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  • From: "Jeffrey B. Gibson" <jgibson000 AT home.com>
  • To: Kata Markon <gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Addendum: Exepneusen in Mark 15:37
  • Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2000 12:56:29 -0500


> Does anyone know an exact etymology of EXEPNEUSEN in this verse - which is
> usually translated "Gave up the ghost", but my Greek NT gives it as
> "expired"? And, surprisingly, Strong's has left it blank, both for 15:37 and
> 15:39. [15:37 - "And Jesus having uttered a cry loud expired"; 15:39 - "
> . . . having cried out he expired . . . "]
>
> Strong's Greek #s that come closest I could find were #1852 and #1853,
> Exupnizo, to waken, awake out of sleep; and Exupnos for awake, out of sleep.
> Am I complete off-base about this?
>

One of the things that has apparently led you astray here is that you
have not
parsed the word in question correctly. EXEPNEUSEN is the 3rd person
singular
Aorist form of EKPNEUW. And as LSJ notes the verb means "to breathe
forth" and
was frequently used to signify the breathing out that occurs at death.

ek-pneô, Ep. -pneiô Q.S.1.349, impf. -eieskon IDEM=Q.S.13.148 : fut.
-pneusomai
or -oumai:--

1. breathe out or forth, keraunos ekpneôn phloga Aesch. PB 361 ; e.
aras tini
Eur. Phoen. 876 ; e. thumon IDEM=Eur. Ba. 620 : abs., Emp.100.1, Plat.
Phaedo
112b, Arist.HA492b6.

2. bion e. breathe one's last, expire, Aesch. Ag. 1493 (lyr.), Eur.
Hel. 142 ;
e. psuchên IDEM=Eur. Orest. 1163 ; alone, huph' hou phoneôs ar'
exepneusas Soph.
Aj. 1026 ; pros tinos Eur. Her. 886 (anap.) : abs.,
IDEM=E.Hyps.Fr.60i38,
Parth.4.6 : metaph., lose power, Gp.15.1.28; lose lustre, of pearls,
PHolm.10.18.

3. lose breath, of a runner, Aristot. Rh. 1409a32.

II. abs., cease blowing, become calm, [ho dêmos] isôs anekpneuseie
Eur. Orest.
700 ; ta kata ton polemon ekpepneuke kai lelôphêken Sch.Aristoph. Peace
942.

2. blow out or outwards, of a wind, esôthen e. Hdt. 7.36 ; ek tou
kolpou Thuc.
2.84, cf. au=Thuc. 6.104 ; burst out, smikrou nephous..ekpneusas megas
cheimôn
Soph. Aj. 1148 ; but simply, blow, of wind, Arist.Mete.365a4, ti=Arist.
Pr.947a31.

Your confusion about the KJV idiom "give up the ghost" seems to be
grounded in
not knowing that in 1611 this expression and "to expire" were
synonymous.

Yours,

Jeffrey Gibson
--
Jeffrey B. Gibson, D.Phil. (Oxon.)
7423 N. Sheridan Road #2A
Chicago, Illinois 60626
e-mail jgibson000 AT home.com



  • Addendum: Exepneusen in Mark 15:37, Jeffrey B. Gibson, 07/03/2000

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