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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
(
rest
). Rest
day
, the seventh day of the week (
Gen. 2:2-3
2
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:2‑3)
). Under the
Law
given to
Israel
through
Moses
, it was to be kept as a day of rest (
Ex. 16:23-30; 20:8-11
23
And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
24
And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
25
And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
26
Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
27
And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
28
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
29
See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
30
So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:23‑30)
8
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8‑11)
;
Lev. 19:3,30; 23:3; 25:4-9
3
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:3)
30
Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:30)
3
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. (Leviticus 23:3)
4
But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
5
That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
6
And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
7
And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
8
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
9
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. (Leviticus 25:4‑9)
;
Deut. 5:12-15
12
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.
13
Six days thou shalt labor, and do all thy work:
14
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
15
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12‑15)
). Day for consulting prophets (
2 Kings 4:23
23
And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. (2 Kings 4:23)
). A day of
teaching
and
joy
(
Neh. 8:1-12
1
And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.
2
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3
And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
6
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7
Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
8
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9
And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
11
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
12
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. (Nehemiah 8:1‑12)
;
Hos. 2:11
11
I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. (Hosea 2:11)
). A whole week of
time
is implied (
Matt. 28:1
1
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (Matthew 28:1)
;
Mark 16:1
1
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. (Mark 16:1)
;
Luke 24:1
1
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (Luke 24:1)
;
John 20:1
1
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. (John 20:1)
;
Acts 20:7
7
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)
;
1 Cor. 16:2
2
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
). The first-day of the week, the
resurrection
day of Christ, is called “the
Lord
’s Day” (
John 20:26
26
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (John 20:26)
;
Acts 20:6-11
6
And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
7
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
8
And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
9
And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
10
And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
11
When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. (Acts 20:6‑11)
;
1 Cor. 16:2
2
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
;
Rev. 1:10
10
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, (Revelation 1:10)
).
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
The first
time
the Sabbath is specifically mentioned in
scripture
is in
Exodus 16:23
23
And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. (Exodus 16:23)
, after the
manna
had been given from
heaven
; but the Sabbath clearly had its origin in the
sanctification
and
blessing
of the seventh
day
after the
six
days of creative work. And a hebdomadal division of days apparently existed up to
the flood
, since it is very distinctly mentioned in connection with
Noah
. We are also told in
Mark 2:27
27
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (Mark 2:27)
that the Sabbath was made for
man
. It was an institution which expressed
God
’s merciful consideration for man.
The words “
rest
” and “sabbath” in the
passage
in Exodus have no article, so that the sentence may be translated “Tomorrow is [a] rest, [a] holy Sabbath unto the
Lord
.” So in
Exodus 16:25-26
25
And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
26
Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. (Exodus 16:25‑26)
there is no article: there is in
Exodus 16:29
29
See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:29)
. The Sabbath was soon after definitely enacted in
the
ten
commandments (
Ex. 20:8-11
8
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8‑11)
), and reference is there made to God having rested on the
seventh
day after the work of
creation
as the basis of the institution.
The Sabbath had a peculiar place in relation to
Israel
: thus in Leviticus 23, in the
feasts
of
Jehovah
, in the holy convocations, the Sabbath of Jehovah is first mentioned as showing the great intention of God. God had delivered Israel out of the slavery of
Egypt
,
therefore
God commanded them to keep the Sabbath (
Deut. 5:15
15
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:15)
). The Sabbath was the sign of God’s
covenant
with them, and it may be that the Lord in repeatedly offending the Jews by (in their view) breaking the Sabbath by acts of
mercy
foreshadowed the approaching dissolution of the legal covenant (
Ex. 31:13, 17
13
Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. (Exodus 31:13)
17
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:17)
;
Ezek. 20:12,20
12
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. (Ezekiel 20:12)
20
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. (Ezekiel 20:20)
). The Sabbath foreshadowed their being brought into the rest of God; but, because of the
sin
of those who started to go thither (who despised the promised land), God sware in His
wrath
that they should not enter into His rest (
Psa. 95:11
11
Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (Psalm 95:11)
). God has purposed to bring His people into His rest, for whom there remains therefore the keeping of a Sabbath (
Heb. 4:9
9
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9)
).
The Sabbath was never given to the nations in the same way as to Israel, and amid all the sins enumerated against the
Gentiles
, we do not find Sabbath-breaking ever mentioned. Nevertheless, it appears to be a principle of God’s government of the
earth
that man and
beast
should have one day in
seven
as a respite from labor, all needing it physically.
The
Christian
’s Sabbath is designated the LORD’S DAY—and is as distinct in principle from the Jewish legal Sabbath as the opening, or first day of a
new
week is from the close of a past one. The Lord lay in
death
on the Jewish Sabbath: the Christian keeps the first day of the week, the
resurrection
day. See LORD’S DAY.
From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Luke 14:1
1
And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. (Luke 14:1)
. He went into the
house
of one of the chief Pharisees to eat
bread
on the
Sabbath
day
.
The strictness with which the Jewish Sabbath was kept did not
prevent
the Pharisees, as well as other Jews, from having a better provision of food on that day than on ordinary days. They did this as a
religious
duty in honor of the day. Lightfoot gives several curious instances of this
custom
from the rabbins, of which this is one: “Rabba
Bar
Rabh Houna went to the house of Rabba Bar Rabh Nachman. He set before him
three
measures
of rich cake; to whom he, How did you know of my coming? The other answered, ‘Is there anything more valuable to us than the Sabbath?’ The Gloss is: ‘We do by no means prefer thee before the Sabbath; we got these things ready in honor of the Sabbath, not knowing anything of thy coming’” (Horae Hebraicae).
Related Books and Articles:
776. Sabbath Feasting
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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