Verses¶
Question¶
Does the Bible teach that the weekly Sabbath is governed by the lunar cycle (falling on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of each lunar month), or does it follow a continuous 7-day cycle independent of the moon?
Area 1: Genesis 1:14 and the Luminaries' Purpose¶
Genesis 1:1-5 (Creation Days 1-3: Before the Moon)¶
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. Genesis 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Genesis 1:14-19 (Day 4: Luminaries Created)¶
Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Genesis 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good. Genesis 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Notes: Four purposes listed for lights: signs (H226 othoth), seasons (H4150 moadim), days (H3117 yamim), years (H8141 shanim). The weekly sabbath is NOT listed. The moon was created on Day 4; the sabbath was established on Day 7.
Psalm 104:19 (Moon Appointed for moadim)¶
Psalm 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Notes: "seasons" = H4150 moed. The moon marks moadim (festival seasons), not shabbatot (sabbaths). H4150 is NEVER used as a synonym for H7676 (shabbath).
Genesis 37:9 (Joseph's Dream -- Moon as Symbol)¶
Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Area 2: The Manna Cycle (Exodus 16)¶
Exodus 16:1 (Israel Traveled on the 15th)¶
Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which [is] between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
Notes: Lunar sabbath proponents claim the 15th is always a sabbath. But the text records Israel TRAVELING on the 15th. If the 15th were a sabbath, this would violate sabbath law.
Exodus 16:4-5 (God's Instruction: 6+1 Pattern)¶
Exodus 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. Exodus 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare [that] which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Exodus 16:22-30 (The Sabbath Manna Pattern)¶
Exodus 16:22 And it came to pass, [that] on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one [man]: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Exodus 16:23 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 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. Exodus 16:25 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. Exodus 16:26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, [which is] the sabbath, in it there shall be none. Exodus 16:27 And it came to pass, [that] there went out [some] of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. Exodus 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? Exodus 16:29 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 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
Exodus 16:35 (40 Years Continuous)¶
Exodus 16:35 And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Notes: The 6+1 manna cycle ran CONTINUOUSLY for 40 years (~2,080 weeks). No monthly disruption, no new moon reset, no variable-length weeks are recorded. The pattern is absolute: "Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none." No qualifications.
Area 3: Leviticus 23 Structure (Weekly Sabbath vs Annual Feasts)¶
Leviticus 23:1-3 (Weekly Sabbath -- No Calendar Date)¶
Leviticus 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Leviticus 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts. Leviticus 23:3 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.
Notes: v.3 has NO calendar date. "In all your dwellings" -- not tied to a central sanctuary. Work prohibition: kol-melakhah ("all work").
Leviticus 23:4-8 (Annual Feasts Begin -- With Calendar Dates)¶
Leviticus 23:4 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD'S passover. Leviticus 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month [is] the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. Leviticus 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Leviticus 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein].
Notes: v.4 RESTARTS the feast formula ("These are the feasts of the LORD") after the weekly Sabbath. Annual feasts have SPECIFIC lunar dates (14th, 15th, etc.). Work prohibition: melekhet abodah ("servile work") -- distinct from weekly Sabbath's kol-melakhah.
Leviticus 23:24 (Feast of Trumpets -- Lunar Date)¶
Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Leviticus 23:27,32 (Day of Atonement -- Lunar Date)¶
Leviticus 23:27 Also on the tenth [day] of this seventh month [there shall be] a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Leviticus 23:32 It [shall be] unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth [day] of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
Leviticus 23:34,39 (Tabernacles -- Lunar Date)¶
Leviticus 23:34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [shall be] the feast of tabernacles [for] seven days unto the LORD. Leviticus 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day [shall be] a sabbath, and on the eighth day [shall be] a sabbath.
Leviticus 23:37-38 (The millibad Separation)¶
Leviticus 23:37 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Leviticus 23:38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
Notes: v.37 summarizes the feasts. v.38 uses millibad (H905, "apart from, besides") FOUR TIMES to place the "sabbaths of the LORD" in a SEPARATE category from the annual feasts. This is the most explicit text distinguishing the weekly sabbath from the ceremonial feast calendar.
Area 4: The Hebrew Word shabbath (H7676)¶
See 04-word-studies.md for complete Strong's data.
Summary: H7676 (shabbath) has 108 OT uses. NEVER translated or used to mean "lunar-cycle rest day." Always means "sabbath, intermission" in a fixed weekly sense. The verb H7673 (shabath) = "to cease, rest, desist" -- no lunar connotation. H7677 (shabbathon) = "sabbatism, special holiday" -- used for both weekly Sabbath and certain feast rests, but never with lunar meaning.
Area 5: Numbers 28:9-15 (Separate Offering Categories)¶
Numbers 28:1-8 (Daily Offering -- Category 1)¶
Numbers 28:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Numbers 28:2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, [and] my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, [for] a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. Numbers 28:3 And thou shalt say unto them, This [is] the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, [for] a continual burnt offering. Numbers 28:8 And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer [it], a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Numbers 28:9-10 (Sabbath Offering -- Category 2: Weekly)¶
Numbers 28:9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: Numbers 28:10 [This is] the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
Notes: "the burnt offering of EVERY sabbath" (shabbat beshabbatto) -- confirms weekly cycle. The sabbath offering has its own category BETWEEN daily and monthly.
