G4520 — σαββατισμός (sabbatismos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4520
Original: σαββατισμός
Transliteration: sabbatismos
Pronunciation: sab-bat-is-mos'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Denominal noun from σαββατίζω (to keep the Sabbath) ← G4521 σάββατον ← H7676 שַׁבָּת
Occurrences: 1 (NT only)
First/Only Occurrence: Heb 4:9 — "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
Hapax Legomenon: YES — appears only once in the entire Bible

Lexicon Definition¶

Thayer: σαββατισμός, σαββατισμοῦ, ὁ (σαββατίζω, to keep the Sabbath); 1. a keeping of the Sabbath 2. the blessed rest from toils and troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshippers of God and true Christians (R.V. sabbath rest)

(Plutarch, de superstit. c. 3; also in ecclesiastical writings.)

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 067 — Time
Subdomain: 067.009 — Definite Units of Time: Year, Month, Week, Day, Hour
Note: Placement in "Units of Time" reflects the word's anchor in the Sabbath calendar unit, though the NT usage points to a qualitative sabbath rest rather than mere time measurement.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
067	Time	`search_relationships.py` places sabbatismos in the time/Sabbath field, matching Hebrews 4:9 where the "remaining rest" is framed in explicit Sabbath language.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
a rest	1	100%

Note: The KJV rendering "a rest" fails to distinguish this word from G2663 κατάπαυσις (katapausis), also translated "rest" throughout Heb 4. Modern versions render sabbatismos as "a Sabbath rest" (NIV, ESV, NASB) to preserve the distinction.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	1	0.3

Hapax confined to Hebrews 4 — the chapter's extended argument about entering God's rest.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Sabbath-Rest as a Distinct State of Repose¶

The word is a verbal noun from σαββατίζω (to observe/keep the Sabbath), not merely a synonym for cessation (κατάπαυσις). The -ισμός suffix marks it as the act or state of sabbath-keeping.

Heb 4:9 — "There remaineth therefore a rest [σαββατισμός] to the people of God." — The single NT usage, deliberately set apart from the nine uses of κατάπαυσις (G2663) in the same chapter (vv. 1, 3, 5, 10-11).

2. Contextual Setting: The Heb 4 Rest Argument¶

σαββατισμός appears in a chain of reasoning (Heb 4:1-11) that moves through multiple "rests": - Creation rest — God rested on the seventh day (v. 4; Gen 2:2) - Promised Land rest — offered to the wilderness generation, forfeited through unbelief (vv. 6-8) - Davidic day rest — Ps 95:11 still open (v. 7) - Present entering rest — for those who believe (v. 3) - The remaining rest — v. 9 uses σαββατισμός here specifically

The shift to σαββατισμός at v. 9 (rather than continuing with κατάπαυσις) signals the author's intent to invoke the Sabbath archetype — rest patterned on God's seventh-day rest (v. 4, 10).

Word Family / Cognates¶

Word	Strong's	Relationship
σάββατον (sabbaton)	G4521	Parent noun — "the Sabbath," 68 occurrences
σαββατίζω	(no G#)	Denominative verb — "to keep the Sabbath" (LXX: Exod 16:30; Lev 23:32; 2 Chr 36:21)
שַׁבָּת (shabbath)	H7676	Hebrew ancestor — the Sabbath (110 occurrences)
שָׁבַת (shabath)	H7673	Hebrew root verb — to cease, rest

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4520.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4520.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
κατάπαυσις (katapausis)	G2663	both "rest" (KJV, Heb 4)	katapausis = cessation/repose (from καταπαύω, to cause to cease); sabbatismos = sabbath-keeping rest with Sabbath-institution connotation
ἀνάπαυσις (anapausis)	G372	both "rest"	anapausis = refreshing rest, respite (Matt 11:28-29); lacks the sabbatical, institutional dimension

Hebrew Source¶

No Hebrew source found via LXX mapping (σαββατισμός is a NT Greek coinage, not attested in LXX). Its ancestor G4521 (σάββατον) is the standard LXX rendering of H7676 (שַׁבָּת).

See TR-shabbath-sabbaton.md for the full Hebrew-to-Greek trace.