EASTON’S BIBLE DICTIONARY (1897 EDITION)
Air – the atmosphere, as opposed to the higher regions of the sky (1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 9:2; 16:17).
This word occurs once as the rendering of the Hebrew ruah (Job 41:16); elsewhere it is the rendering of shamaiyim, usually translated “heavens.”
The expression “to speak into the air” (1 Cor. 14:9) is a proverb denoting to speak in vain, as to “beat the air” (1 Cor. 9:26) denotes to labour in vain.