and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
Parallel translations
- WEB Abraham gave up his spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
- KJV Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
- BSB And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people.
- NKJV Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
- NASB Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abraham dies at a good old age, satisfied with life, and is gathered to his people.
Overview
Abraham's death 'full of years' portrays a life fulfilled under God's blessing rather than mere length of days. The phrase 'gathered to his people' hints at a hope beyond the grave, joining those who died in faith. Hebrews honors Abraham as one who died still looking for a better, heavenly country secured in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 21
- Gen 35:28–29The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.
- Gen 15:15but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.
- 1 Chr 29:28He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.
- Gen 49:33When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.
- Job 5:26You shall come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season.
- Gen 47:8–9Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
- Gen 25:17These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up his spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.
- Job 42:17So Job died, being old and full of days.
- Judg 8:32Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
- Prov 20:29The glory of young men is their strength. The splendor of old men is their gray hair.
- Acts 13:36For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay.
- Gen 25:7These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years.
- Gen 49:29He instructed them, and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
- Acts 5:10She fell down immediately at his feet, and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.
- Gen 35:18As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
- Jer 6:11Therefore I am full of Yahweh’s wrath. I am weary with holding in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him who is full of days.
- Judg 2:10After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them, who didn’t know Yahweh, nor the work which he had done for Israel.
- Num 27:13When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered;
- Num 20:24“Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.
- Acts 5:5Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
- Acts 12:23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 25:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.