3973. pauó

Lexical Summary

pauó: To cease, to stop, to restrain

Original Word: παύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: pauó
Pronunciation: PAH-oo-oh
Phonetic Spelling: (pow'-o)
KJV: cease, leave, refrain
NASB: cease, ceased, finished, stopped, keep
Word Origin: [a primary verb ("pause")]

1. to stop, i.e. restrain, quit, desist, come to an end
{transitively or intransitively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

cease, leave, refrain.

A primary verb ("pause"); to stop (transitively or intransitively), i.e. Restrain, quit, desist, come to an end -- cease, leave, refrain.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
to make to cease, hinder
NASB Translation
cease (4), ceased (4), finished (2), incessantly* (1), keep (1), kept right* (1), stopped (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3973: παύω

παύω: 1 aorist imperative 3 person singular παυσάτω (1 Peter 3:10); middle, present παύομαι; imperfect ἐπαυομην; future παύσομαι (see ἀναπαύω and ἐπαναπαύω (and on the forms παηναι etc. cf. futher Hilgenfeld, Hermae Pastor, edition alt. proleg., p. xviii, note, also his edition of the 'Teaching' 4, 2 [ET] note (p. 97))); perfect πεπαυμαι; 1 aorist ἐπαυσάμην; from Homer down; to make to cease or desist: τί or τινα ἀπό τίνος, to restrain (A. V. refrain) a thing or a person from something, 1 Peter 3:10, from Psalm 33:14 (); cf. Winers Grammar, § 30, 6; ((cf. 326 (305)): R. § 132, 5). Middle, the Sept. for חָדַל, כָּלָה, שָׁבַת, etc. to cease, leave off, (cf. Winer's Grammar, 253 (238)): Luke 8:24; Acts 20:1; 1 Corinthians 13:8; the action or state desisted from is indicated by the addition of a present participle (cf. Matthiae, § 551 d.; Passow, under the word, II. 3; (Liddell and Scott, I. 4); Winers Grammar, § 45, 4; (Buttmann, § 144,15)): ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν, Luke 5:4 (Genesis 18:33; Numbers 16:31; Deuteronomy 20:9); add, Acts 5:42; Acts 6:13; Acts 13:10; Acts 20:31; Acts 21:32; Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:9; Hebrews 10:2; the participle is lacking, as being evident from the context, Luke 11:1. Passive (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 39, 3 and N. 3) πέπαυται ἁμαρτίας, hath got release (A. V. hath ceased) from sin, i. e. is no longer stirred by its incitements and seductions, 1 Peter 4:1; cf. Kypke, Observations, at the passage, and Winers Grammar, as above; (Buttmann, § 132, 5; but WH text ἁμαρτίαις, dative, unto sins. Compare: ἀναπαύω, ἐπαναπαύω, συναναπαύω (συναναπαύομαι), καταπαύω).

Topical Lexicon

Scope of the Term

Strong’s Greek 3973, a verb translated most often “to cease” or “to stop,” is used to describe the deliberate halting of an action, whether by one’s own decision, by external restraint, or by divine intervention. The term carries both negative and positive nuances: stopping what is wrong (sin, falsehood, persecution) and resting after faithful labor or from tumultuous circumstances.

Distribution in the New Testament

The verb appears fifteen times across Luke–Acts, Pauline epistles, Hebrews, and 1 Peter. Luke, the careful historian and physician, employs it seven times; Paul uses it five times; Peter twice; the author of Hebrews once. This spread demonstrates the term’s usefulness in narrative, pastoral, and doctrinal contexts.

Narrative Uses in Luke–Acts

1. Luke 8:24 records Jesus rebuking wind and waves: “And the wind and the raging of the water ceased, and there was a calm”. Here “ceased” underscores Christ’s sovereign authority over creation.
2. Luke 5:4; 11:1 show Jesus pausing speech or prayer to pivot to decisive action or instruction.
3. Acts 5:42 sets apostolic perseverance in sharp relief by a negative use: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus”.
4. Acts 6:13 depicts false witnesses claiming that Stephen “never ceases to speak words against this holy place.”
5. Acts 13:10 records Paul’s rebuke of Elymas: “Will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
6. Acts 20:1 and 20:31 bracket Paul’s Ephesian ministry: turmoil “ceased” after the riot, and Paul reminds the elders that for three years he “did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”
7. Acts 21:32 shows Roman soldiers causing a mob to “stop beating Paul,” a providential pause safeguarding the apostle’s life.

