Topical Bible: Sabbaths

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the Sabbath is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, originating from the biblical account of creation and extending through the history of Israel and into the New Testament teachings. The term "Sabbath" is derived from the Hebrew word "Shabbat," meaning "to cease" or "to rest." It is a day set apart for rest and worship, signifying a covenantal relationship between God and His people.

Old Testament Foundations

The Sabbath is first introduced in the creation narrative of Genesis. After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day, blessing and sanctifying it (Genesis 2:2-3). This divine rest established a pattern for humanity, later codified in the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Fourth Commandment instructs, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:8-10).

The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, serving as a reminder of God's creation and deliverance. In Deuteronomy 5:15, the Sabbath is linked to the Israelites' liberation from Egypt: "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day" .

Sabbath Observance and Regulations

The observance of the Sabbath was marked by rest from labor and a focus on worship and community. Various regulations were established to ensure the sanctity of the day. For instance, the Israelites were prohibited from kindling a fire (Exodus 35:3) and gathering manna (Exodus 16:23-30) on the Sabbath. Violations of the Sabbath were met with severe consequences, as seen in Numbers 15:32-36, where a man gathering wood on the Sabbath was put to death.

The Sabbath also included special observances such as the Sabbatical Year and the Year of Jubilee. Every seventh year, the land was to lie fallow, allowing it to rest (Leviticus 25:4). The Year of Jubilee, occurring every fiftieth year, was a time of liberation and restoration, where debts were forgiven, and land was returned to its original owners (Leviticus 25:10).

Prophetic and Wisdom Literature

The prophets often called the people back to proper Sabbath observance, linking it to social justice and righteousness. Isaiah 58:13-14 emphasizes the blessings of honoring the Sabbath: "If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable...then you will find your joy in the LORD" .

New Testament Perspectives

In the New Testament, Jesus' teachings and actions regarding the Sabbath reveal its intended purpose and fulfillment. Jesus often healed on the Sabbath, challenging the Pharisaic interpretations that prioritized legalism over compassion. In Mark 2:27-28, Jesus declares, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" . This statement underscores the Sabbath's role in serving humanity's need for rest and spiritual renewal.

The early church grappled with the observance of the Sabbath, especially as Gentile believers joined the faith. The Apostle Paul addressed this issue, emphasizing freedom in Christ and the principle that one should not judge another regarding Sabbath days (Colossians 2:16-17). The focus shifted from a strict observance of the day to the spiritual rest found in Christ, who fulfills the Sabbath's ultimate purpose.

Theological Significance

The Sabbath holds profound theological significance, symbolizing rest, worship, and the eschatological hope of eternal rest in God's presence. It serves as a reminder of God's creative power, His redemptive work, and the promise of future restoration. The Sabbath invites believers to pause, reflect, and realign their lives with God's purposes, finding rest in His sovereignty and grace.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

SABBATHS, OF YEARS

sab'-aths, (shabbethoth shanim; anapauseis eton (Leviticus 25:8)): The seven sabbatic years preceding the Year of Jubilee.

See SABBATICAL YEAR; JUBILEE YEAR; ASTRONOMY, sec. I, 5.

Greek

4521. sabbaton -- the Sabbath, ie the seventh day (of the week)
... Word Origin of Hebrew origin shabbath Definition the Sabbath, ie the seventh day
(of the week) NASB Word Usage Sabbath (58), Sabbaths (1), week (9). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4521.htm - 7k

1207 -- second, after the first.
... a designation of the Sabbath immediately after the Paschal week (being the second
after Passover day, and the first of the seven Sabbaths intervening before ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1207.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

7676. shabbath -- sabbath
... sabbath. Word Origin from shabath Definition sabbath NASB Word Usage every
sabbath (2), sabbath (73), sabbaths (32). every Sabbath. ...
/hebrew/7676.htm - 6k

Library

Life of Sabbaths Here Beneath!
... THE THIRD CENTURY 47 A life of Sabbaths here beneath! 1 A life of Sabbaths here
beneath! Continual jubilees and joys! The days of Heaven, while we breathe. ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/47 a life of sabbaths.htm

