Original Word: גָּוַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: gava`
Pronunciation: gah-VAH
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-vah')
KJV: die, be dead, give up the ghost, perish
NASB: perish, die, breathed his last, perished, died, expire, expires
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to breathe out
2. (by implication) expire

die, be dead, give up the ghost, perish

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

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to expire, perish, die
NASB Translation
breathed his last (4), die (5), died (2), expire (2), expires (1), perish (6), perished (4).

גָּוַע verb expire perish, die (compare Arabic be empty, hungry) —

Qal Perfect גָּוַע Numbers 20:29; Joshua 22:20 גָּוָ֑עוּ Lamentations 1:19 גָּוַעְנוּ Numbers 17:27; Numbers 20:3; Imperfect יִגְוַע Job 34:15, יִגְוָ֑ע Genesis 6:17, יִגְוְעוּ Job 36:12, יִגְוָע֑וּ Zechariah 13:8, יִגְוָע֑וּן Psalm 104:28 etc.; Infinitive construct גְּוַע Numbers 20:3 גְּוֺעַ Numbers 17:28; Participle גֹּוֵעַ Psalm 88:16; — expire and die, only P & poetry; וימת ׳ג Genesis 25:8,17; Genesis 35:29 (all P); "" מות Job 3:11; Job 14:10 compare Numbers 17:28 (P); "" אבד Numbers 17:27 we expire, we perish (P); "" עָנִי Psalm 88:15 (progressive parall.) distressed and about to die; "" יאסף אל אבותיו Genesis 49:33; "" עלעֿפר ישׁוב Job 34:15 compare Psalm 104:29; "" יִכָּֽרְתוּ Zechariah 13:8; absolute, both prose and (especially) poetry Numbers 20:3 (twice in verse); Numbers 20:29; Joshua 22:20; Genesis 6:17; Genesis 7:21 (all P) Job 10:13; Job 13:19; Job 27:5; Job 36:12; Lamentations 1:19; Job 29:18 עִםקִֿנִּי אגוע with my nest shall I die, i.e. in full possession of what is mine, compare Di.

Overview of Meaning and Scope

גָּוַע (gāva‘, Strong’s Hebrew 1478) depicts the final cessation of earthly life—“to breathe out,” “to expire,” “to die.” While Scripture employs several verbs for death, gāva‘ uniquely stresses the moment the breath leaves the body, underlining both the frailty of human life and the certainty of its conclusion under God’s sovereign timetable. Its twenty-four appearances span narrative, law, poetry, and prophecy, linking patriarchal deaths, national judgments, and personal laments into one coherent testimony: every life is upheld—and concluded—by the LORD.

Occurrences in the Torah

Genesis consistently uses gāva‘ to describe the peaceful passing of the patriarchs:
• “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years” (Genesis 25:8).
• The same wording marks Ishmael (Genesis 25:17), Isaac (Genesis 35:29), and Jacob (Genesis 49:33).

These notices emphasize covenant continuity. Each patriarch’s death closes a chapter without arresting God’s promises; the verb’s calm tone underscores God’s faithfulness beyond an individual lifespan.

In contrast, gāva‘ stands at the heart of global judgment: “Every creature that had the breath of life in its nostrils—everything on dry land—died” (Genesis 7:21). The Flood passage juxtaposes created breath (Genesis 2:7) with expired breath, spotlighting humanity’s accountability.

The wilderness narratives widen the theme. Israel’s rebellion prompts the people to fear that “everyone who approaches the tabernacle of the LORD will die” (Numbers 17:13), revealing how holiness exposes mortal vulnerability. At Kadesh, grumbling climaxes in the complaint, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!” (Numbers 20:3). Moses’ intercession averts immediate judgment, yet gāva‘ hints that unbelief ultimately ends in expiration outside the promised rest (Numbers 20:29).

Poetic and Wisdom Literature

Job’s speeches employ gāva‘ nine times, probing life’s brevity and the mystery of suffering:
• “But man dies and is powerless; he expires, and where is he?” (Job 14:10).
• “I said, ‘I will die in my own nest, and multiply my days like the sand’” (Job 29:18).

