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.
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"]
▼ 1 more sense below
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)
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+;…