In biblical literature, the concept of "stops" can be understood in various contexts, including physical halts, spiritual pauses, and divine interventions. The term "stops" is not explicitly used in the Berean Standard Bible , but the idea is present throughout Scripture in different forms and narratives.

Physical Stops

Physical stops in the Bible often refer to moments when individuals or groups are halted in their journey or activities. One prominent example is the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. God led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, indicating when they should stop and when they should move. In Exodus 13:21-22 , it is written: "And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people."

Another significant physical stop is found in the account of Balaam and his donkey. In Numbers 22:22-27 , Balaam's journey is halted by the Angel of the LORD, who stands in the road with a drawn sword. The donkey sees the angel and stops, saving Balaam from potential harm. This narrative illustrates how God can intervene to stop individuals for their protection or to redirect their paths.

Spiritual Stops

Spiritual stops are moments when individuals are called to pause and reflect on their relationship with God. The Sabbath is a divinely instituted stop, a day of rest and spiritual renewal. In Exodus 20:8-10 , the commandment to observe the Sabbath is given: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God."

The concept of spiritual stops is also evident in the practice of prayer and meditation. Jesus often withdrew to solitary places to pray, as seen in Luke 5:16 : "Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray." These moments of spiritual pause allowed Jesus to commune with the Father and gain strength for His ministry.

Divine Stops

Divine stops are instances where God directly intervenes in human affairs to halt actions or events. One of the most dramatic examples is the stopping of the sun and moon in the battle of Gibeon. In Joshua 10:12-13 , Joshua prays for the sun to stand still, and God grants his request: "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: 'O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies."

Another example of a divine stop is found in the account of Jonah. God stops Jonah's flight from his prophetic mission by sending a great storm and a large fish to swallow him. In Jonah 1:17 , it is recorded: "Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish." This divine intervention serves to redirect Jonah back to his mission in Nineveh.

Conclusion

The concept of stops in the Bible encompasses physical, spiritual, and divine elements, each serving a unique purpose in God's plan. Whether through halting a journey, providing rest, or intervening in human affairs, stops are integral to the biblical narrative, illustrating God's sovereignty and care for His people.3834. panourgia -- cleverness, craftiness
... 3834 (from 3956 , "every" and 2041 , "deed") -- properly, every (evil) work;
(figuratively) crafty behavior; unscrupulous cunning that stops at nothing to ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3834.htm - 7k2308. chadal -- to cease
... 1), never mind (2), no (1), past (1), quit (1), refrain (6), refrained (1), refuse
(1), regarding* (1), rest (1), stop (4), stopped (4), stops (1), unavoidable ...
/hebrew/2308.htm - 6k

331. atam -- to shut, shut up
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to shut, shut up NASB Word Usage closes (1),
latticed (2), shuts (1), shuttered (1), stops (2). narrow, shut, stop. ...
/hebrew/331.htm - 6k

Whether the Love of Charity Stops at God, or Extends to Our ...
... OF THE OBJECT OF CHARITY (TWELVE ARTICLES) Whether the love of charity
stops at God, or extends to our neighbor? Objection 1: It ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the love of charity.htm

The Lapse of Time.
... by one. But all this is nothing compared with the consequences implied
in it. Death stops us; it stops our race. Men are engaged ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon i the lapse of.htm

A Changed Life
... Mr. Moody used to say that Jesus broke up every funeral he attended, and he stops
long enough in this journey to restore this boy to his broken-hearted mother. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/a changed life.htm

The Psalms.
... And wherever he sees the former, he is to understand that between this mark and
the two stops (:) which I have introduced, the Septuagint translation contains ...
//christianbookshelf.org/jerome/the principal works of st jerome/the psalms.htm

How a Monk who Has Money Cannot Stay in the Monastery.
... And not content to take his departure by himself alone, lest it should be thought
that he has left as it were from his own fault, he never stops corrupting as ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter ix how a monk.htm

Earth's Ugliest, Deepest Scar.
... Rejecting the first stops the whole line. Not only that, but stops also the
momentum, terrific, downward momentum of the whole line. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/earths ugliest deepest scar.htm

Effectual Calling
... (2) He who is effectually called stops his ears to all other calls which would call
him off from God. As God has his call, so there are other contrary calls. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/2 effectual calling.htm

The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation of the Word. ...
... And just as he stops short of saying that this "grace" is, or proceeds from, the
Holy Spirit, so also he stops short of saying that "the living water" given by ...
/.../the demonstration of the apostolic preaching/chapter 3 the holy spirit.htm

Repentance and Restitution.
... A great many people make that mistake. A man who has been a drunkard signs the pledge,
and stops drinking. Breaking off one sin is not Repentance. ...
/.../the way to god and how to find it/chapter vi repentance and restitution.htm

Another Sermon of M. Latimer, Concerning the Same Matter.
... A true and faithful servant, whensoever his master commandeth him to do any thing,
he maketh no stops nor questions, but goeth forth with a good mind: and it ...
/.../sermons on the card and other discourses/another sermon of m latimer.htm

Stops (10 Occurrences)
...Stops (10 Occurrences). Acts 6:13 and set up false witnesses who said, "This man
never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. ...
/s/stops.htm - 8k

Storage (7 Occurrences)

/s/storage.htm - 9k

Stopping (22 Occurrences)

/s/stopping.htm - 13k

Kneading (7 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Hosea 7:4 They are all adulterers. They are burning like an oven that the
baker stops stirring, from the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened. ...
/k/kneading.htm - 8k

Oppressions (5 Occurrences)
... walks righteously, and speaks blamelessly; He who despises the gain of oppressions,
who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears ...
/o/oppressions.htm - 8k

Laban (52 Occurrences)
... 22:20-24; but, true to its purpose and the place it occupies in the book, this
genealogy brings the family down to Rebekah, and there stops without mentioning ...
/l/laban.htm - 28k

Lute (13 Occurrences)
... The strings are struck with the right hand, and with the left the stops are
pressed. 6. (vi) To sound, as a lute. Piers Plowman. Keats. ...
/l/lute.htm - 11k

Leavened (16 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS). Hosea 7:4 They are all adulterers. They are burning like an oven that
the baker stops stirring, from the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened. ...
/l/leavened.htm - 12k

Gestures (1 Occurrence)
... walks righteously, and speaks blamelessly; He who despises the gain of oppressions,
who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears ...
/g/gestures.htm - 6k

Witnesses (69 Occurrences)
... Acts 6:13 and set up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking
blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. ...
/w/witnesses.htm - 27k

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