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גָּוַע

𐤂𐤅𐤏

gâvaʻ

H1478 verb

SILEX Entry

Root גוע to expire, to breathe out, to cease

Definition

To expire, to cease breathing, or to die (often in the sense of a peaceful or natural death). In the Hebrew Bible, גָּוַע is used to describe the end of life, typically indicating a natural or nonviolent death, and is often reserved for describing the death of notable personages such as patriarchs or monarchs. Unlike other terms for death, it emphasizes the physical act of expiring rather than violent loss of life or judicial execution.

Semantic Range

to expire, to breathe one's last, to die (peacefully), to cease (of life), to perish (in the sense of dying, not destruction)

Root / Etymology

From the triliteral root ג-ו-ע (גָּוַע), meaning 'to expire' or 'to cease breathing.' The root's core notion involves the loss of physical breath, implying the end of mortal existence. This differs from other Hebrew roots for death that focus on violent demise or destruction (e.g., מות, 'to die,' often with broader semantic range).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, גָּוַע appears predominantly in narrative passages describing the deaths of patriarchs, elders, and leaders such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron. It is generally associated with 'gathering to one's kin' or 'ancestors,' indicating a peaceful and communal sense of death. The term is often paired or paralleled with these communal phrases, reflecting both the biological and social dimensions of dying. Unlike מות (mot), which broadly refers to death and is commonly used for general or violent deaths, גָּוַע is almost never used for death in battle or the slaying of enemies—it tends toward dignified, natural demise. In later periods, the distinction between terms becomes less pronounced. English translations such as 'to give up the ghost,' 'to expire,' or even 'to die' may oversimplify the nuance; the older phrase 'give up the ghost' reflects historic translation choices but can obscure the emphasis on natural, peaceful death rather than a supernatural act.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to breathe out, i.e. (by implication) expire; die, be dead, give up the ghost, perish.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גוע (g-w-ʿ) — to expire, to breathe out, to cease (of life)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1387 גֶּבַע he expired
H1390 גִּבְעָה he expired

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1478-07 וַ/יִּגְוַ֞ע vayigeva HC/Vqw3ms breathed his last and he expired 6
H1478-02 אֶ֝גְוַ֗ע egeva HVqi1cs I die I will expire 3
H1478-04 גָּוַ֛עְנוּ gavaenu HVqp1cp we are perishing we have expired 2
H1478-08 וְ/אֶגְוָֽע veegeva HC/Vqi1cs and die and I will expire 2
H1478-11 יִגְוָֽע yigeva HVqi3ms shall perish he will breathe his last 2
H1478-03 גָוַ֖ע gava HVqp3ms had died he expired 2
H1478-01 בִּ/גְוַ֥ע bigeva HR/Vqc in-dying in expiring 1
H1478-09 וְ/גֹוֵ֣עַ vegovea HC/Vqrmsa and-gasping and expiring one 1
H1478-10 וְ֝/יִגְוְע֗וּ veyigeveu HC/Vqi3mp and they die and they will expire 1
H1478-12 יִגְוָ֑עוּ yigevau HVqi3mp they will perish they will expire 1

Occurrences in Scripture

24 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1478-11 Genesis 6:17 יִגְוָֽע yigeva HVqi3ms shall perish he will breathe his last
H1478-07 Genesis 7:21 וַ/יִּגְוַ֞ע vayigeva HC/Vqw3ms died and he expired
H1478-07 Genesis 25:8 וַ/יִּגְוַ֨ע vayigeva HC/Vqw3ms breathed his last and he expired
H1478-07 Genesis 25:17 וַ/יִּגְוַ֣ע vayigeva HC/Vqw3ms and he breathed his last and he expired
H1478-07 Genesis 35:29 וַ/יִּגְוַ֨ע vayigeva HC/Vqw3ms breathed his last and he expired
H1478-07 Genesis 49:33 וַ/יִּגְוַ֖ע vayigeva HC/Vqw3ms and breathed his last and he expired
H1478-04 Numbers 17:27 גָּוַ֛עְנוּ gavaenu HVqp1cp we are perishing we have expired
H1478-06 Numbers 17:28 לִ/גְוֺֽעַ ligeoa HR/Vqc in perishing to expire
H1478-04 Numbers 20:3 גָוַ֛עְנוּ gavaenu HVqp1cp we-had-died we have expired
H1478-01 Numbers 20:3 בִּ/גְוַ֥ע bigeva HR/Vqc in-dying in expiring
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