommen' (to get), or 'kommen' (to come). Typical modifiers are 'plötzlich' (sudden), 'rettend' (providing a way out), and 'genial' (brilliant).
Kurz vor der Prüfung hatte Jonas eine rettende Eingebung.
Shortly before the exam, Jonas had a flash of inspiration that came to his rescue.
The person who gets the idea is often in the dative case when expressing that inspiration comes to them. The phrase 'eine Eingebung haben' (to have a flash of inspiration) is also very common.
Beim Kochen kam mir eine gute Eingebung.
A good idea came to me in a flash of inspiration while I was cooking.
Sie hatte eine Eingebung und änderte den Versuchsaufbau.
She had a flash of inspiration and changed the experimental setup.
This meaning is especially common in religious texts or texts influenced by religion. Common phrases are 'göttliche Eingebung' (divine inspiration), 'durch Eingebung' (through inspiration), and 'durch göttliche Eingebung' (through divine inspiration).
Der Text gilt in dieser Tradition als Ergebnis göttlicher Eingebung.
In this tradition, the text is regarded as the result of divine inspiration.
