Risked his life/ to risk one's life/ great devotion/ great risk (to one's life)/ self-sacrifice/ exposing oneself to danger
He risked his life to the point of endangering it. Risking life (originally to insult means to curse or scorn).
("Zebulun is a people that risked its life unto death, and Naphtali upon the heights of the field" - Judges 5:18 (Song of Deborah); and also: "In the city of Astella, the raging mob surrounded the Jewish quarter. The residents trapped inside stood their ground at the risk of their lives" - S. Dubnov, World History, vol. 2)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
חֵרֵף נַפְשׁוֹ (חֵירוּף נֶפֶשׁ)
Definition (Hebrew)
סִיכֵּן אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַד כְּדֵי סַכָּנַת חַיִּים. סִכּוּן הַחַיִּים (בַּמָּקוֹר לְחָרֵף מַשְׁמָע לְקַלֵּל אוֹ לָבוּז).
("זְבֻלוּן עַם חֵרֵף נַפְשׁוֹ לָמוּת וְנַפְתָּלִי עַל מְרוֹמֵי שָׂדֶה"- שׁוֹפְטִים ה יח (שִׁירַת דְּבוֹרָה), וְכֵן:"בָּעִיר אַסְטֵלָה הִקִּיף הֶהָמוֹן הַפָּרוּעַ אֶת שְׁכוּנַת הַיְּהוּדִים. הַתּוֹשָׁבִים הַמְּסֻגָּרִים עָמְדוּ עַל נַפְשָׁם בְּחֵרוּף נֶפֶשׁ"- ש.דּוֹבְנוֹב/ דִּבְרֵי יְמֵי עוֹלָם, שנ"ב)