For every one of us, there will come a day when we take our final breath and step into eternity. The Bible uses different phrases to describe that moment, and one that you may have come across is "gave up the ghost." Now, this isn't a phrase you hear much these days, and you might wonder what it actually means. Since it’s not something we hear in everyday conversation, let's dive into the Scriptures to uncover its true meaning and significance for our lives today.
Where Does the Phrase “Gave up the Ghost” Appear in the Bible?
The term gave up the ghost appears in both the Old and New Testaments in several places. Here are two examples.
"Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people" (Gen. 25:8, KJV).
"And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46, KJV).
One thing we should note is that this phrase "gave up the ghost" primarily appears in older translations of scripture. If you notice, both references came from the King James Version (KJV), which is one of the oldest translations of scripture.
What Does “Gave up the Ghost” Mean?
When you look at the phrase in context, the meaning of the phrase "gave up the ghost" becomes clear. This is simply the description of what happens when a person comes to the final moment of their life. It is another way of saying the person died. The challenge with this phrase is that we don’t use language like this anymore to describe someone dying. Have you ever used "gave up the ghost" to describe the last moments of a person’s life? My guess is probably not. However, the phrase "gave up the ghost" is still an accurate description of what happens when someone dies.
Since the word ghost is tied to a person’s spirit, there are two key words for spirit in Hebrew and Greek. In Hebrew, the word for spirit is ruach and in Greek, the word is pneuma. These words can refer to the Holy Spirit, the human spirit, or the breath of life.
In Genesis 25:8, the phrase translated as gave up the ghost in the KJV does not use the word ruach. Instead, the Hebrew phrase used is vayigva, derived from the root gava, which means to expire, die, perish, or breathe one's last. The verse in Luke does not use the word pneuma, but ekpneó, which also means to breathe out or to expire, which is why it can also mean gave up the ghost. When writing about the death of Jesus, John says this:
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" (John 19:30, KJV).
Even though the phrase "gave up the ghost" is used in the KJV, it is interesting to note that the Greek word used here is pneuma, once again tying the word ghost to the spirit; in this case, the spirit of Jesus.
How Does “Gave up the Ghost” Relate to the Spirit?
As humans, we are comprised of a body, a soul, and a spirit. Our human makeup reflects the triune nature of God. The body is our physical shell; the soul is the seat of our emotions and decision making, and the spirit is the eternal part of us which is where we connect with God. This is also the part of us that makes us alive. Remember, in creation, Adam did not become a living being until God breathed the breath of life into him.
"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7).
When we die, this breath of life, which is our spirit that God has breathed into every living person, departs our body. That’s why the term gave up the ghost is applicable when a person dies. It’s also why, when a person dies, they appear lifeless, because their spirit, which is where their actual life resides, has departed. Here is how Ecclesiastes words it:
"and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7).
Physical death is the separating of your spirit from your body. As believers in Jesus, when we die, our spirit goes to be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), and our bodies ultimately return to dust.
Why Do Modern Translations Use Different Phrasing?
When we read more modern translations of scripture, we see that they replace the phrase gave up the ghost with something akin to breathed his last, and some translations say plainly, he died. We see that in some translations of Luke 23:46.
Let’s go back to Gen 25:8 which we looked at in the KJV earlier, and see how it reads in a few modern translations. To refresh your memory, I will put the KJV first and emphasize the different phrasing so you can make an easy comparison.
KJV - "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people."
ESV - "Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people."
NLT - "and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death."
NIV - "Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people."
The reason more modern translations use different phrasing is quite simple. When you are translating from one language to another, you tend to use the language and phrasing that is most relevant to your audience at the time of the translation. When they translated the KJV, the English spoken then differed from the English we speak now. Over time, some words, phrases, and even the meaning of those words and phrases have changed. In the 1600s, people easily understood the phrase gave up the ghost. Today, it is probably more appropriate to say breathed his last, because that reflects how we speak today. Remember, the goal for translators is to translate without changing the meaning of the text, while making it available for the reader to understand in their own language. After all, what good is translation if the reader can’t understand it?
What Can Christians Learn from This Phrase?
There are two things Christians can learn from this phrase. First, it is a reminder that one day we will all breathe our last breath and give up our ghost. There is no promise of living forever in this body because this body was not designed for it. The Bible tells us it is appointed once for men to die and after that judgment (Heb. 9:27). While none of us know when that day will happen, we know it will.
The second lesson for followers of Christ is that death is not the end. Though our bodies die, our spirits go to be with the Lord. Yet, that is not the end of the story. One day, there will be a resurrection where we will receive a spiritual body that cannot decay. The spiritual body we receive will never experience death because it is made to last for all eternity. That body will be incorruptible and indestructible, and there will never be a moment after that when we will ever have to give up the ghost. That, my friends, is our eternal hope in Jesus Christ.
"For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'
'Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?'" (1 Cor. 15:53-55)
Further Reading
What Does "Gave Up the Ghost" Mean in Scripture?
What Does it Mean That Jesus "Gave Up the Ghost"?
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