Holy convocation [large formal assembly] (מִקְרָא־קֹדֶ) (Lev 23:2,3,24; Is 1:13)
Holy day
“Holy Sabbath” (Ex 16:23; Neh 9:14)
“My holy day” (Is 58:13)
Holy to children of Israel (Ex 31:14) (Ex 35:2 (NKJV, NET, LEB))
Holy to the LORD (Ex 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Is 58:13)
Appointed time (מוֹעֵד) of the LORD
Lev 23:2 – “these are the appointed feasts of the LORD”
Lev 23:38 – “these are the appointed feasts of the LORD” (Lev 23:37) you should proclaim “besides the LORD’s Sabbaths”
Hosea 2:11 – “her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts”
Lam 2:6 – “forget festival and Sabbath”
Neh 10:33 – “the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts”
1 Chron 23:31 – “on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days”
2 Chron 2:4 – “on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the LORD our God”
Ezek 44:24 – priests “shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy”
Ezek 45:17 – princes will furnish the offerings “at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel”
Feast (חָגַג) of the LORD
Lev 23:39 – the Feast of Tabernacles is a “feast of the LORD”; on the first and eighth day is a “solemn rest”
Col 2:16 – “let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath”
Commandment
Ex 16:27-28 – God equates keeping His commandments and His laws with keeping Sabbath
Deut 5:12,15 – “observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you”
Jer 17:22 – “keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers”
Luke 23:56 – “on the Sabbath [the women] rested according to the commandment”
Covenant (בְּרִית) between God and His people
Ex 31:16 – “covenant forever”
Is 56:4 – “to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant”
Is 56:6 – “everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant”
Sign (אוֹת) between God and His people
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
Seventh day
Equated with Sabbath (Ex 16:26; 20:10-11; 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14)
Gen 2:2 – “he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done”
Ex 16:27 – “on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather [manna], but they found none”
Ex 16:30 – “so the people rested on the seventh day”
Ex 23:12 – “on the seventh day you shall rest” so that your animals, servants, and strangers may be refreshed
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between [God] and the people of Israel”; “on the seventh day [God] rested and was refreshed”
Ex 34:21 – “six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest”
A day of solemn rest (שַׁבָּתוֹן)
שַׁבָּתוֹן means a special day of sabbath observance.[footnote text=“Haag, E. "שַׁבָּת." Ed. G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry. Trans. Douglas W. Stott. <i>Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament</i> 2004:388. Print. 15 vols.”]
Ex 16:23 – he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'"
Lev 23:24 – "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.
Lev 23:32 – It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath."
Lev 25:5 – You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.
Sabbath of solemn rest (שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן)
שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן is the superlative construction, which is to be rendered as “absolute day of rest,” “high holiday,” or “time for celebration.”[footnote text=“Haag, E. (2004). שַׁבָּת. G. J. Botterweck, H. Ringgren, & H.-J. Fabry (Eds.), D. W. Stott (Trans.), <i>Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament</i> (Revised Edition, Vol. 14, p. 389). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.”]
