Luke 23 46

Luke 23:46 kjv

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Luke 23:46 nkjv

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

Luke 23:46 niv

Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Luke 23:46 esv

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

Luke 23:46 nlt

Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last.

Luke 23 verses

Luke 23 46 Meaning

Luke 23:46 describes the culminating moment of Jesus' physical life on the cross: His final declaration and His death. It reveals His unwavering trust in God the Father even in the midst of extreme suffering and ultimate surrender. His loud cry indicates strength and a deliberate, voluntary act of committal rather than a simple expiration from weakness. He consciously places His spirit back into the care of the Father, mirroring the relationship of profound intimacy and perfect obedience that defined His entire ministry.

Luke 23 46 Context

Luke chapter 23 meticulously narrates the events leading to Jesus' crucifixion and His death. Beginning with His trial before Pilate and Herod, the chapter highlights the political maneuvering, the crowd's rejection of Jesus, and the Roman execution. Jesus' journey to Golgotha, His compassion for the weeping women, and His crucifixion alongside two criminals are detailed. The mockery of the rulers, soldiers, and one of the criminals contrasts sharply with Jesus' intercession for His persecutors ("Father, forgive them...") and His promise to the penitent thief ("Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise"). Preceding verse 46, darkness covers the land (v. 44) and the temple veil is torn (v. 45), signifying momentous spiritual events coinciding with Jesus' final moments. Luke 23:46 therefore captures the climactic point of His passion, immediately followed by the centurion's declaration and the women witnessing the burial. This verse marks the consummation of His mission through an act of complete and conscious surrender to the Father.

Luke 23 46 Word analysis

• And when Jesus had cried out (καὶ φωνήσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς): The Greek word for "cried out," phonēsas (aorist participle of phoneo), indicates a decisive and clear vocalization, often used for calling out or making an announcement. Luke's use, particularly in combination with "loud voice," emphasizes Jesus' deliberate and conscious act, distinguishing it from a faint whisper of a dying man.
• with a loud voice (φωνῇ μεγάλῃ): Reinforces the strength and deliberateness of His utterance. Despite the agony of crucifixion and exhaustion, Jesus retained sufficient strength to cry out loudly. This is a point of triumph, not a sign of collapse, affirming His power even in His final moments. It contrasts sharply with an involuntary sigh or weak breath.
• He said, "Father," (εἶπεν, Πάτερ): Addressing God as "Father" (Patēr) signifies the intimate and unique relationship Jesus has with God, maintained even at the point of His death. It underscores a profound filial trust and dependence, setting Him apart from any ordinary man.
• "into Your hands" (εἰς χεῖράς σου): A common phrase in ancient Hebrew and Greek cultures signifying trust, protection, and complete surrender of responsibility or care to another. It implies depositing something valuable for safekeeping in the most secure place imaginable – God's sovereign care.
• "I commit My spirit." (παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου): The verb "commit," paratithemai (παρατίθεμαι), means "to place beside, entrust, deposit for safekeeping." It's used for entrusting money or precious items to a reliable person. Jesus actively and consciously "deposits" or "entrusts" His spirit to the Father, an act of willing and faithful submission. This is not His spirit leaving Him involuntarily, but given by Him deliberately. It explicitly references Psalm 31:5 from the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), demonstrating Jesus' familiarity with Scripture and His application of it to His own experience.
• Having said this, (τοῦτο δὲ εἰπών): This phrase emphasizes that His subsequent death was directly linked to, and immediately followed, this profound act of vocal surrender. It wasn't a sudden, unplanned expiration, but a consequence of His intentional act.
• He breathed His last. (ἐξέπνευσεν): The Greek word exepneusen (from ekpneo) literally means "to breathe out," "to expire." Luke, traditionally understood as a physician, uses this precise and clinical term to describe the moment of physical death, underscoring the reality and finality of Jesus' human death. This term implies the complete cessation of physical life functions, countering any Gnostic idea that His death was not real or merely an illusion. This moment marks the completion of His earthly life and sacrifice.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Cried out with a loud voice": This phrase across the Synoptic Gospels signifies the deliberate nature of Jesus' death. It points to a victory cry rather than a groan of defeat. He died consciously and actively, retaining power even in weakness, a testament to His divine sovereignty over His own life and death.
• "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit": This is an expression of perfect trust and profound filial devotion. It recontextualizes Psalm 31:5, which spoke of a person fleeing enemies, to describe the ultimate trust of the Son in the Father, even as He faces the "enemy" of death. It also acts as an exemplary prayer for all believers facing death, echoing ultimate faith and submission. It reflects Jesus' continuous pattern of obedience and reliance on the Father throughout His life.
• "Having said this, He breathed His last": The immediate sequence of the command and the physical death strongly links the two. It's a clear statement that Jesus yielded His life; it was not taken from Him in the typical sense of human dying. His death was the result of a deliberate, self-willed surrender, underscoring its redemptive efficacy and His role as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, willingly laying down His life.

Luke 23 46 Bonus section

The meticulous recording of Jesus' physical capabilities, even amidst crucifixion, highlights the conscious nature of His sacrifice. The "loud voice" in Luke 23:46 and parallels (Mt 27:50, Mk 15:37) demonstrates that Jesus was not fading into unconsciousness; His mind and will were fully engaged. This emphasizes that His death was an act of free will, not involuntary bodily collapse. Furthermore, Luke, as an author, often presents Jesus as a devout Jew, consistent with the quotation from Psalm 31:5. This underscores Jesus' faithfulness to the scriptures even in His dying moments. The scene also serves as a polemic against pagan beliefs where deities often capriciously intervened or allowed heroes to suffer undignified deaths; Jesus' death is dignified, purposeful, and fully under His own command in cooperation with the Father's will.

Luke 23 46 Commentary

Luke 23:46 captures the magnificent intersection of human suffering and divine purpose. Jesus' final words from the cross, preserved by Luke, articulate a profound theology of surrender and trust. Unlike the wails of despair common to many dying in agony, Jesus' cry is powerful, not born of physical weakness but spiritual strength, indicative of His authority even in apparent defeat. He addresses God as "Father," reaffirming the eternal intimacy of their relationship despite bearing the world's sin. His commitment of "My spirit" into the Father's "hands" echoes Psalm 31:5, revealing His reliance on Old Testament truth even at death's door. This is an active deposit, a willing entrusting of His very essence to the secure keeping of the Almighty, showcasing perfect faith and complete obedience. Luke's precise term for "breathed His last" highlights the absolute reality of Jesus' physical death, essential for the atonement. Jesus' death, therefore, is portrayed not as a tragedy where life is snatched away, but as the supreme act of a sovereign Savior who consciously and victoriously yielded His life in full submission to the divine will for the redemption of humanity. This moment provides the ultimate model of faithfulness for all who will one day face death, empowering them to likewise commit their spirits to God.