1606. ekpneó

Lexical Summary

ekpneó: To breathe out, to expire

Original Word: ἐκπνέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ekpneó
Pronunciation: ek-pneh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-pneh'-o)
KJV: give up the ghost
NASB: breathed His last
Word Origin: [from G1537 (ἐκ - among) and G4154 (πνέω - blew)]

1. to expire

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

give up the ghost.

From ek and pneo; to expire -- give up the ghost.

see GREEK ek

see GREEK pneo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from ek and pneó
Definition
to breathe out, expire
NASB Translation
breathed His last (3).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1606: ἐκπνέω

ἐκπνέω: 1 aorist ἐξέπνευσα; to breathe out, breathe out one's life, breathe one's last, expire: Mark 15:37, 39; Luke 23:46, and often in Greek writings, both without an object (from (Sophocles Aj. 1026) Euripides down), and with βίον or ψυχήν added (from Aeschylus down).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

ἐκπνέω depicts the decisive moment when breath leaves the body. In the New Testament it is reserved exclusively for the death of Jesus Christ, underscoring the historical reality of His physical expiration and the purposeful completion of redemption.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Mark 15:37—“But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.”

Mark 15:39—“When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”

Luke 23:46—“Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ And after He had said this, He breathed His last.”

Theological Significance

1. Fulfillment of Prophecy: Psalm 31:5, cited by Jesus in Luke 23:46, foretells the Messiah’s final committal of His life to the Father. ἐκπνέω seals that fulfillment.
2. Voluntary Sacrifice: The verb highlights that Christ’s life was not taken from Him involuntarily (John 10:17-18); He yielded it. The loud cry before breathing out shows conscious self-giving rather than passive demise.
3. Confirmation of True Death: Against early heresies denying a genuine incarnation or death, the Gospel writers provide forensic detail: a final exhalation witnessed by bystanders—including a Roman centurion—establishes the actuality of death and the basis for bodily resurrection.
4. Completion of Atonement: ἐκπνέω marks the precise instant the sin-bearing work was finished (compare John 19:30). Redemption moves from promise to accomplished fact.

Christological Implications

• Identity Revealed: The centurion’s confession in Mark 15:39 is directly tied to observing how Jesus breathed His last. The manner of Christ’s death validates His divine sonship and kingly identity.
• Spirit and Breath Parallels: The surrender of breath corresponds to the handing over of the Spirit. Luke’s wording links pneuma (spirit) and breathing, echoing Genesis 2:7 where God’s breath imparts life, but here the Second Adam relinquishes breath to restore life to humanity.

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

• Assurance in Facing Death: Believers can entrust their spirits to the Father, confident that Christ has pioneered the passage through death.
• Model of Worshipful Surrender: Jesus’ final breath is framed by prayer and Scripture quotation, pressing every disciple to saturate life and death alike with the Word of God.
• Motivation for Evangelism: The centurion’s immediate confession shows that clear testimony to Christ crucified can bring unexpected conversions, even among hardened observers.

Historical Usage in the Church

Early creeds such as the Apostles’ Creed emphasize that Jesus “suffered…was crucified, dead, and buried.” Patristic writings (e.g., Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus) cite the Gospel narratives of ἐκπνέω to refute docetism. In liturgical traditions, Good Friday readings linger on these verses to invite contemplation of the cost of redemption.

Related Concepts and Vocabulary

• πνεῦμα (spirit, breath): Points to life and divine empowerment; Jesus releases His breath to give the Spirit to His people (John 20:22).
• ἀποθνῄσκω (to die) and τελευτάω (to finish life): General terms for death; ἐκπνέω narrows focus to the moment of expiration.
• θεόπνευστος (God-breathed, 2 Timothy 3:16): While distinct in form, the shared breath imagery ties Scripture’s inspiration to the life-giving and life-yielding breath of God incarnate.

Summary

ἐκπνέω encapsulates the climactic surrender of Jesus Christ on the cross, affirming the historical fact of His death, the completion of atonement, and the pattern of trusting obedience for all who follow Him.

Forms and Transliterations

εκποιή εκποιήσει εκπολεμήσαι εκπολεμήσαντες εκπολεμήσας εκπολεμήσωμεν εκπολιορκησάτωσαν εξέπνευσε εξεπνευσεν εξέπνευσεν ἐξέπνευσεν εξεποίει εξεπολέμει εξεπολέμησαν εξεπολιόρκησεν εξεπολιόρκουν exepneusen exépneusen

Englishman's Concordance

Mark 15:37 V-AIA-3S
GRK: φωνὴν μεγάλην ἐξέπνευσεν
NAS: a loud cry, and breathed His last.
KJV: voice, and gave up the ghost.
INT: a cry loud breathed his last

Mark 15:39 V-AIA-3S
GRK: ὅτι οὕτως ἐξέπνευσεν εἶπεν Ἀληθῶς
NAS: the way He breathed His last, he said,
KJV: cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said,
INT: that thus he breathed his last said Truly

Luke 23:46 V-AIA-3S
GRK: δὲ εἰπὼν ἐξέπνευσεν
NAS: this, He breathed His last.
KJV: thus, he gave up the ghost.
INT: moreover having said he breathed his last

Strong's Greek 1606
3 Occurrences

ἐξέπνευσεν — 3 Occ.