English · KJV
H1478

גָּוַע

gâvaʻ /gaw-vah'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningto breathe out, i.e. (by implication) expire
KJV usagedie, be dead, give up the ghost, perish.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of gâvaʻ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word gâvaʻ, represented by H1478, is a primitive root meaning to breathe out or expire. It appears 24 times in 23 unique verses in the Bible. While it broadly denotes death, its core meaning centers on the final act of expiration, often translated as "to give up the ghost" or to "perish."

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H1478 is notably used to describe the deaths of the patriarchs. The accounts of Abraham Genesis 25:8, Ishmael Genesis 25:17, Isaac Genesis 35:29, and Jacob Genesis 49:33 all use this term to signify the moment they "gave up the ghost." The word also describes large-scale death as a result of divine judgment, such as in the global flood where God declared all flesh on earth would die Genesis 6:17 and everything that moved upon the earth died Genesis 7:21. In a more personal context, Job uses H1478 to express his deep despair, questioning why he did not give up the ghost at birth (Job 3:11, Job 10:18).

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller context for the concept of expiring:

  • H4191 mûwth (to die): This is the general term for death and is often used in parallel with gâvaʻ. In the descriptions of the patriarchs' deaths, they first gave up the ghost H1478 and then died H4191, highlighting gâvaʻ as the specific act of expiring Genesis 25:8.
  • H7307 rûwach (breath, spirit): This word is directly linked to the definition of gâvaʻ. Psalms 104:29 states that when God takes away their breath H7307, they die H1478, connecting the physical act of expiring with the removal of the life-giving spirit.
  • H622 ʼâçaph (to gather): This term frequently follows gâvaʻ in patriarchal narratives, where after giving up the ghost, an individual was gathered to his people (Genesis 25:8, Genesis 35:29). This suggests an immediate transition following the final breath.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H1478 is demonstrated in several ways:

  • Divine Sovereignty over Life: The use of gâvaʻ often underscores God's ultimate control over life and death. God's declaration before the flood that all life will die H1478 establishes His authority to end life Genesis 6:17. Similarly, the Psalmist notes that death occurs when God takes away breath Psalms 104:29.
  • The Consequence of Sin: The term is connected to the results of iniquity. Achan perished H1478 not alone in his iniquity, showing the communal impact of his trespass Joshua 22:20. The Israelites fearfully exclaim, "Behold, we die H1478, we perish" Numbers 17:12, linking death to the consequence of improperly approaching God's holiness.
  • The Finality of Mortal Life: gâvaʻ marks the definitive end of earthly existence. When man giveth up the ghost H1478, the question "and where is he?" immediately follows, emphasizing the cessation of physical presence Job 14:10. Job's declaration "till I die H1478 I will not remove mine integrity" uses this word to mark the ultimate endpoint of his mortal test Job 27:5.

Summary

In summary, H1478 provides a specific and poignant depiction of death as the act of breathing one's last. It is used to record the final moments of foundational figures like Abraham, to describe the awesome scale of divine judgment, and to express the deepest human anguish in the face of mortality. Far from being a simple synonym for death, gâvaʻ focuses on the physical act of expiration, serving as a powerful marker for the end of life throughout the biblical text.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 24 occurrences, inflected in 11 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • יִּגְוַע
  • אֶגְוָע
  • אֶגְוָע
  • יִגְוָעוּ
  • יִגְוָע
  • גְוֹעַ
  • גָּוַעְנוּ
  • גָוַע
  • יִגְוְעוּ
  • גֹוֵעַ
  • גָּוָעוּ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H4191 מוּת a primitive root; to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill; [idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (b H7307 רוּחַ from רוּחַ; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubs H622 אָסַף a primitive root; to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, r

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 23 verses across 7 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Job (8 verses); never once in the other 32.

6
Genesis
4
Numbers
1
Joshua
8
Job
2
Psalms
1
Lamentations
1
Zechariah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.