Greek word · G372

ἀνάπαυσις

anapausis

rest

Rest, cessation from labor, relief, refreshment; also a resting place. In the Greek Old Testament it is connected with Sabbath rest (Exod 16:23 LXX; Lev 25:5 for the land's rest) and with the rest God gives his people in the land.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀνά-παυσις, -εως, ή

(ἀνάπαύω) [in LXX chiefly for נוּחַ and its derivatives, שַׁבָּת and its cognates (Ex, Le) ;]

cessation, rest, refreshment: Matthew 11:26 12:43, Luke 11:24, Revelation 4:8 14:11.†

SYN.: ἄνεσις (lit, the relaxation of the strings of a lyre), prop. signifies the rest or ease which comes from the relaxation of unfavour­able conditions, as, e.g. affliction: ἀνάπ., the rest which comes from the temporary cessation of labour (see Tr., Stn., § xl; Cremer, 827; MM, VGT, see word) (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 11:29

Range of meaning

Rest, cessation from labor, relief, refreshment; also a resting place. In the Greek Old Testament it is connected with Sabbath rest (Exod 16:23 LXX; Lev 25:5 for the land's rest) and with the rest God gives his people in the land.

Against the English

'Rest' is accurate. A modern reader may hear only leisure or inactivity. Here it means relief from the grinding labor and loads of v. 28, a refreshed life, and it comes while wearing a yoke, not by taking it off.

Used elsewhere in the period

Sirach 51:27 (the teacher who took Wisdom's yoke 'found much rest'); Sirach 6:28 ('at the last you will find her rest'). Jer 6:16 Hebrew margoaʿ, 'rest, repose'. Its verb ἀναπαύω appears in v. 28 ('I will give you rest'). Later, Gospel of Thomas 90 and other early Christian texts make 'rest' a key word for salvation.

From the study of Matthew 12:43

Range of meaning

A ceasing or pause; rest, relief; also a place of rest, a lodging or settled dwelling. In the Greek Old Testament it often translates Hebrew words for rest (menuchah, shabbaton) and is used for Sabbath rest and for the 'rest' of a settled home in the land.

Against the English

All the major versions say 'rest', which is correct. But modern 'rest' suggests relaxation or sleep. Here the sense is closer to 'a place to settle', as verse 44 shows: what the spirit wants is a house.

How it drifted

English 'rest' has narrowed toward leisure and recovery from tiredness. The biblical idea of rest as settled dwelling, the end of wandering, has faded.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Genesis 8:9: the dove 'found no rest (anapausin) for the sole of its foot' and returned to the ark. Sirach 24:7: Wisdom 'sought a resting place (anapausin)' among the nations before settling in Israel. LXX Exodus 16:23 uses it for Sabbath rest. In Matthew 11:28–29 Jesus says, 'I will give you rest… you will find rest (heurēsete anapausin) for your souls', quoting Jeremiah 6:16.

From the study of Revelation 14:11

Range of meaning

Rest, a pause, relief, letting up from toil or pressure. It can also mean a resting-place.

Against the English

'Rest' is accurate. To modern ears it can sound like leisure or sleep. Here it means relief, a break in suffering. NLT's choice of 'relief' brings this out.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament it is used for Sabbath rest (Exod 16:23) and the rest God gives. In Matthew 11:29 Jesus offers 'rest for your souls.' In Revelation 4:8 the living creatures 'have no rest (anapausin ouk echousin) day and night' as they say 'Holy, holy, holy.' That is the same phrase as here, used in a good sense. Revelation 14:13 promises the faithful dead that they 'will rest' (anapaēsontai) from their labors.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 11:29 ἀνάπαυσιν rest

    Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

    Here: Relief from exhausting toil, being refreshed. It picks up 'I will give you rest' from v. 28. Oddly, this rest comes by taking on a yoke, which is equipment for work.

  2. Matthew 12:43 ἀνάπαυσιν rest

    When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

    Here: Not relaxation but a place to stop and settle, a lodging. Verse 44 shows what it wants: a 'house'. The word repeats Jesus' promise in 11:28–29 that those who come to him 'will find rest'.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 11:24 ἀνάπαυσιν. rest.

    When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’

    Here: Not relaxation but somewhere to settle: a place to stop and stay. The spirit wants a dwelling.

Revelation · 2

  1. Revelation 4:8 ἀνάπαυσιν rest

    And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

    Here: "Rest" in the sense of a pause or break. It is placed first for emphasis. It does not suggest they are tired; it says there is never a gap in their praise.

  2. Revelation 14:11 ἀνάπαυσιν rest

    And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

    Here: A pause or letting-up, relief from what presses on someone. Two verses later the faithful dead 'rest from their labors' (v. 13, same word family), so the contrast is deliberate.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.