Luke thus uses the term to highlight turning points where gospel advance encounters resistance yet ultimately continues.

Pauline Epistles: Intercessory Persistence

Ephesians 1:16 and Colossians 1:9 both express Paul’s habitual prayer: “I do not cease giving thanks for you” and “we have not ceased praying for you.” The verb portrays tireless intercession rooted in pastoral love. In contrast, 1 Corinthians 13:8 promises that ecstatic gifts “will cease,” showing the temporary nature of certain charismata compared with abiding love.

Hebrews and Petrine Exhortations

Hebrews 10:2 argues that if Old Covenant sacrifices had perfected worshipers, “they would have ceased to be offered.” The ongoing sacrifices therefore testify to their insufficiency and point to Christ’s once-for-all offering.

Peter twice employs the term to instruct holy living. 1 Peter 3:10 cites Psalm 34, commanding the believer to “keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech” (literally, “let him cease”). 1 Peter 4:1 strengthens suffering saints: “Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” indicating a decisive break with sinful patterns when one has embraced the cost of discipleship.

Theological Motifs

1. Cessation of Hostility: The verb often signals the restraint of violence or chaos (Luke 8:24; Acts 21:32). God’s kingdom brings peace that silences opposition.
2. Perseverance in Ministry: Negative constructions (“did not cease”) magnify apostolic resilience amid persecution (Acts 5:42; 20:31).
3. Transition from Shadow to Substance: Hebrews 10:2 uses “ceased” to accent the finality of Christ’s sacrifice.
4. Moral Transformation: Peter ties ceasing with sanctification, urging believers to halt sinful speech and deeds (1 Peter 3:10; 4:1).
5. Eschatological Perspective: 1 Corinthians 13:8 locates cessation of certain gifts at the consummation, elevating love as eternal.

Historical and Ministry Significance

Early church history, gleaned from Acts, shows that gospel advance repeatedly faced external attempts to make it “cease.” Yet divine providence and apostolic conviction overcame every enforced pause. The term thus chronicles both God-granted respite (storms stilled, mobs halted) and Spirit-empowered persistence (unceasing teaching and prayer).

For contemporary ministry, the verb encourages:

• Unceasing proclamation of Christ despite threats.
• Unceasing intercessory prayer for the saints.
• Readiness to cease from personal sin, deceitful speech, and divisive behavior.
• Confidence that God can instantaneously still external storms or internal turmoil.
• Perspective that some gifts and trials will cease, but love, faithfulness, and the Word endure.

Pastoral Application

1. Examine areas where sinful habits must decisively “cease.”
2. Cultivate ministries that mirror Paul’s refusal to “cease giving thanks” and “praying.”
3. Teach believers to trust Christ who can make storms “cease” and bring calm to troubled hearts.
4. Encourage resilience, reminding congregations that while opposition may pause gospel work temporarily, it cannot extinguish it.
5. Anchor hope in the eternal realities that will never cease—chiefly, the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Forms and Transliterations

επαυοντο ἐπαύοντο επαυσαμην ἐπαυσάμην έπαυσαν επαυσαντο επαύσαντο ἐπαύσαντο επαυσατο επαύσατο ἐπαύσατο παύει παυεται παύεται παυομαι παύομαι παυομεθα παυόμεθα παύσαι παυσαμένου παυσασθαι παύσασθαι παύσασθε παυσάσθω παυσατω παυσάτω παύσει παύσεις παύσεται παυση παύση παύσῃ παύσηται παύσηταί παύσομαι παύσον παυσονται παύσονται παύσω παυσώμεθα παύσωνται πεπαυται πέπαυται epauonto epaúonto epausamen epausamēn epausámen epausámēn epausanto epaúsanto epausato epaúsato pauetai paúetai pauomai paúomai pauometha pauómetha pausasthai paúsasthai pausato pausatō pausáto pausátō pause pausē paúsei paúsēi pausontai paúsontai pepautai pépautai

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 5:4 V-AIM-3S
GRK: ὡς δὲ ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν εἶπεν
NAS: When He had finished speaking, He said
KJV: Now when he had left speaking, he said
INT: when moreover he ceased speaking he said

Luke 8:24 V-AIM-3P
GRK: ὕδατος καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο
NAS: and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became
KJV: and they ceased, and
INT: water and they ceased and there was

Luke 11:1 V-AIM-3S
GRK: προσευχόμενον ὡς ἐπαύσατο εἶπέν τις
NAS: after He had finished, one
KJV: place, when he ceased, one of his
INT: praying when he ceased said one

Acts 5:42 V-IIM-3P
GRK: οἶκον οὐκ ἐπαύοντο διδάσκοντες καὶ
KJV: house, they ceased not
INT: house not they ceased teaching and

Acts 6:13 V-PIM-3S
GRK: οὗτος οὐ παύεται λαλῶν ῥήματα
KJV: This man ceaseth not to speak
INT: this not does cease speaking words

Acts 13:10 V-FIM-2S
GRK: δικαιοσύνης οὐ παύσῃ διαστρέφων τὰς
NAS: righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked
KJV: not cease to pervert
INT: righteousness not will you cease perverting the

Acts 20:1 V-ANM
GRK: δὲ τὸ παύσασθαι τὸν θόρυβον
NAS: After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent
KJV: the uproar was ceased, Paul
INT: moreover ceased the uproar

Acts 20:31 V-AIM-1S
GRK: ἡμέραν οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην μετὰ δακρύων
NAS: for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish
KJV: by the space of three years I ceased not
INT: day not I ceased with tears

Acts 21:32 V-AIM-3P
GRK: τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐπαύσαντο τύπτοντες τὸν
NAS: and the soldiers, they stopped beating
KJV: the soldiers, they left beating
INT: the soldiers they ceased beating

1 Corinthians 13:8 V-FIM-3P
GRK: εἴτε γλῶσσαι παύσονται εἴτε γνῶσις
NAS: [there are] tongues, they will cease; if
KJV: [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether
INT: whether tongues they will cease whether knowledge

Ephesians 1:16 V-PIM-1S
GRK: οὐ παύομαι εὐχαριστῶν ὑπὲρ
NAS: do not cease giving thanks
KJV: Cease not to give thanks
INT: not do cease giving thanks for

Colossians 1:9 V-PIM-1P
GRK: ἠκούσαμεν οὐ παυόμεθα ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν
NAS: we heard [of it], we have not ceased to pray
KJV: [it], do not cease to pray for
INT: we heard [of it] not do cease for you

Hebrews 10:2 V-AIM-3P
GRK: οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο προσφερόμεναι διὰ
NAS: Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered,
KJV: not have ceased to be offered?
INT: not anyhow would they have ceased to be offered on account of

1 Peter 3:10 V-AMA-3S
GRK: ἡμέρας ἀγαθάς παυσάτω τὴν γλῶσσαν
NAS: DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE
KJV: good days, let him refrain his tongue
INT: days good let him cause to cease the tongue

1 Peter 4:1 V-RIM/P-3S
GRK: παθὼν σαρκὶ πέπαυται ἁμαρτίας
NAS: in the flesh has ceased from sin,
KJV: in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
INT: having suffered [in the] flesh is done with sin

Strong's Greek 3973
15 Occurrences

ἐπαύοντο — 1 Occ.
ἐπαυσάμην — 1 Occ.
ἐπαύσαντο — 3 Occ.
ἐπαύσατο — 2 Occ.
παύεται — 1 Occ.
παύομαι — 1 Occ.
παυόμεθα — 1 Occ.
παύσασθαι — 1 Occ.
παυσάτω — 1 Occ.
παύσῃ — 1 Occ.
παύσονται — 1 Occ.
πέπαυται — 1 Occ.