Phrase appears 6 times and is used regarding:
Day of Atonement (Lev 16:31; 23:32)
Sabbath year (Lev 25:4)
Seventh day (Ex 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3)
Related words
Adjectives
Holy
“Holy Sabbath” (Ex 16:23; Neh 9:14)
“My holy day” (Is 58:13)
Holy to children of Israel (Ex 31:14) (Ex 35:2 (NKJV, NET, LEB))
Holy to the LORD (Ex 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Is 58:13)
Verbs
Blessed (Ex 20:11)
Remember (Ex 20:8)
Forget (Lam 2:6)
Gave (Ex 16:29; Ezek 20:12)
Made known (Neh 9:14)
Hallow//to be holy (Ex 20:11; Jer 17:22,24,27; Ezek 20:20; 44:24; Neh 13:22)
Keep (שָׁמַר)(τηρέω) (Ex 31:13,14,16; Lev 19:3,30; 26:2; Deut 5:12; Is 56:2,4,6; John 9:16)
Rest/cease (שָׁבַת)(ἡσυχάζω) (Ex 23:12; 34:21; Lev 23:32; 25:2; Luke 23:56)
Profane (חָלַל)(βεβηλόω) (Is 56:2,6; Ezek 20:13,16,21,24; 22:8; 23:38; Neh 13:17,18; Matt 12:5)
Be (הָיָה)(εἰμί)(γίνομαι) (Ex 35:2; Mark 2:27; 6:2; John 5:9,10; 9:14)
To be lawful/permissible (ἔξεστιν) (Matt 12:2; 12:10; 12:12; Mark 2:24; 3:4; Luke 6:2,9; 14:3; John 5:10)
Break or to loose (λύω) (Luke 13:15; John 5:18)
Teach (Mark 1:21,22; 6:2; Luke 4:21-22,31,32; 6:6; 13:10)
Enter into synagogue (Mark 1:21,23,29; 3:1; 6:2; Luke 4:16,28,33; 6:6; 13:10; Acts 13:14; 17:1-2; 18:4)
Heal
Matt 12:10; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:7 – Pharisees wanted to see if Jesus would heal on Sabbath
Luke 13:14 – ruler was upset that Jesus healed on Sabbath and said that a person had 6 days to be healed
John 5:10 – at Pool of Bethesda, man who was invalid for 38 years was healed
Luke 14:3 – Jesus asks the Pharisees; answered in verses 4-5 through His actions and words
John 7:23 – God made a man whole on Sabbath
Nouns
Burnt offering (Num 28:10; 1 Chron 23:31; 2 Chron 2:4; 8:13; 31:3; Neh 10:33; Is 1:13; Ezek 45:17; 46:4, 12)
Moses (John 7:22,23; Acts 15:21)
New Moon (2 Kings 4:23; Is 1:13; Is 66:23; Ezek 45:17; Ezek 46:1,3; Hosea 2:11; Amos 8:5; Neh 10:33; 1 Chron 23:31; 2 Chron 2:4; 2 Chron 31:3; Col 2:16)
Festival (Lam 2:6; Col 2:16)
Synagogue (Mark 1:21; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16; Luke 6:6; Luke 13:10; Acts 13:14; Acts 15:21)
House of the LORD
2 Kings 11:7 – “on the Sabbath…guard the house of the LORD”
2 Kings 16:18 – “the covered way for the Sabbath…he caused to go around the house of the LORD”
Neh 10:33 – “for all the work of the house of our God”
2 Chron 2:4 – “build a house for the name of the LORD my God”
In reference to time
In reference to seventh day
Seventh day is Sabbath (Ex 16:26; 20:10-11; 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14)
Matt 28:1; Mark 16:1,2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19 – Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb after the Sabbath (on the first day of the week)
Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31 – Jesus died on the day before the Sabbath, which is called Preparation Day
In reference to a week
Counting weeks (Lev 23:15; 25:8)
πρώτῃ σαββάτου – first day of the week (Mark 16:9)
εἷς μίαν σαββάτων – first day of the week (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7)
κατὰ μίαν σαββάτου – first day of the week (1 Cor 16:2)
δίς τοῦ σαββάτου – twice a week (Luke 18:12)
To be kept perpetually
Ex 31:16 – “covenant forever”
Ex 31:13,16 – “throughout your generations”
Ex 31:17 – “a sign forever between me and the people of Israel”
Acts 13:27 – the Prophets “are read every Sabbath”
Acts 15:21 – Moses “is read every Sabbath in the synagogues”
Acts 18:4 – Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath”
Point of reference for time
Lev 23:11 – during Feast of Firstfruits, sheaf should be waved “on the day after Sabbath”
Matt 28:1 – “after Sabbath”
Mark 1:21 – at Capernaum, “immediately on the Sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue and was teaching”
Mark 6:2 – “on the Sabbath day, [Jesus] began to teach in the synagogue”
Mark 16:1 – “when the Sabbath was past”
Luke 6:6 – “on another Sabbath”
Acts 13:42,44 – “the next Sabbath day”
Acts 17:2 – “on three Sabbath days”
In reference to distance
Acts 1:12 – Mount Olive to Jerusalem is “a Sabbath day’s journey away”
In reference to day of worship
Who keeps the Sabbath?