Job contrasts his former confidence with current despair, yet even in lament, the verb presumes God’s oversight of life’s span (Job 34:15). The frequency in Job anchors the book’s realism: hope must stand beyond the moment of expiration.

Psalms likewise pair the verb with dependence on God:
• “When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust” (Psalm 104:29).
• In Psalm 88:15 the psalmist confesses living “close to death,” showing that awareness of mortality drives earnest prayer.

Prophetic Usage

Zechariah foresees eschatological purging: “In all the land…two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left” (Zechariah 13:8). Here gāva‘ becomes a term of covenant refinement: death strikes unbelief, while a remnant is preserved for future glory.

Lamentations 1:19 laments Zion’s collapse: “My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food.” The verb records national catastrophe under divine discipline, demonstrating that ignoring covenant obligations hastens collective expiration.

Theological Significance

1. Sovereign Ownership of Breath. From the patriarchs to the Flood, Scripture ties human expiration to God’s withdrawal of breath (Psalm 104:29). Gāva‘ thereby magnifies the Creator–creature distinction and refutes any notion of autonomous existence.
2. Death as Boundary, not Conclusion. The patriarchal notices link death to gathered-to-the-people hope (Genesis 25:8). Though gāva‘ ends earthly toil, it anticipates continued covenant fellowship.
3. Holiness and Judgment. In Numbers and Zechariah, gāva‘ exposes rebellion’s cost. Death is not merely a biological event but a moral appointment (Hebrews 9:27 echoes the theme).
4. Lament and Wisdom. Job and the Psalms model honest grappling with mortality, steering believers to trust beyond visible life. Breath’s frailty urges humble dependence and persevering faith.

Implications for Ministry and Discipleship

• Funeral Comfort: The verb’s patriarchal pattern encourages honoring a believer’s passing as a purposeful “gathering,” affirming resurrection hope.
• Evangelistic Urgency: Flood and prophetic contexts warn that breath is on loan; repentance must precede its recall.
• Pastoral Care: Job’s usage validates grief’s questions while directing sufferers to God’s sovereignty.
• Worship and Prayer: Psalm 104 invites acknowledgment that every inhalation is grace, fostering gratitude and awe.

Gāva‘ finally points forward to the gospel’s answer to death: Jesus Christ, who “yielded up His spirit” yet rose triumphant, securing eternal breath for all who trust Him.

אֶ֝גְוַ֗ע אֶגְוָ֑ע אגוע בִּגְוַ֥ע בגוע גָּוַ֛עְנוּ גָּוָ֑עוּ גָוַ֖ע גָוַ֛עְנוּ גוע גועו גוענו וְ֝יִגְוְע֗וּ וְאֶגְוָֽע׃ וְגֹוֵ֣עַ וַיִּגְוַ֖ע וַיִּגְוַ֞ע וַיִּגְוַ֣ע וַיִּגְוַ֨ע ואגוע׃ וגוע ויגוע ויגועו יִגְוַ֣ע יִגְוָ֑עוּ יִגְוָֽע׃ יִגְוָע֑וּן יגוע יגוע׃ יגועו יגועון לִגְוֹֽעַ׃ לגוע׃ ’eḡ·wa‘ ’eḡ·wā‘ ’eḡwa‘ ’eḡwā‘ biḡ·wa‘ bigVa biḡwa‘ egVa ḡā·wa‘ gā·wa‘·nū ḡā·wa‘·nū gā·wā·‘ū gaVa gaVanu gaVau ḡāwa‘ gāwa‘nū ḡāwa‘nū gāwā‘ū liḡ·wō·a‘ ligVoa liḡwōa‘ vaiyigVa veegVa vegoyEa veyigveU way·yiḡ·wa‘ wayyiḡwa‘ wə’eḡwā‘ wə·’eḡ·wā‘ wə·ḡō·wê·a‘ wə·yiḡ·wə·‘ū wəḡōwêa‘ wəyiḡwə‘ū yiḡ·wa‘ yiḡ·wā‘ yiḡ·wā·‘ū yiḡ·wā·‘ūn yigVa yigVau yigvaUn yiḡwa‘ yiḡwā‘ yiḡwā‘ū yiḡwā‘ūnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts