be.tel denotes bringing people or building work to a halt, or work itself coming to a standstill.

The attested uses chiefly concern an imposed halt: decrees or officials stop people and building activity. In Ezra 4:24, the work itself is described as having come to a stop and remaining so.

1. Bring people or work to a halt · dominant

   In Ezra 4:21, the Piel infinitive occurs in a decree concerning men and a city that is not to be built; the APB renders the clause “cause these men to cease.” The Piel perfect forms in Ezra 4:23 and Ezra 5:5 concern stopping the Judahites or not stopping the elders, while Ezra 6:8 concerns preventing the work from being stopped.

   Ezra 4:21Ezra 4:23Ezra 5:5Ezra 6:8
2. Work coming to a standstill · occasional

   In Ezra 4:24, two Qal perfect forms describe the work of the house of God: the APB renders that the work “ceased” and “remained ceased” until Darius's second year.

   Ezra 4:24

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the clauses with “cease,” “stop,” “stopped,” and “remained ceased.” Because it is a whole-verse translation, these variations describe the verse contexts rather than separate English equivalents for each form.