All people
Is 56:2,4,6 – “the son of man”, “the foreigners”
Is 66:23 – “all flesh shall come to worship”
Israelites
Ex 20:10; Deut 5:14 – “you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant… or the sojourner who is within your gates”
Ex 31:13,16 – “the people of Israel”
Lev 24:8 – “from the people of Israel as a covenant forever”
Lev 25:2 – “speak to the people of Israel”
Ezek 20:13, 21 – “the house of Israel”; “the children”
Ezek 46:3 – “the people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and the new moons”
Kings
2 Chron 8:13 – Solomon offered burnt offerings “according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts”.
2 Chron 31:3 – Hezekiah offered “burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts”
Prince
Ezek 45:17 – “it shall be the prince’s duty to furnish the burnt offerings… at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel”
Ezek 46:4 – “the burnt offering that the prince offers to the LORD on the Sabbath day”
Ezek 46:12 – the prince “shall offer his burnt offering or his peace offerings as he does on the Sabbath day”
Priest
Ezek 44:24 – the priests “shall keep my Sabbaths holy”
Followers of Jesus
Luke 23:56 – “on the Sabbath [the women] rested according to the commandment”
Acts 13:14 – “on the Sabbath day [Paul and his party] went into the synagogue and sat down”
Acts 13:42 – “as [Paul and his party] went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath”
Acts 16:13 – “on the Sabbath day [Paul and Silas] went… to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer” In Philippi (Macedonia), there was no synagogue.
Acts 17:2 – at Thessalonica, Paul “went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures”
Acts 18:4 – at Corinth, Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath”
Jesus
Entered into synagogue (Mark 1:21,23,29; 3:1; 6:2; Luke 4:16,28,33; 6:6; 13:10)
Land
Lev 25:2,4,5,6 – “the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD”
Lev 26:34,35,43 – “the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths”
2 Chron 36:21 – the land “kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years”
Livestock
Ex 20:10 – “your livestock”
Deut 5:14 – “your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock”
Neh 13:15 – “I saw people in Judah… loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day”
Who is Sabbath for?
Belonging to God
“Your holy Sabbath” (Neh 9:14)
“My holy day” (Is 58:13)
“My Sabbaths” (Ex 31:13; Lev 19:3,30; 26:2; Is 56:4; Ezek 20:12,13,16,20,21,24; 22:8,26; 23:38; 44:24)
“The LORD’s Sabbaths” (Lev 23:38)
To/of the LORD
Ex 16:23,25; 20:10; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14 “Sabbath to the LORD”
Ex 31:15; 35:2 – “Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD”
Is 58:13 – “holy day of the Lord”
Ezek 23:38 – profaning the Sabbath is “done to [God]”
Appointed time (מוֹעֵד) of the LORD
Lev 23:2 – “these are the appointed feasts of the LORD”
Lev 23:38 – “these are the appointed feasts of the LORD” (Lev 23:37) you should proclaim “besides the LORD’s Sabbaths”
Hosea 2:11 – “her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts”
Lam 2:6 – “forget festival and Sabbath”
Neh 10:33 – “the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts”
1 Chron 23:31 – “on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days”
2 Chron 2:4 – “on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the LORD our God”
Ezek 44:24 – priests “shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy”
Ezek 45:17 – princes will furnish the offerings “at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel”
Feast (חָגַג) of the LORD
Lev 23:39 – the Feast of Tabernacles is a “feast of the LORD”; on the first and eighth day is a “solemn rest”
Col 2:16 – “let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath”
Belonging to man
“your Sabbath” – referring to man’s Sabbath (Lev 23:32; 26:35)
For man (Mark 2:27)
Belonging to the land (Lev 25:6)
Where is Sabbath kept?
