The Hebrew noun hapugah refers to a cessation or intermission — a stopping of activity, a pause, or a moment of relief. It appears rarely in the Old Testament.
Hapugah appears poignantly in Lamentations 2:18, where the daughters of Zion are urged to weep continually, giving themselves no rest or respite in their mourning over Jerusalem's destruction. The absence of hapugah — no cessation of tears — communicates the depth of grief. Theologically, this word frames the contrast between inconsolable human mourning and God's promised comfort. Isaiah 62:7 uses similar language in urging intercessors to give God no rest until He establishes Jerusalem's praise — the cessation of intercession is depicted as something not to be permitted.