παύω G3973
To cease, stop, leave off (middle voice); in the active, to restrain or cause someone to stop.
A verb of cessation with a significant voice distinction, παύω in the middle voice means 'to stop oneself' from an activity — the dominant NT pattern. Luke uses it for the cessation of storms (Luke 8:24), the end of speaking (Luke 5:4), and the tireless continuation of apostolic preaching that 'did not cease' (Acts 5:42). Paul and his companions 'ceased' urging (Acts 21:14). The rare active voice in 1 Pet 3:10, quoting Psalm 34, urges the tongue to 'restrain itself' from evil — here the causative force is directed reflexively. Spanish 'cesa/cesaban' and German 'aufhören' consistently reflect the idea of coming to a halt.
Senses
1. cease, stop (intransitive) — The middle-voice sense of ceasing, stopping, or leaving off an activity, where the subject discontinues their own action. This overwhelmingly dominant sense (14 occurrences) appears across varied contexts: the storm ceasing (Luke 8:24), Jesus finishing his teaching (Luke 5:4; 11:1), apostles who 'did not cease' proclaiming Christ (Acts 5:42; 6:13), and Paul's ceaseless prayers (Eph 1:16; Col 1:9). Spanish 'cesa/cesaban,' French 'cesser,' and German 'aufhören/hört auf' all converge on the intransitive notion of halting or desisting. 14×
AR["أَتَوَقَّفْ", "أَكُفُّ", "أَنْ-سَكَنَ", "انتَهى", "تَكُفُّ", "تَوَقَّفَ", "تَوَقَّفَتْ", "تَوَقَّفُوا-عَنْ", "سَتَنتَهي", "سَكَنوا", "كَفَّ", "نَكُفُّ", "يَتَوَقَّفُ", "يَكُفُّوا"]·ben["আমরা-থামি", "আমি-থামিনি", "তারা-থামল", "তারা-থেমে-যেত", "থামছিলেন", "থামছে", "থামবে", "থামল", "থামলেন", "থামি", "বন্ধ-হবে;", "বিরত-হয়েছে"]·DE["aufhoeren", "hört-auf"]·EN["I-cease", "I-ceased", "ceases", "has-ceased", "he-ceased", "he-stopped", "they-stopped", "they-will-cease", "they-would-have-ceased", "to-cease", "we-cease", "will-you-cease"]·FR["cesser"]·heb["חֲדַל", "חָדְלוּ", "חָדַל", "חָדַלְתִּי", "חוֹדְלִים", "חוֹדֵל", "פָּסְקוּ", "פָּסַק", "שָׁקְטוּ", "תִּשְׁתַּקְנָה", "תֶּחְדַּל"]·HI["छूट-गया", "छोड़ेगा", "थम-गए", "थमने-के", "बंद-हो-जातीं", "बन्द-होंगी", "मैन-रुक्त-होओन", "रुक-गए", "रुकता", "रुका", "हुम-रुक्ते-हैन"]·ID["Ia-berhenti", "Ia-selesai", "akan-berhenti", "aku-berhenti", "berhenti", "telah-berhenti"]·IT["cessare", "epausanto", "epausato"]·jav["badhé-mandheg", "dipunlereni", "kita-kèndel", "kula-kendel", "kula-kéndhel", "kèndel", "kéndhel", "mandheg", "panjenengan-kèndel", "rampung", "sampun-lirèn", "sampun-rampung"]·KO["가르치며", "그들이-멈추었다", "그쳤다", "그쳤으니", "그쳤을-때", "그치셨을-때", "그치지", "그칠-것이고", "내가-멈추지-않았다", "멈추었으리라", "멈춘-후에", "우리가-그치지-않는다"]·PT["cessamos", "cessar", "cessaram", "cessarás", "cessarão;", "cessei", "cesso", "cessou", "pararam", "teriam-cessado"]·RU["переставали", "перестал", "перестали", "перестанешь-ли", "перестаю", "перестаём", "перестаёт", "прекратил", "прекратились", "прекратятся", "прекращения", "я-переставал"]·ES["cesa", "cesaban", "cesamos", "cesar", "cesaron", "cesarán", "cesarás", "ceso", "cesé", "cesó", "dejaron", "ha-cesado", "hubieran-cesado"]·SW["alipomaliza", "ameacha", "huacha", "kuacha", "kuisha", "kuongea", "kushukuru", "kusimama", "niliacha", "utaacha", "vilikoma", "waliacha", "waliisha", "zitakoma"]·TR["duracak-mısın", "durdu", "durdular", "durdular,", "durdum", "durdurmuyorlardı", "durmuştur", "durunca", "duruyor", "duruyorum", "kesiyoruz", "son bulacak"]·urd["باز-آئے-گا", "بند-ہو-جاتیں", "تھم-جائیں-گی", "رُک-گئیں", "رُکا", "رُکتا", "رُکتے", "رُکتے-تھے", "رُکنا", "رُکے", "رک-گیا"]
Luke 5:4, Luke 8:24, Luke 11:1, Acts 5:42, Acts 6:13, Acts 13:10, Acts 20:1, Acts 20:31, Acts 21:32, 1 Cor 13:8, Eph 1:16, Col 1:9 (+2 more)
2. restrain, cause to cease — The active, causative sense of restraining or making someone or something stop. Its sole NT appearance in 1 Pet 3:10, quoting Psalm 34:13 LXX, commands: 'let him restrain his tongue from evil' (παυσάτω τὴν γλῶσσαν). Here the imperative active voice casts the subject as agent who must actively curb the tongue — a transitive, causative action distinct from merely ceasing. Spanish 'detenga' ('let him restrain') captures this directive, controlling force that the more common middle-voice usage lacks. 1×
AR["لِيُكَفّ"]·ben["সে-থামাক"]·DE["aufhoeren"]·EN["let-him-restrain"]·FR["cesser"]·heb["יְמַנַּע"]·HI["रोके"]·ID["biarlah-menghentikan"]·IT["cessare"]·jav["lirena"]·KO["멈추게-하라"]·PT["faça-cessar"]·RU["пусть-удержит"]·ES["detenga"]·SW["azuie"]·TR["durdursun"]·urd["روکے"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
παύω, Refs 8th c.BC+: Ionic dialect imperfect παύεσκον Refs 8th c.BC+: future παύσω Refs 8th c.BC+; Epic dialect infinitive παυσέμεν (κατα-) Refsaorist ἔπαυσα Refs, Epic dialect παῦσα Refs: perfect πέπαυκα Refs 4th c.BC+:—middle and passive, Ionic dialect imperfect παυέσκετο Refs 8th c.BC+: future παύσομαι Refs 8th c.BC+; πεπαύσομαι only Refs 5th c.BC+; παυσθήσομαι (variant παυθ-) Refs 5th c.BC+;…