In your dwellings
Ex 20:10; Deut 5:14 – “within your gates”
Ex 16:29 – “each of you in his place”
Ex 35:3 – “you shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day”
Lev 23:3 – “it is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places”
Jer 17:22 – “do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath”
Within the city
Neh 13:19,21,22 – “at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath”
Jer 17:21,24,27 – “bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day”
House of the LORD
2 Kings 11:7 – “on the Sabbath…guard the house of the LORD”
2 Kings 16:18 – “the covered way for the Sabbath…he caused to go around the house of the LORD”
Neh 10:33 – “for all the work of the house of our God”
2 Chron 2:4 – “build a house for the name of the LORD my God”
Ezek 46:1 – “the gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened”
Ezek 46:3 – “the people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the LORD on the Sabbath”
Ezek 46:12 – “when the prince provides a freewill offering… the gate facing east shall be opened for him”
When is Sabbath?
Seventh day
Seventh day is Sabbath (Ex 16:26; 20:10-11; 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14)
Matt 28:1; Mark 16:1,2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19 – Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb after the Sabbath (on the first day of the week)
Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31 – Jesus died on the day before the Sabbath, which is called Preparation Day
What is Sabbath?
Holy convocation [large formal assembly] (מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶ) (Lev 23:2,3,24; Is 1:13)
Lev 23:24 – the Feast of the Trumpets is “a day of solemn rest”, “a holy convocation”
Appointed time of the LORD (מוֹעֵד)
Lev 23:2 – “these are the appointed feasts of the LORD”
Lev 23:38 – “these are the appointed feasts of the LORD” (Lev 23:37) you should proclaim “besides the LORD’s Sabbaths”
Hosea 2:11 – “her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts”
Lam 2:6 – “forget festival and Sabbath”
Neh 10:33 – “the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts”
1 Chron 23:31 – “on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days”
2 Chron 2:4 – “on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the LORD our God”
Ezek 44:24 – priests “shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy”
Ezek 45:17 – princes will furnish the offerings “at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel”
Feast (חָגַג)
Lev 23:39 – the Feast of Tabernacles is a “feast of the LORD”; on the first and eighth day is a “solemn rest”
Col 2:16 – “let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath”
Commandment
Ex 16:27-28 – God equates keeping His commandments and His laws with keeping Sabbath
Deut 5:12,15 – “observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you”
Jer 17:22 – “keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers”
Luke 23:56 – “on the Sabbath [the women] rested according to the commandment”
Sign (אוֹת) between God and His people
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
Covenant (בְּרִית)
Ex 31:16 – “covenant forever”
Is 56:4 – “to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant”
Is 56:6 – “everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant”
A day of solemn rest (שַׁבָּתוֹן)
שַׁבָּתוֹן means a special day of sabbath observance.[footnote text=“Haag, E. "שַׁבָּת." Ed. G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry. Trans. Douglas W. Stott. <i>Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament</i> 2004:388. Print. 15 vols.”]
Ex 16:23 – he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'"
Lev 23:24 – "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.
Lev 23:32 – It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath."
Lev 25:5 – You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.
Sabbath of solemn rest (שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן)
שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן is the superlative construction, which is to be rendered as “absolute day of rest,” “high holiday,” or “time for celebration.”[footnote text=“Haag, E. (2004). שַׁבָּת. G. J. Botterweck, H. Ringgren, & H.-J. Fabry (Eds.), D. W. Stott (Trans.), <i>Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament</i> (Revised Edition, Vol. 14, p. 389). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.”]
Phrase appears 6 times and is used regarding:
Day of Atonement (Lev 16:31; 23:32)
Sabbath year (Lev 25:4)
Seventh day (Ex 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3)
What was done on the Sabbath?
