A Good Word – ἀναπαύω (Refresh)

In his article for the website History Oasis, David Ogilvy surveys the effectiveness of the Coca-Cola ad campaign slogan, “The Pause that Refreshes.” The ad was created in the context of the great depression of 1929. It was a pitch and a promise. The pitch was for Coca-Cola, and the promise was for a sense of respite in the context of adversity.
Reflecting on the idea of refreshment brings to mind a speaking engagement I accepted many years ago with a youth group of junior high and high school students, which involved a four-day backpack trip up Elk Tooth Mountain in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The hike was strenuous, and it rained for two full days. Our trail brought us close to the tree the line, where mostly rock continues to its 12,848-foot elevation. I made sure to stay second in line, on the heels of our guide, so I wouldn’t fall behind. I vividly remember how thin the air became when we reached the highest point on the trail. The steep incline made us stop every four or five steps to allow the oxygen.. We needed “a pause that would refresh” so we could continue our hike.
Many years later, my biblical studies took me to a passage that has become one of my favorites; It is found in a short letter Paul wrote to Philemon. In verse 7 Paul writes, “For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.”(Philemon 7, NASB). The word for “refresh” is the Greek word, ἀναπαύω. This word is made up of two parts. The first is ἀνα which means again; the second is παύω which means to stop.
If we said that the hearts of the saints had been caused to be stopped again, we would be guilty of committing “root error.” The origin or etymology of a word may be illustrative, but the meaning is found not in the way a word is formed; rather it’s form by the way a term is used in a specific context.
In some contexts, the word is translated as “rest” speaking of physical rest or something resting on a surface. However, Paul uses this word in three other passages for the same idea of refreshment, (1 Cor 16:18; 2 Cor 7:13; and Phile 20). In each of these verses the point Paul is making is that believers can be used by God to bring a refreshment of heart and spirit through their encouragement of others. The term is also used with an intensifying prefix, συν, in Romans 15:32 which adds the idea of a mutual or multifaceted refreshment. In the same way that Paul experienced much joy and comfort through the love of the church at Philemon’s house, encouragement–whether through prayer, a kind comment, a note, a call, or even a gift– can be the very “pause that refreshes” the heart. All of us can remember back with great thanksgiving when someone was used by God to be a refreshing encouragement to us. Ask God to bring people to mind now who need encouragement. Offer them the spiritual oxygen that replenishes; refresh their steps by encouraging them to keep moving upward in their walk with God.
About the Contributors

Mark L. Bailey
Dr. Bailey assumed the role of DTS Chancellor after serving for 19 years as the Seminary’s fifth President, and continues his role as Sr. Professor in the Bible Exposition department. In addition to his years at Dallas Theological Seminary, he has pastored various churches in Arizona and Texas. He was a seminar instructor for Walk Thru the Bible Ministries for twenty years and is in demand for Bible conferences and other preaching engagements all over the country and world. His overseas ministries have included Venezuela, Argentina, Hungary, and China. He is also a regular tour leader in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. His board service includes Bible Study Fellowship, Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, and Word of Life.