G4521 — σάββατον (sábbaton)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4521
Original: σάββατον
Transliteration: sábbaton
Pronunciation: sab'-bat-on
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: Loanword from H7676 שַׁבָּת (shabbath) — the Sabbath
Occurrences: 62 unique verses (68 tokens)
Books: 7 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 1 Corinthians, Colossians)
First Occurrence: Mat 12:1 — "Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Of Hebrew origin (H7676); the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension, a se'nnight, i.e. the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications:—sabbath (day), week.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 067 — Time
Subdomain: 067.009 — Definite Units of Time: Year, Month, Week, Day, Hour
Note: Also appears in domain 081.006 (Specific Measures of Length) in Acts 1:12 — "a sabbath day's journey"

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
067	Time	`search_relationships.py` places sabbaton in the calendrical/time field that governs Sabbath-day and week language across the NT.
081	Spatial Dimensions	The tool also reflects the Acts 1:12 extension "a sabbath day's journey," where the Sabbath serves as a standard measure.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
sabbath	19	30.6%
sabbath day	15	24.2%
the sabbath day	8	12.9%
sabbath days	7	11.3%
week / of the week	9	14.5%
of the sabbath / the sabbath	4	6.5%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Luke	19	1.7
Mark	11	1.6
John	11	1.3
Colossians	1	1.1
Acts	10	1.0
Matthew	9	0.8
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

Luke concentrates sabbath material most densely; John and Mark follow. The Epistles nearly absent — only two references, both theologically noteworthy (Col 2:16, 1 Cor 16:2).

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Weekly Day of Rest — Institution and Commandment¶

The sabbath as a divinely ordained institution to be observed.

Luke 23:56 — "they rested the sabbath day according to the commandment"
Acts 15:21 — "Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day"
Col 2:16 — "Let no man therefore judge you... in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days"

2. Jesus' Authority Over the Sabbath — "Lord of the Sabbath"¶

Controversy about permitted actions; Jesus claims dominion over the day.

Mark 2:27–28 — "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath"
Mat 12:2 — "thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day"
Mat 12:8 — "the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day"

3. Sabbath Healing — Mercy as Sabbath Work¶

Jesus heals on the sabbath, reframing the day around restoration rather than restriction.

Luke 13:14–16 — synagogue ruler protests; Jesus responds: "ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham... be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"
Luke 14:3 — "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?"
John 9:14, 16 — "it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay"; Pharisees: "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day"

4. Sabbath in the Synagogue — Regular Teaching Practice¶

Sabbath as the weekly venue for Torah reading, teaching, and prayer.

Mark 1:21 — "straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught"
Acts 13:14 — "went into the synagogue on the sabbath day and sat down"
Acts 18:4 — "he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks"

5. "First Day of the Week" — σάββατον as a Time Unit¶

In the plural genitive (σαββάτων), used as a unit to mark the first day of a new seven-day period.

Mat 28:1 — "toward the first [day] of the week (μίαν σαββάτων), came Mary Magdalene"
Acts 20:7 — "upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread"
1 Cor 16:2 — "Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἔξεστι (éxesti)	G1832	9x	"Is it lawful on the sabbath?" — permissibility debates
συναγωγή (synagōgḗ)	G4864	9x	entering/teaching in the synagogue on the sabbath
ἡμέρα (hēméra)	G2250	9x	"sabbath day" (with ἡμέρα explicit) or "that day was the sabbath"
Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos)	G5330	7x	Pharisees watching/objecting to sabbath activity
ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos)	G444	12x	"sabbath made for man"; "a man" with withered hand
θεραπεύω (therapeúō)	G2323	6x	healing controversies on the sabbath
εἷς (heîs)	G1520	9x	"first [day] of the week" (μία/μίαν σαββάτων)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4520 σαββατισμός (sabbatismós) — a sabbath-rest; occurs once (Heb 4:9): "There remaineth therefore a rest (sabbatismos) to the people of God"
H7676 שַׁבָּת (shabbâth) — the Hebrew Sabbath (direct source); root: H7673 שָׁבַת (shâbath, to rest/cease)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4521.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4521.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
שַׁבָּת (shabbâth)	H7676	"sabbath"	The Hebrew antecedent; σάββατον is its Greek loanword in the NT
שָׁבוּעַ (shâbûwaʻ)	H7620	"week"	Both translated "week" in some KJV passages; shabuwa' = a seven-day period (from root "seven"), σάββατον = the sabbath extended to mean the weekly interval

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	PMI Score	Co-occurrences	Notes
שַׁבָּת (shabbâth)	H7676	7.89	84	Primary — direct loanword; σάββατον is the Greek transliteration of shabbath
שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbâthôwn)	H7677	7.46	7	Sabbath rest / special holiday
שָׁבַת (shâbath)	H7673	4.50	6	Root verb: to rest, cease from labor

σάββατον is the most direct Hebrew loanword in the Greek NT — not a translation but a transliteration of שַׁבָּת through Aramaic/LXX transmission.