Offerings (Num 28:9,10; 1 Chron 23:31; 2 Chron 2:4; 8:13; 31:3; Neh 10:33; Is 1:13; Ezek 45:17; 46:4,12)
Priestly duties
Showbread preparations (Lev 24:8; 1 Chron 9:32)
Priests, Levites, and guards who were off-duty on Sabbath to guard the king, house of God and city gates (2 Kings 11:5, 7, 9; 2 Chron 23:4, 8)
Burnt offerings (1 Chron 23:31)
See the man of God (2 Kings 4:23)
Read the Law and Prophets
Luke 4:16-17 – “and as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him”
Acts 13:27 – “the prophets, which are read every Sabbath”
Acts 13:44 – “the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord”
Acts 15:21 – Moses “is read every Sabbath in the synagogues”
Prayer (Acts 16:13)
Psalm (in the superscription of Ps 92)
Gather
Acts 13:44 – “the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord”
Acts 16:13 – “on the Sabbath day… we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together”
Enter into synagogue (Mark 1:21, 23, 29; 3:1; 6:2; Luke 4:16, 28, 33; 6:6; 13:10; Acts 13:14; 17:1-2; 18:4)
Acts 13:42 – “as [Paul and Barnabas] went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath”
Acts 17:2 – at Thessalonica, Paul “went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures”
Acts 18:4 – Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath”
Rest
Luke 23:56 – “on the Sabbath [the women] rested according to the commandment”
Heal
Matt 12:10; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:7 – Pharisees wanted to see if Jesus would heal on Sabbath
Luke 13:14 – ruler was upset that Jesus healed on Sabbath and said that a person had 6 days to be healed
John 5:10 – at Pool of Bethesda, man who was invalid for 38 years was healed
Luke 14:3 – Jesus asks the Pharisees; answered in verses 4-5 through His actions and words
John 7:23 – God made a man whole on Sabbath
What is lawful on the Sabbath?
To do good (Matt 12:12; Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9 – implied through Jesus’ question)
To save life (Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9 – implied through Jesus’ question)
To heal (Luke 14:3 – Jesus asks the Pharisees and answered in verses 4-5 through His actions and words; John 5:10; 7:23)
To loose ox and donkey and lead it to water (Luke 13:15)
To take hold of sheep and lift it out of pit (Matt 12:11)
To perform priestly duties (Matt 12:5)
To perform circumcision (John 7:22)
What is not lawful on the Sabbath?
Doing work
Ex 20:10; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14 – “shall not do any work”
Ex 31:14 – “whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people”
Ex 31:15 – “whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death”
Ex 35:2 – “whoever does any work on it shall be put to death”
Specific works considered doing work on Sabbath
Kindle no fires in your dwelling places (Ex 35:3)
Selling or buying goods (Neh 10:31; 13:15, 16, 17, 18; Jer 17:21, 22, 24, 27; Amos 8:5)
Bearing burdens into the gates of the city (Jer 17:21, 22, 24, 27)
What are the reasons for keeping Sabbath?
Comes with blessing (Is 56:2)
Pleases God (Is 56:4)
To hold fast to His perpetual covenant (Ex 31:16; Is 56:4,6)
Join oneself to the Lord (Is 56:6)
To know the Lord
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Keeping Sabbath equated to
Doing righteousness
Is 56:2 – “blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil”
Choosing what pleases God (Is 56:4)
Holding fast His covenant (Is 56:4,6)
Join themselves to the Lord, serve him, love the name of the Lord (Is 56:6)
Revering God’s sanctuary (Lev 19:30; 26:2)
Consequences for profaning Sabbath
Put to death (Ex 31:14,15; 35:2; Num 15:32,35,36)
Jerusalem will be devoured with unquenching fire (Jer 17:27)
Joy turned into mourning (Hosea 2:11; Amos 8:5; Lam 2:6)
God’s wrath poured out (Neh 13:18; Ezek 20:13)
Profaning the Sabbath equated with
Profaning God (Ezek 22:26)
Despising God
Rejecting God’s rules and not walking in His statutes (Ezek 20:13, 16, 21, 24)
