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ἀκατάπαυστος

akatápaustos

G180 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Root καταπαυ- to stop, to bring to rest, to make cease

Definition

Incapable of rest; unceasing, incessant, never pausing. The primary lexical meaning indicates something or someone that does not experience respite, cannot be made to be at rest, or is constantly active. The term often describes relentless or ceaseless activity, such as continual movement or behavior without interruption.

Semantic Range

incapable of rest, unceasing, incessant, restless, not able to be stopped, relentless, unable to refrain

Root / Etymology

Formed from the privative prefix ἀ- (a-, ‘not’) + καταπαύω (katapauō, ‘to cease, cause to rest, stop’) + the verbal adjective suffix -στος (-stos, indicating capacity or tendency). The word thus literally means 'not able to be stopped or rested.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested rarely in Greek literature, ἀκατάπαυστος appears in later Koine Greek and the New Testament era (e.g., 2 Peter 2:14), where it describes an unceasing or restless condition—specifically 'eyes full of adultery, unceasing from sin.' The word is formed in a typical Koine pattern by affixing the privative alpha to a verbal adjective. The semantic emphasis is on ongoing, unrestrained, or relentless action. Its usage in the New Testament conveys ethically negative connotations (relentless in wrongdoing). Outside biblical texts, the term is rare but carries a similar sense of ceaseless activity or unrest. Standard English translations like 'cannot cease,' 'restless,' or 'unceasing' partly capture its force but may miss the nuance of inherent incapacity for rest present in the Greek participial form.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and a derivative of καταπαύω; unrefraining:--that cannot cease.

Root Family

ἀκατάπαυστος (akatapaustos) — incapable of rest, unceasing, incessant, relentless

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G180-01 ἀκαταπαύστους akatapaustous ADJ.S ACC M PL insatiable unceasing ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G180-01 2 Peter 2:14 ἀκαταπαύστους akatapaustous ADJ.S ACC M PL insatiable unceasing ones
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