Sabbaths were Instituted on Account of the People's Sins, and not ...
... Chapter XXI."Sabbaths were instituted on account of the people's sins, and not
for a work of righteousness. ... But they polluted My Sabbaths. ...
/.../chapter xxi sabbaths were instituted on.htm

Of the Observance of the Sabbath.
... resting on it from all His works which He made; and that thence it was, likewise,
that Moses said to the People: "Remember the day of the sabbaths, to sanctify ...
/.../tertullian/an answer to the jews/chapter iv of the observance of.htm

Why God Taught the Same Things by the Prophets as by Moses.
... For Isaiah thus speaks: If thou shalt turn away thy foot from the Sabbaths, so as
not to do thy pleasure on the holy day, and shalt call the Sabbaths the holy ...
/.../chapter xxvii why god taught the.htm

Perfect Righteousness was Conferred Neither by Circumcision nor by ...
... the flesh of your foreskins, as a token of the covenant between Me and you." [3983]
This same does Ezekiel the prophet say with regard to the Sabbaths: "Also I ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xvi perfect righteousness was conferred.htm

"In the Spirit and Power of Elias"
... Through Moses the Lord instructed the Israelites: "Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep:
for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 14 in the spirit.htm

Christ's Authority Over the Sabbath as Its Lord He Recalled it ...
... 3862] the Creator, as being His Christ, in this very hatred of the Sabbath; for
He exclaims by the mouth of Isaiah: "Your new moons and your Sabbaths my soul ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xii christs authority over the.htm

The Opinion of the Jews Regarding the Law Does an Injury to God.
... as if it were not the same God who existed in the times of Enoch and all the rest,
who neither were circumcised after the flesh, nor observed Sabbaths, nor any ...
/.../chapter xxiii the opinion of the.htm

The Nativities of Martyrs are not to be Celebrated in Lent...
... The nativities of Martyrs are not to be celebrated in Lent, but commemorations of
the holy Martyrs are to be made on the Sabbaths and Lord's days. Notes. ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon li the nativities of.htm

We have Likewise Learned that in the Regions of Armenia and in ...
... We have likewise learned that in the regions of Armenia and in other places certain
people eat eggs and cheese on the Sabbaths and Lord's days of the holy lent ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon lvi we have likewise.htm

Thesaurus

Sabbaths (53 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia SABBATHS, OF YEARS. sab'-aths ... sec. I, 5.
Multi-Version Concordance Sabbaths (53 Occurrences). Matthew ...
/s/sabbaths.htm - 24k

Moons (17 Occurrences)
... Moons (17 Occurrences). Colossians 2:16 For this reason let no man be your judge
in any question of food or drink or feast days or new moons or Sabbaths: (BBE). ...
/m/moons.htm - 12k

Desecrated (17 Occurrences)
... And My sabbaths they have greatly polluted, And I say to pour out My fury
on them in the wilderness, to consume them. (See NIV). ...
/d/desecrated.htm - 12k

Profaned (43 Occurrences)
... in the wilderness: they didn't walk in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances,
which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my Sabbaths they greatly ...
/p/profaned.htm - 20k

Festivals (17 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 23:31 and to offer all burnt offerings to Yahweh, on the Sabbaths,
on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance ...
/f/festivals.htm - 15k

Weeks (17 Occurrences)
... 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day
that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be ...
/w/weeks.htm - 16k

Seasons (43 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 23:31 and to offer all burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, on the sabbaths,
on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ...
/s/seasons.htm - 22k

Desolate (189 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS NAS). Leviticus 26:34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths as
long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land. ...
/d/desolate.htm - 38k

Enjoyed (16 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 26:34 Then doth the land enjoy its sabbaths -- all the days of the desolation,
and ye in the land of your enemies -- then doth the land rest, and ...
/e/enjoyed.htm - 11k

Enjoy (68 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 26:34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies
desolate and you are in your enemies' land. Even then the ...
/e/enjoy.htm - 26k

Resources

What is a high Sabbath? | GotQuestions.org

On what day was Jesus crucified? | GotQuestions.org

What is a sabbatical year? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Sabbaths (53 Occurrences)

Matthew 12:1
At that time did Jesus go on the sabbaths through the corn, and his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears, and to eat,
(YLT)

Matthew 12:5
Or have ye not read in the law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
(DBY YLT)