Despising/profaning His holy things (Ezek 22:8, 26)
Defiling His sanctuary (Ezek 23:38)
Doing evil (Neh 13:17)
God and Sabbath
God’s actions on Sabbath
Blessed it (Gen 2:3; Ex 20:11)
Hallowed it (Gen 2:3; Ex 20:11)
Rested on (Gen 2:3; Ex 20:11)
God gives the Sabbath
Gave the Sabbath (Ezek 20:12)
Made known the Sabbath (Neh 9:14)
God commands Sabbath observance
Sabbath is a commandment of God
Ex 16:27-28 – God equates keeping His commandments and His laws with keeping Sabbath
Deut 5:12,15 – “observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you”
Jer 17:22 – “keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers”
Luke 23:56 – “on the Sabbath [the women] rested according to the commandment”
Commandment given through Moses
Ex 16:23, 25, 26, 28, 29 – first mention of Sabbath in Bible; accompanied with instructions regarding manna for Israelites in wilderness in order to keep it
Ex 20:8, 10, 11; 31:13, 14, 15, 16; 35:2, 3 – the fourth of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses to the Israelites at Mount Sinai
Deut 5:12,15 – “the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day”
2 Chron 8:13 – “according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths”
Neh 9:14 – “commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant”
Neh 10:29,31 – “God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God”; “if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath”
Actions God commands regarding Sabbath
“Remember” (זָכַר)
Ex 20:8 – “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”
Deut 5:15 – “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm”
“Keep” (שָׁמַר)
Keep the Sabbath (Ex 31:13,14,16; Lev 19:3,30; Lev 26:2; Deut 5:12,15; Is 56:2,4,6)
Keep watch (Jer 17:21)
“Keep it holy” (קָדַשׁ) (Ex 20:8; Deut 5:12; Jer 17:22,24,27; Ezek 20:20)
“Observe” (עָשָׂה) (Ex 31:16)
“Honor it” (Is 58:13)
“Rest” (שָׁבַת)
Ex 23:12 – “on the seventh day you shall rest”
Ex 34:21 – “on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest”
“Call a delight… and honorable” (Is 58:13)
Equates keeping Sabbath with
Revering God’s sanctuary (Lev 19:30; 26:2)
Doing righteousness (Is 56:1-2)
Choosing what pleases God (Is 56:4)
Holding fast His covenant (Is 56:2, 4, 6)
Joining oneself to the Lord, serve him, love the name of the Lord (Is 56:6)
Reasons given for keeping the commandment
To remember God’s deliverance
Deut 5:15 – “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
He is God
Lev 19:3, 30; 26:2 – “I am the Lord your God”
Comes with blessing (Is 56:2)
God is pleased by those who keep it (Is 56:4)
The day is holy
“The LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex 20:11)
“Holy Sabbath” (Ex 16:23; Neh 9:14)
“My holy day” (Is 58:13)
Holy to children of Israel (Ex 31:14) (Ex 35:2 (NKJV, NET, LEB))
Holy to the LORD (Ex 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Is 58:13)
To know the Lord
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Covenant (בְּרִית) between God and His people
Ex 31:16 – “covenant forever”
Is 56:4,6 – keeping (and not defiling) Sabbath equated with holding fast to His covenant
Sign (אוֹת) between God and His people
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
God commands not to profane the Sabbath
“Bring no more vain offerings” (Is 1:13)
“Not profaning it” (Is 56:2,6)
Not doing own pleasure
Is 58:13 – “Turn back your foot… from doing your pleasure”; “not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly”
Not doing work
Ex 20:10; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14 – “shall not do any work”
Specific works not to do on Sabbath
Kindle no fires (Ex 35:3)
Buy or sell goods (Neh 10:31; 13:15,16,17,18; Jer 17:21,22, 24,27; Amos 8:5)
Bearing burdens into the gates of the city (Jer 17:21,22,24,27)
Consequences for profaning Sabbath
Put to death (Ex 31:14,15; 35:2; Num 15:32,35,36)
Jerusalem will be devoured with unquenching fire (Jer 17:27)
