To breathe out the last breath, to expire, to die. Used three times in Acts — of Ananias and Sapphira dying instantly after lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:5, 10), and of Herod dying after accepting divine honors (Acts 12:23).
Ekpsuchō marks three deaths in Acts that function as divine judgments. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit about their offering and fell dead; Herod accepted worship that belonged to God and was struck down. Luke uses this clinical word — 'breathed his last' — to underline the severity of these acts. Each death follows a specific sin against divine holiness: deception of the Spirit, or arrogation of divine glory. The episodes in Acts 5 established the holiness of the new covenant community from its earliest days.