Matthew 12:10
and lo, there was a man having the hand withered, and they questioned him, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the sabbaths?' that they might accuse him.
(YLT)

Matthew 12:11
And he said to them, 'What man shall be of you, who shall have one sheep, and if this may fall on the sabbaths into a ditch, will not lay hold on it and raise 'it'?
(YLT)

Matthew 12:12
How much better, therefore, is a man than a sheep? -- so that it is lawful on the sabbaths to do good.'
(YLT)

Matthew 28:1
And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre,
(YLT)

Mark 1:21
And they go on to Capernaum, and immediately, on the sabbaths, having gone into the synagogue, he was teaching,
(YLT)

Mark 2:23
And it came to pass -- he is going along on the sabbaths through the corn-fields -- and his disciples began to make a way, plucking the ears,
(YLT)

Mark 2:24
and the Pharisees said to him, 'Lo, why do they on the sabbaths that which is not lawful?'
(YLT)

Mark 3:2
and they were watching him, whether on the sabbaths he will heal him, that they might accuse him.
(YLT)

Mark 3:4
And he saith to them, 'Is it lawful on the sabbaths to do good, or to do evil? life to save, or to kill?' but they were silent.
(YLT)

Mark 16:2
and early in the morning of the first of the sabbaths, they come unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun,
(YLT)

Mark 16:9
And he, having risen in the morning of the first of the sabbaths, did appear first to Mary the Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons;
(YLT)

Luke 4:31
and descended to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbaths.
(DBY YLT)

Luke 6:2
and certain of the Pharisees said to them, 'Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbaths?'
(YLT)

Luke 6:9
Then said Jesus unto them, 'I will question you something: Is it lawful on the sabbaths to do good, or to do evil? life to save or to kill?'
(YLT)

Luke 24:1
And on the first of the sabbaths, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bearing the spices they made ready, and certain 'others' with them,
(YLT)

John 20:1
And on the first of the sabbaths, Mary the Magdalene doth come early (there being yet darkness) to the tomb, and she seeth the stone having been taken away out of the tomb,
(YLT)

John 20:19
It being, therefore, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been shut where the disciples were assembled, through fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith to them, 'Peace to you;'
(YLT)

Acts 17:2
Paul--following his usual custom--betook himself to it, and for three successive Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
(WEY DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Colossians 2:16
For this reason let no man be your judge in any question of food or drink or feast days or new moons or Sabbaths:
(BBE DBY WBS YLT)

Exodus 31:13
"Speak also to the children of Israel, saying,'Most certainly you shall keep my Sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 19:3
"'Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep my Sabbaths. I am Yahweh your God.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 19:30
"'You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 23:15
"'You shall count from the next day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be completed:
(WEB KJV ASV WBS YLT NAS)

Leviticus 23:38
besides the Sabbaths of Yahweh, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 25:8
"'You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Leviticus 26:2
"'You shall keep my Sabbaths, and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 26:34
Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land. Even then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 26:35
As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, even the rest which it didn't have in your sabbaths, when you lived on it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 26:43
The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them: and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 23:31
and to offer all burnt offerings to Yahweh, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before Yahweh;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 2:4
Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Yahweh our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 8:13
even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tents.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 31:3
He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 36:21
to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths: for as long as it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Nehemiah 10:33
for the show bread, and for the continual meal offering, and for the continual burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 1:13
Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me; new moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can't bear with evil assemblies.
(WEB KJV BBE WBS NIV)

Isaiah 56:4
For thus says Yahweh, "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Lamentations 2:6
And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
(KJV WBS NIV)

Ezekiel 20:12
Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they didn't walk in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 20:16
because they rejected my ordinances, and didn't walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 20:20
and make my Sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 20:21
But the children rebelled against me; they didn't walk in my statutes, neither kept my ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them; they profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 20:24
because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 22:8
You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 22:26
Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 23:38
Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 44:24
In a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to my ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall make my Sabbaths holy.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 45:17
It shall be the prince's part to give the burnt offerings, and the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meal offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 46:3
The people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Yahweh on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Hosea 2:11
I will also cause all her celebrations to cease: her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies. Zephaniah
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV)

Subtopics

Sabbaths

Related Terms

Sabbatic (1 Occurrence)

Sabbaths (53 Occurrences)