Joy turned into mourning (Hosea 2:11; Amos 8:5; Lam 2:6)
God’s wrath poured out (Neh 13:18; Ezek 20:13)
Profaning the Sabbath equated to
Profaning God (Ezek 22:26)
Despising God
Rejecting God’s rules and not walking in His statutes (Ezek 20:13, 16, 21, 24)
Despising/profaning His holy things (Ezek 22:8, 26)
Defiling His sanctuary (Ezek 23:38)
Doing evil (Neh 13:17)
Man and Sabbath
Man’s actions regarding Sabbath
Keeping Sabbath
Revering God’s sanctuary (Lev 19:30; 26:2)
Doing righteousness (Is 56:1-2)
Choosing what pleases God (Is 56:4)
Holding fast to His covenant (Is 56:2, 4, 6)
Joining oneself to the Lord, serve him, love the name of the Lord (Is 56:6)
Profaning Sabbath
Profaning God (Ezek 22:26)
Despising God
Rejecting God’s rules and not walking in His statutes (Ezek 20:13, 16, 21, 24)
Despising/profaning His holy things (Ezek 22:8,26)
Defiling His sanctuary (Ezek 23:38)
Doing evil (Neh 13:17)
Sabbath is made for man
Is 56:2 – “Blessed is the man”
Mark 2:27 – “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”
Heb 4:9 – “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”
For man to be loosed from bondage
Luke 13:16 – “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
For man to be made well
Matt 12:12 – “Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”
John 7:23 – “If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well?”
Sabbath and man’s relationship with God
To remember God’s deliverance
Deut 5:15 – “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
To know the Lord
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Covenant (בְּרִית) between God and His people
Ex 31:16 – “covenant forever”
Is 56:4 – “to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant”
Is 56:6 – “everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant”
Sign (אוֹת) between God and His people
Ex 31:17 – “it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed”
Ex 31:13 – “above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you”
Ezek 20:12 – “I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them”
Ezek 20:20 – “keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God”
Man commanded to keep the Sabbath
Sabbath is a commandment
Ex 16:27-28 – God equates keeping His commandments and His laws with keeping Sabbath
Deut 5:12,15 – “observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you”
Jer 17:22 – “keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers”
Luke 23:56 – “on the Sabbath [the women] rested according to the commandment”
Commandment given through Moses
Ex 16:23,25,26,28,29 – first mention of Sabbath in Bible; accompanied with instructions regarding manna for Israelites in wilderness in order to keep it
Ex 20:8,10,11; 31:13,14,15,16; 35:2,3 – the fourth of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses to the Israelites at Mount Sinai
Deut 5:12,15 – “the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day”
2 Chron 8:13 – “according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths”
Neh 9:13 – “commanded them commandments and statues and a law by Moses your servant”
Neh 10:29,31 – “God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God”; “if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath”
Man instructed to do regarding Sabbath
“Remember” (זָכַר)
Ex 20:8 – “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”
Deut 5:15 – “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm”
“Keep” (שָׁמַר)
Keep the/My Sabbath (Ex 31:13, 14, 16; Lev 19:3, 30; Lev 26:2; Deut 5:12, 15; Is 56:2, 4, 6)
Take care (Jer 17:21)
“Keep it holy” (קָדַשׁ) (Ex 20:8; Deut 5:12; Jer 17:22, 24, 27; Ezek 20:20)
“Observe” (עָשָׂה) (Ex 31:16)
“Honor it” (Is 58:13)
“Rest” (שָׁבַת)
Ex 23:12 – “on the seventh day you shall rest”
Ex 34:21 – “on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest”
“Call a delight… and honorable” (Is 58:13)
Man commanded not to profane Sabbath
“Bring no more vain offerings” (Is 1:13)
