Bible Dictionary
STAY
Stay may mean to remain, rest, cease, restrain, or support. In biblical usage it can describe remaining in place, stopping an action, or relying upon something for strength and security.
Definition
Stay may mean to remain, rest, cease, restrain, hinder, support, or rely upon something. As a noun it can describe a cessation of progress, a sojourn, or a support. The precise sense depends on the underlying word and context.
Biblical Usage
Biblical usage includes remaining in one place, refraining from action, resting, and trusting or relying. It may also mean causing something to stay, hindering it, or supporting a person or object.
Historical Background
The English word represents two distinct derivations: one related to standing or continuing in place, and another meaning to support. Revised translations sometimes replace “stay” with “lean,” “rely,” or “restrain” to clarify the sense.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sta: Is derived from two distinct forms. From one derivation it has the meaning "to stand" and so "to continue in one place" (Ge 8:10; Le 13:23,28, etc.), "to forbear to act" (Ru 1:13), "to rest," "to be trustful" (King James Version, the English Revised Version Isa 10:20; see below). Transitively it means "to cause to stay," "to hinder" (Da 4:35, etc.), and "stay" as a noun means "cessation of progress"' (Le 13:5,37), "sojourn." From the second derivation the verb means "to support" (Ex 17:12; 1Ki 22:35; So 2:5), while the noun means "a support" (1Ki 10:19; Isa 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 Isa 10:20 and "rely" in 30:12; 31:1; 50:10, although "stay themselves upon" (= "support themselves by") has been kept in 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 Isa 29:9 and the American Standard Revised Version "restrain" for "stay" in Job 37:4) could have been carried farther with advantage.</p><p>Burton Scott Easton</p>