Bible Encyclopedias
Stay

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

stā : Is derived from two distinct forms. From one derivation it has the meaning "to stand" and so "to continue in one place" ( Genesis 8:10; Leviticus 13:23 , Leviticus 13:28 , etc.), "to forbear to act" (Rth 1:13), "to rest," "to be trustful" (King James Version, the English Revised Version Isaiah 10:20; see below). Transitively it means "to cause to stay," "to hinder" (Daniel 4:35 , etc.), and "stay" as a noun means "cessation of progress"' (Leviticus 13:5 , Leviticus 13:37 ), "sojourn." From the second derivation the verb means "to support" (Exodus 17:12; 1 Kings 22:35; Song of Solomon 2:5 ), while the noun means "a support" (1 Kings 10:19; Isaiah 3:1 , etc.). the American Standard Revised Version has judged obsolete "stay on" in the sense "trust in," and for "stay" has substituted "lean" in Isaiah 10:20 and "rely" in Isaiah 30:12; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 50:10 , although "stay themselves upon" (= "support themselves by") has been kept in Isaiah 48:2 . Otherwise the Revised Version (British and American) has made few alterations. But such as have been made ("tarry ye" for "stay yourselves" in Isaiah 29:9 and the American Standard Revised Version "restrain" for "stay" in Job 37:4 ) could have been carried farther with advantage.