Mark 15:37

37. And Jesus cried with a loud voice] saying, “It is finished.” The three Evangelists all dwell upon the loudness of the cry, as it had been the triumphant note of a conqueror.

and gave up the ghost] saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” and then all was over. The Lord of life hung lifeless upon the Cross. “There may be something intentional in the fact that in describing the death of Christ the Evangelists do not use the neuter verb, ‘He died,’ but the phrases, ‘He gave up the ghost’ (Mar_15:37; Luk_23:46; Joh_19:30); ‘He yielded up the ghost’ (Mat_27:50); as though they would imply with St Augustine that He gave up His life, ‘quia voluit, quando voluit, quomodo voluit.’ Comp. Joh_10:18.” Farrar, life, ii p. 418 n.

the ghost] Ghost, from A. S. gâst, G. geist, = spirit, breath, opposed to body. “The word has now acquired a kind of hallowed use, and is applied to one Spirit only, but was once common.” Bible Word-Book, p. 224. Compare (a) Wyclif’s translation here, “deiede or sente out the breth;” (b) “ghostly dangers” (= spiritual dangers), “our ghostly enemy” (sour spiritual enemy), in the Catechism; (c) Bishop Andrewes’ Sermons, ii. 340, “Ye see then that it is worth the while to confess this [that Jesus is the Lord], as it should be confessed. In this sense none can do it but by the Holy Ghost. Otherwise, for an ore tenus only, our own ghost will serve well enough.” Bible English, p. 265.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar_15:37

And Jesus cried with a loud voice.

Christ died as a substitute

In one sense, Jesus died as our substitute. Now, what is a substitute. A substitute is one who suffers for or instead of another. A schoolboy feeble of body was brought up to the masters desk for breaking one of the laws of the school. In those days, the punishment at school was something like that which is given to garrotters in our prisons. The poor boy took off his clothes, and stood there with his thin body and his hones almost pushing through his skin. It was a pitiable sight, so poor and thin and wretched was that body! There was a great hush in the school! Then one of the leading boys sprang up with tears in his eyes, and in a moment almost tore his clothes from his back, and, while every boy wept, he stood before the master, saying, Please, sir, he cannot bear it; I will take his punishment. (W. Birch.)

The death of death

Last winter, Jacob, a native assistant of mine, was summoned to his rest. On the day before his death, having been asked how he felt, he replied, I shall not rise from this bed again. I am called hence to the Lord. He then raised his arm, stretched it out, and said, Look! my arm is nothing but bones and skin; it is the same with my earthly body. The flesh is dead within me; my desire is fixed on my heavenly country-that country where I shall behold Him who loves me, and whom I love. Yes, I shall see Him shortly. When asked whether he feared death, Oh, no, he answered, how can I love Christ and fear death? How can death affect me? The death of Christ was the death of Death! (J. Kogel, Greenland.)

Vicarious dying

In the recent floods in France, at Castle-zarazin, while the house was being swept away, the mother, in agony to save her two children, put them in a bread tray and floated the bread tray off upon the waves; but the tray with the two children had gone but a short distance when it struck a tree and capsized. The mother started out for the place. She got there. She took the two children. She somehow clambered up into the tree with them, and held on to a branch. But while hanging there the branch began to crack, and she knew it could not long hold the three, and so she wrapped up her little ones as well as she could, and she tied them fast to the branch, and then she kissed the darlings good-bye and fell backward into the wave and died, while they lived and were recovered. What do you think of that? O! you say: Bravo! bravo! That was just like a mother to do that; but what do you say when I tell you that these tides of sin and death are bearing away the race, and that Jesus Christ swims through the flood, and He comes to us tonight to lift us out and to fasten us to the tree of life, and then having given us the kiss of pardon and peace, falls back Himself in the billows of death, dying Himself that we might live. O! the sacrifice of the Son of God! Bleeding Jesus, let me embrace Thee now! (Dr. Talmage.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15:37 The death of Jesus, like the crucifixion, is told with stark simplicity.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 15:37. Ἐξέπνευσε, He expired) To breathe, is conducive to the good of the body: to cease to breathe [expire], is conducive to the good of the spirit.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 15:37-41 . Death and its accompaniments (Mat 27:50-56 , Luk 23:46-49 ).

Mar 15:37 . φωνὴν μεγάλην : a second great voice uttered by Jesus ( vide Mar 15:34 ), the fact indicated in Mt. by the word πάλιν . At this point would come in John’s τετέλεσται . (Joh 19:30 ). ἐξέπνευσεν , breathed out His life, expired; aorist, the main fact, to which the incident of the drink ( ἐπότιζεν , imperfect) is subordinate; used absolutely, here (and in Luk 23:46 ), as often in the classics. Bengel remarks: “spirare conducit corpori, exspirare spiritui”.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 37. Gave up the ghost.] This was about three o'clock, or what was termed by the Jews the ninth hour; about the time that the paschal lamb was usually sacrificed. The darkness mentioned here must have endured about two hours and a half. Concerning this eclipse, See Clarke on Mt 27:45.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him,.... Wherever he went in Galilee, and from thence to Jerusalem:

and ministered unto him; of their worldly substance, Luk 8:3,

and many other women which came up with him into Jerusalem; from the same parts; see Mat 27:55.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Ver. 37. He gave up the ghost] After which he went not to Limbus Patrum to preach there, as Papists dote, and would deduce it from 1Pe 3:19.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. The three synoptists all mention this cry, which appears to have been something different from the words which he uttered at or about the time of his death. It was evidently something supernatural, and was so regarded by the centurion who stood by; and who had no doubt been accustomed to scenes like these. Usually the voice fails the dying, more especially when the natural forces have been weakened by long agony, as in the ease of our Lord. It seems, therefore, the right conclusion that he cried out, just before he expired, by that supernatural power which his Godhead supplied to him; and thus he showed that, although he had gone through all the pains which were sufficient in ordinary cases to produce death, yet that at length he did not die of necessity, but voluntarily, in accordance with what he had himself said, "No one taketh my life from me... I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again". (Joh_10:18) Victor Antiochanus, in commenting upon this chapter, says, "By this action the Lord Jesus proved that he had his whole life, and his death, in his own free power."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Matt. xxvii, 50; Luke xxiii, 46; John xix, 30.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

gave up

(See Scofield "Mat 27:50")

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. ἀφεὶς φωνὴν μεγάλην. The recurrence of the verb is purely accidental. The great cry is in all three Synoptists, and it shows that Christ did not die merely of exhaustion.

ἐξέπνευσεν. The change from imperfects to aorists is accurate. No Evangelist says that Christ “died”; He gave up His life by an act of will, He yielded up His spirit; κατʼ ἐξουσίαν, ὅτε ἠθέλησεν, ἀποθνήσκει (Euthym.). Mk and Lk. say ἐξέπνευσεν, Mt. ἀφῆκεν τὸ πνεῦμα, Jn παρέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα. The last expression indicates that this “great cry” is to be identified with the last Word; Πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου (Lk.). See on Joh 19:30. The Gospel of St Peter has ἀνελήμφθη, “He was taken up,” another expression with a Docetic tinge. A discussion of the physical causes of the death of Christ is unnecessary, and lack of evidence precludes the attainment of any satisfactory result. We may abide by the words of Scripture that He “lay down His life that He might take it again” (Joh 10:17).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. ἀφεὶς φωνὴν μεγάλην4—having sent forth, or uttered a great cry. The final cry of his agony, with which he expired.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.