I ask you to join me on a journey through Scripture to see what it says about the Sabbath—a "walk in the Word". As we walk, let's speak, believe, and do what is right, be merciful in our speech and actions, and walk humbly with the Lord (Micah 6:8).
Included as an appendix to this article are references to most (if not all) verses in Scripture directly related to this topic. Please contact me if you find a verse that is not referenced and think it should be.
Scriptural quotations are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted. Bolded text or other emphases in the Scriptural references are mine.
What does "Sabbath" mean?
Webster's New World Dictionary provides this definition for Sabbath:
1. Sabbath- the seventh day of the week (Saturday) set aside by the fourth Commandment for rest and worship and observed as such by Jews and some Christian sects
2. Sunday as the usual Christian day of rest and worship
3. a period of rest
That is a modern American definition of the Sabbath, but what does Scripture have to say about it? First, let's examine the text and original languages of the Bible and see what it reveals.
Hebrew
Three Hebrew words in Scripture are translated as Sabbath:
Shabbat
The first is the primitive root word שׁבּת [shabbat - {strongsH}Strong's #7673{/strongsH}], which can be either a noun or a verb that means "to cease, desist, rest" [NAS Exhaustive Concordance]. Sixty-six verses of the Tanakh use this word. The word is commonly transliterated with two "b's" (shabbat), although a direct transliteration would have only one "b" for the single bet in Hebrew.
Shabbat
The second is the primitive noun that is also שׁבּת [shabbat]. It is recorded as {strongsH}Strong's #7676{/strongsH} and is a noun that is an intensive form of the word above (Strong's # 7673) and means "the Sabbath" [NAS Exhaustive Concordance]. It is spelled and spoken the same way as the first word above. This word is found in 88 verses of the Tanakh.
Shabbaton
The third word is the noun שׁבּתון [shabbaton - {strongsH}Strong's #7677{/strongsH}]. It means "a sabbath observance, sabbatism" [NAS Exhaustive Concordance] or "special holiday" [Strong's Exhaustive Concordance]. This word is used in 10 verses of the Tanakh.
Usage
Shabbat [Strong's #7673] is first used in Genesis-
By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested [ceased] on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. (Genesis 2:2)
Most instances of this word are not used to describe the Sabbath day and mean "to cease, stop, or remove."
Shabbat [#7676] and shabbaton are both first used in Exodus 16:23 before the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai:
Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance [shabbaton], a holy sabbath [shabbat #7676] to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." (Exodus 16:22-23)
The last instances of shabbat are found in Amos chapter 8:
Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with [#7673, cause to cease] the humble of the land, saying, "When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath [#7676], that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?" (Amos 8:4-6)
The last instance of shabbaton is found in Leviticus 25:
'Your harvest's aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. (Leviticus 25:5)
Greek
There are two Greek words used in Scripture for Sabbath:
Sabbaton
The first is σάββατον [sabbaton - {strongsG}Strong's #4521{/strongsG}], which is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew shabbaton (above). This word was adopted into Greek from the Hebrew word shabbaton. As a transliteration of the Hebrew word, it takes on the same meaning as the Hebrew word from which it is derived. The NAS Exhaustive Concordance provides this information:
sabbaton- of Hebrew origin (H7676); the Sabbath, i.e. the seventh day (of the week).
It is used 68 times in the Apostolic Writings and is translated in the NASB as "Sabbath" (58 times), as "Sabbaths" (1 time), and "week" (9 times).
The first instance is found in Matthew 12:1
At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. (Matthew 12:1)
The last instance is found in Colossians 2:16
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16)
Please note: The translators of the NASB have inserted the word mere into the text of this passage. It is not present in the actual Greek wording of this passage.
Prosabbaton
προσάββατον [prosabbaton - {strongsG}Strong's #4315{/strongsG}] combines the Greek prefix pro with sabbaton to mean "before the sabbath". This word is used only once in Scripture:
When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15:42-43)
Sabbatismos
The second Greek word for Sabbath is σαββατισμός [sabbatismos- {strongsG}Strong's #4520{/strongsG}], which means "a Sabbath rest". It is used once in Scripture:
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9)
The Sabbath is a complex topic with numerous references and details provided throughout Scripture. Continue the series and learn more.