Numbers 28:11-15 (New Moon Offering -- Category 3: Monthly)¶
Numbers 28:11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; Numbers 28:14 And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third [part] of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth [part] of an hin unto a lamb: this [is] the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. Numbers 28:15 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the LORD shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
Numbers 28:16-17 (Annual Feasts Begin -- Category 4)¶
Numbers 28:16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month [is] the passover of the LORD. Numbers 28:17 And in the fifteenth day of this month [is] the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
Notes: The structural arrangement is: daily (28:1-8) > weekly sabbath (28:9-10) > monthly new moon (28:11-15) > annual feasts (28:16-29:38). The sabbath and new moon are SEPARATE offering categories -- proving they are independent cycles.
Area 6: Ezekiel 46:1-3 (Sabbath and New Moon as Separate Occasions)¶
Ezekiel 46:1 Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. Ezekiel 46:2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of [that] gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. Ezekiel 46:3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons. Ezekiel 46:4 And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day [shall be] six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish. Ezekiel 46:6 And in the day of the new moon [it shall be] a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.
Notes: THREE categories: (1) six working days -- gate SHUT; (2) sabbath -- gate OPENED; (3) new moon -- gate OPENED. Sabbath and new moon are BOTH worship occasions but listed as SEPARATE occasions with DIFFERENT offerings (v.4 vs v.6). If the sabbath were determined by the moon, listing them as separate gate-opening occasions would be redundant.
Area 7: 2 Kings 4:23 (Shunammite Woman)¶
2 Kings 4:22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 2 Kings 4:23 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.
Notes: The husband's question assumes new moon and sabbath are the expected travel-to-prophet days. He distinguishes them as TWO SEPARATE occasions. This is casual narrative dialogue, showing widespread understanding that new moon and sabbath are distinct observances.
Area 8: Whether Any Biblical Text Ties the Sabbath to the Moon¶
Psalm 81:3-4 (Full Moon Feast -- NOT Weekly Sabbath)¶
Psalm 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. Psalm 81:4 For this [was] a statute for Israel, [and] a law of the God of Jacob.
Notes: "the time appointed" = H3677 (kece = full moon). This refers to the FEAST trumpet, not the weekly sabbath. The full moon festival (kece) is a different institution from the weekly sabbath.
Psalm 104:19 (Moon for moadim, NOT Sabbaths)¶
Psalm 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Notes: "seasons" = H4150 moed. The moon marks festival seasons (moadim), not weekly sabbaths (shabbatot). These are two different Hebrew words for two different institutions.
Additional Verse Clusters¶
The Three-Category Triad: Sabbaths, New Moons, Feasts¶
1 Chronicles 23:31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD:
2 Chronicles 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate [it] to him, [and] to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This [is an ordinance] for ever to Israel.
2 Chronicles 8:13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, [even] in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
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 the LORD.
Ezra 3:5 And afterward [offered] the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.
Ezekiel 45:17 And it shall be the prince's part [to give] burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
Hosea 2:11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.
Colossians 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
Notes: In EVERY instance, sabbaths, new moons, and feasts are listed as THREE SEPARATE categories. If the sabbath were determined by the moon, listing "new moons" and "sabbaths" as separate items would be redundant.
Amos 8:4-5 (New Moon AND Sabbath as Separate Trade Restrictions)¶
Amos 8:4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
Notes: Merchants impatiently distinguish TWO separate observances restricting trade: the new moon AND the sabbath. These are separate obstacles to their commerce.
1 Samuel 20:5,18,24,27,34 (David's New Moon Feast Absence)¶
1 Samuel 20:5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow [is] the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third [day] at even. 1 Samuel 20:18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow [is] the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 1 Samuel 20:24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. 1 Samuel 20:27 And it came to pass on the morrow, [which was] the second [day] of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day? 1 Samuel 20:34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
Notes: The new moon feast was a separate observance from the sabbath, a feast at the beginning of the month. Saul noticed David's absence at the new moon feast specifically.
Isaiah 66:22-23 (New Moon and Sabbath as Distinct Cycles in New Earth)¶
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Notes: Two DISTINCT worship cycles: monthly (midei chodesh bechodesho) and weekly (midei shabbat beshabbatto). If the sabbath were determined by the moon, listing them separately would be redundant.
Isaiah 1:13-14 (New Moons and Sabbaths Distinguished)¶
Isaiah 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Isaiah 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them].
NT Fixed Weekly Cycle Verses¶
Mark 15:42-47 (Paraskeue = Day Before Sabbath)¶
Mark 15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
Notes: paraskeue (G3904) = Preparation; prosabbaton (G4315) = before-Sabbath. Mark DEFINES paraskeue as prosabbaton. A fixed day name for the day before Sabbath proves a predictable weekly cycle. Modern Greek still calls Friday "Paraskeue."
