Sabbath / Shabbat

The first mention of the Sabbath is in Genesis 2:2–3 (CSB):

“On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.”

• While the term “Sabbath” isn’t explicitly used here, this is the foundational principle of Sabbath rest, where God Himself rests, setting a precedent.
• The term "Sabbath" is later introduced explicitly in Exodus.

The Ten Commandments contain the main directive:

• Exodus 20:8–11 (CSB): “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.”

• Leviticus 23:3 (CSB):“Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you live.”

Key points:

• The Sabbath is a day of rest.
• It is holy and set apart.
• No work is to be done.
• It applies to all people in the community.

Exodus 20:10 (CSB):

“But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God…”

The seventh day corresponds to Saturday, based on the biblical week.

Who made these changes?

• The early Christian church (particularly in the Roman and Gentile regions) began observing Sunday (the first day of the week) as a day of worship,  commemorating Jesus' resurrection.
• The shift became more formalized under Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD, who legislated Sunday as a day of rest (c. 321 AD).
• The Catholic Church played  a significant role in reinforcing this change, viewing Sunday as the      "Lord's Day."

Does the Bible indicate that God changed the Sabbath?

No clear Bible passage indicates that God changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first.

Jesus observed the Sabbath (Luke 4:16), and even after the resurrection, the early Jewish Christians continued to observe it (Acts 13:14, 17:2).

 Old Testament – Sabbath Command and Meaning

• Genesis 2:2-3
  “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
• Exodus 20:8-11 (The Fourth Commandment)
  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
• Exodus 31:13-17
  God commands Israel to keep the Sabbath as a sign of the covenant, a lasting ordinance.
• Leviticus 23:3
  “There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord.”
• Deuteronomy 5:12-15
  Restates the Sabbath command, emphasizing rest and remembrance of deliverance from Egypt.
   

New Testament – Sabbath and the Lord’s Day

• Mark 2:27-28
  “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
• Luke 4:16
  “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.”
• Acts 13:42-44
  Early Christians gathered on the Sabbath to hear the Scriptures preached.
• Revelation 1:10
  “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day...” (referring to Sunday as the early Christian day of worship)