“Not profaning it” (Is 56:2,6)
Do not do own pleasure
Is 58:13 – “Turn back your foot… from doing your pleasure”; “not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly”
Not doing work
Ex 20:10; Lev 23:3; Deut 5:14 – “shall not do any work”
Specific works not to do on Sabbath
Kindle no fires (Ex 35:3)
Buy or sell goods (Neh 10:31; 13:15,16,17,18; Jer 17:21,22, 24,27; Amos 8:5)
Bearing burdens into the gates of the city (Jer 17:21,22,24,27)
Consequences for profaning Sabbath
Put to death (Ex 31:14,15; 35:2; Num 15:32,35,36)
Jerusalem will be devoured with unquenching fire (Jer 17:27)
Joy turned into mourning (Hosea 2:11; Amos 8:5)
God’s wrath poured out (Neh 13:18; Ezek 20:13)
Reasons that man profanes Sabbath
Following idolatrous customs of Gentile nations
Ezek 20:16 – “for their heart went after their idols”
Ezek 20:24 – “children’s eyes were fixed on their father’s idols”
Ezek 23:38,39 – defiled God’s sanctuary and profaned His Sabbaths when they sacrificed their children to their idols
Jesus and Sabbath
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5)
Jesus’ actions on Sabbath
Enter the synagogue (Mark 1:21,23,29; 3:1; 6:2; Luke 4:16,28,33; 6:6; 13:10)
Enter house of chief Pharisees to eat bread (Luke 14:1)
Heal
Jesus heals man with withered hand on Sabbath at synagogue when Pharisees question Him (Matt 12:10, 11, 12; Mark 3:2, 4; Luke 6:6, 7, 9)
Jesus heals woman who was bent over for 18 years (Luke 13:10, 14, 15, 16)
Jesus heals man with dropsy at house of ruler of the Pharisees on Sabbath (Luke 14:1, 3, 5)
Jesus heals man at Pool of Bethesda who was sick for 38 years on Sabbath (John 5:9,10, 16, 18)
Jesus heals blind man through clay washed off at Pool of Siloam on Sabbath (John 9:14)
Jesus speaks of Sabbath
Says it is lawful to do these on Sabbath
To do good (Matt 12:12; Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9 – implied through Jesus’ question)
To save life (Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9 – implied through Jesus’ question)
To heal (Luke 14:3 – Jesus asks the Pharisees and answered in verses 4-5 through His actions and words; John 5:10; 7:23)
To loose ox and donkey and lead it to water (Luke 13:15)
To take hold of sheep and lift it out of pit (Matt 12:11)
To perform priestly duties (Matt 12:5)
To perform circumcision (John 7:22)
In connection to the great tribulation (Matt 24:20)
Conflicts over Sabbath
With Pharisees and scribes
Matt 12:1, 2, 5, 8; Mark 2:23, 24, 27, 28; Luke 6:1, 2, 5 – regarding His disciples plucking grain to eat on the Sabbath
Matt 12:10, 11, 12; Mark 3:2, 4; Luke 6:6, 7, 9 – regarding healing man with withered hand on Sabbath at synagogue
Luke 14:1, 3, 5 – Jesus heals man with dropsy at house of ruler of the Pharisees on Sabbath
With Jews
John 5:10, 16, 18 – Jesus heals man at Pool of Bethesda who was sick for 38 years on Sabbath
With ruler of the synagogue
Luke 13:10, 14, 15, 16 – for healing woman who was bent over for 18 years
Animals and Sabbath
Animals belonging to the Israelites shall not do any work on Sabbath
Ex 20:10 – “your livestock”
Deut 5:14 – “your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock”
Neh 13:15 – “I saw people in Judah… loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day”
Lawful to care for life of animals on Sabbath
To loose ox and donkey and lead it to water (Luke 13:15)
To take hold of sheep and lift it out of pit (Matt 12:11)
Animals used in burnt offerings on Sabbath (Num 28:9,10; 1 Chron 23:31; 2 Chron 2:4; 8:13; 31:3; Neh 10:33; Is 1:13; Ezek 45:17; 46:4, 12)
Land and Sabbath
Lev 25:2, 4, 5, 6 – “the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD”
Lev 26:34, 35, 43 – “the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths”
2 Chron 36:21 – the land “kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years”
Land’s actions regarding Sabbath
Enjoy (רָצָה) (Lev 26:34 (repeated twice in verse), Lev 26:43; 2 Chron 36:21)