Luke 23:54-24:1 (Preparation -> Sabbath -> First Day)¶
Luke 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. Luke 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 24:1 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.
Matthew 27:62; 28:1¶
Matthew 27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Matthew 28:1 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.
John 19:31,42; 20:1¶
John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away. John 19:42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation [day]; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. John 20:1 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.
Mark 16:1-2¶
Mark 16:1 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 16:2 And very early in the morning the first [day] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Paul's Fixed Sabbath Practice¶
Acts 13:14,27,42,44¶
Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Acts 13:27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled [them] in condemning [him]. Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Notes: "the next sabbath" (to metaxu sabbaton) -- Gentiles knew exactly when it would be, one week later. Predictable interval presupposes fixed weekly cycle.
Acts 16:13 (Sabbath Without Synagogue)¶
Acts 16:13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted [thither].
Notes: In Philippi (Roman colony, no synagogue), Paul observed the sabbath without Jewish institutional infrastructure. If the sabbath required lunar calculation, Paul would need a Jewish calendar authority.
Acts 17:1-2 (Paul's Settled Custom)¶
Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Notes: "as his manner was" = kata to eiothos (G1486, Perfect Active Participle) = settled, habitual practice. A settled custom requires regular, predictable recurrence.
Acts 18:4 (Every Sabbath)¶
Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Notes: "every sabbath" (kata pan sabbaton) = regular weekly pattern.
Additional Key Sabbath Verses¶
Genesis 2:1-3 (Sabbath Established at Creation)¶
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Genesis 2:2 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. Genesis 2:3 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.
Exodus 20:8-11 (Fourth Commandment)¶
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: Exodus 20:10 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: Exodus 20:11 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.
Notes: Basis for the sabbath: God's creation pattern. Not a word about the moon. "Six days... the seventh day" = fixed 6+1 pattern.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (Sabbath Commandment Restated)¶
Deuteronomy 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Deuteronomy 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: Deuteronomy 5:14 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. Deuteronomy 5:15 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.
Exodus 31:13-17 (Sabbath as Sign)¶
Exodus 31:13 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 31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it [is] holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth [any] work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Exodus 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Exodus 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant. Exodus 31:17 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 23:12; 34:21; 35:2-3¶
Exodus 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. Exodus 34:21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. Exodus 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Exodus 35:3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Ezekiel 20:12,13,16,20,21,24 (My Sabbaths as Sign)¶
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] the LORD that sanctify them. Ezekiel 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments... and my sabbaths they greatly polluted... Ezekiel 20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. Ezekiel 20:20 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 20:21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me... they polluted my sabbaths... Ezekiel 20:24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
Nehemiah 9:13-14 (Sabbath Made Known at Sinai)¶
Nehemiah 9:13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: Nehemiah 9:14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
Numbers 15:32-36 (Sabbath-Breaker Stoned)¶
Numbers 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. Numbers 15:35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. Numbers 15:36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Leviticus 19:3,30 (Keep My Sabbaths)¶
Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I [am] the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I [am] the LORD.
Isaiah 56:1-7 (Sabbath Blessings for Non-Israelites)¶
Isaiah 56:2 Blessed [is] the man [that] doeth this, and the son of man [that] layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Isaiah 56:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose [the things] that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Isaiah 56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Isaiah 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:13-14 (Sabbath Delight)¶
Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Isaiah 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].
Jeremiah 17:21-27 (Sabbath Gate Instructions)¶
Jeremiah 17:21 Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring [it] in by the gates of Jerusalem; Jeremiah 17:22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. Jeremiah 17:24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; Jeremiah 17:27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Psalm 92:1 (A Psalm for the Sabbath Day)¶
Psalm 92:1 A Psalm [or] Song for the sabbath day. [It is a] good [thing] to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Numbers 10:10 (Trumpets on New Moons and Feasts)¶
Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I [am] the LORD your God.
Notes: Trumpets blown on "solemn days" (moadim) and "beginnings of your months" (new moons). The weekly sabbath is NOT mentioned as a trumpet occasion.
Exodus 12:2 (Jewish Calendar Instituted)¶
Exodus 12:2 This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the first month of the year to you.
Matthew 24:20 (Jesus Expects Post-Cross Sabbath Keeping)¶
Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Mark 2:27-28 (Sabbath Made for Man)¶
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Matthew 12:1-8 (Lord of the Sabbath)¶
Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. Matthew 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? Matthew 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Luke 4:16,31 (Jesus's Custom)¶
Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 4:31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
Hebrews 4:4,9 (Sabbatismos Remains)¶
Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Notes: "rest" in v.9 = G4520 sabbatismos = "a sabbath-keeping." The only use of this specific word in the NT.
Ezra 3:4-5 (Sabbaths, New Moons, Feasts Separate)¶
Ezra 3:4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as [it is] written, and [offered] the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; Ezra 3:5 And afterward [offered] the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.