2869. kopazó

Lexical Summary

kopazó: To cease, to stop, to become calm

Original Word: κοπάζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kopazó
Pronunciation: ko-PAH-zo
Phonetic Spelling: (kop-ad'-zo)
KJV: cease
NASB: stopped, died down
Word Origin: [from G2873 (κόπος - labor)]

1. to tire
2. (figuratively) to relax

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

cease.

From kopos; to tire, i.e. (figuratively) to relax -- cease.

see GREEK kopos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from kopos
Definition
to grow weary
NASB Translation
died down (1), stopped (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2869: κοπάζω

κοπάζω: 1 aorist ἐκόπασα; (κόπος); properly, to grow weary or tired; hence to cease from violence, cease raging: ὁ ἄνεμος (Herodotus 7, 191), Matthew 14:32; Mark 4:39; Mark 6:51. (Genesis 8:1; Jonah 1:11f; (cf. especially Philo, somn. 2:35).)

Topical Lexicon

Concept of Divine Stillness

The verb translated “died down” or “ceased” portrays a sudden calming after previous turbulence. In the New Testament it describes the immediate halt of a violent wind when Jesus manifests His presence or issues His authoritative word. The picture is not of a gradual easing but of an abrupt submission of nature, underscoring the Creator’s supremacy over creation.

Occurrences in the Gospel Narrative

1. Matthew 14:32 – When Jesus and Peter re-enter the boat, “the wind died down.” The expression highlights that the storm responded, not to nautical skill, but to the physical nearness of Christ.
2. Mark 4:39 – Following the rebuke, “the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.” The verb stands between command and calm, forming the hinge that showcases messianic authority.
3. Mark 6:51 – After Jesus steps into the disciples’ boat, “the wind died down.” The resultant amazement of the disciples reveals that the event served an educative purpose, exposing lingering unbelief.

Christ’s Authority over Creation

Each occurrence links the cessation of the storm to either Jesus’ spoken word or His bodily presence. These moments echo Psalm 107:29, “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed,” and thereby identify Jesus with the LORD who rules the sea. The verb therefore functions as narrative proof that the incarnate Son exercises the prerogatives of Yahweh.

Faith Formation in the Disciples

The sudden stillness exposes the disciples’ fear and limited faith (Mark 4:40; Matthew 14:31). The calming is more than meteorological; it is pedagogical. In each episode Jesus turns their attention from circumstances to Himself. The verb’s dramatic placement forces readers to consider whether faith rests in visible threats or in the One who can instantaneously end them.

Implications for the Early Church

The early Christian community, often buffeted by persecution and internal challenges, found in these accounts a living memory that Christ can silence any force opposing His mission. When Mark’s Gospel circulated among believers facing Roman hostility, the recollection that “the wind died down” affirmed that no tempest—political, spiritual, or personal—can outlast His sovereign decree.

Pastoral and Homiletical Applications

• Assurance in Trials: Believers may face gales of sickness, loss, or doubt. The verb invites confident prayer, knowing Christ can bring abrupt peace according to His will.
• Worship Focus: Corporate worship should celebrate the Lord who “rebukes” and storms obey. Hymns and liturgies that recount these scenes direct hearts away from self-reliance.
• Evangelistic Appeal: Just as nature’s fury surrendered to Christ, so hardened hearts can be stilled by the gospel.

Historical Testimony

Early commentators such as Chrysostom pointed to these passages to argue for the deity of Christ, noting that only God commands the elements. Medieval sermons used the calming narratives to encourage monastic and lay audiences to seek interior quiet through prayer, trusting the same Lord who once made the wind cease.

Old Testament Echoes and Prophetic Hope

The ceasing of the wind prefigures the ultimate pacification of creation promised in Isaiah 11:6–9 and Revelation 21:1–4. The temporary hush on Galilee anticipates the final renewal when all chaos is permanently subdued under Christ’s reign.

Summary

Every use of Strong’s Greek 2869 spotlights the instantaneous, uncontested submission of disorder to Jesus Christ. The term thus serves as a narrative signpost directing readers to His divine identity, a pedagogical tool nurturing faith under pressure, and an enduring comfort that the storms encountered in life or ministry remain subject to the same sovereign Lord who once stepped into a boat and “the wind died down.”

Forms and Transliterations

εκόπασε εκοπασεν εκόπασεν ἐκόπασεν κεκόπακε κεκοπανισμένου κοπάσει κόπασον κοπάσουσι κοπάσουσιν κοπάσω ekopasen ekópasen

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 14:32 V-AIA-3S
GRK: τὸ πλοῖον ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος
NAS: into the boat, the wind stopped.
KJV: the ship, the wind ceased.
INT: the boat ceased the wind

Mark 4:39 V-AIA-3S
GRK: πεφίμωσο καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος
NAS: And the wind died down and it became
KJV: And the wind ceased, and there was
INT: be quiet And fell the wind

Mark 6:51 V-AIA-3S
GRK: πλοῖον καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος
NAS: with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly
KJV: the wind ceased: and
INT: boat and ceased the wind

Strong's Greek 2869
3 Occurrences

ἐκόπασεν — 3 Occ.