The NT Word for SABBATH Sometimes Means WEEK

Use of Σάββατον as Week in the New Testament

AROD gave me a pop quiz (see the comment to my last post). One of the usages of the word σάββατον in the New Testament, which is normally translated as Sabbath is week. In fact, there are 9 NT texts with this meaning. Grammars will usually make a comment about the Greek use of the cardinal number for the ordinal as a Semitism. Here are the texts:

Reference/Number	Greek Text	English Text
Matthew 28:1/Plural	Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτων, τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν σαββάτων ἦλθεν Μαριὰμ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία θεωρῆσαι τὸν τάφον.	After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Mark 16:2/Plural	καὶ λίαν πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ ἡλίου.	Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb
Mark 16:9/Singular	Ἀναστὰς δὲ πρωῒ πρώτῃ σαββάτου ἐφάνη πρῶτον Μαρίᾳ τῇ Μαγδαληνῇ, παρ᾽ ἧς ἐκβεβλήκει ἑπτὰ δαιμόνια.	When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
Luke 18:12/Singular	νηστεύω δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, ἀποδεκατῶ πάντα ὅσα κτῶμαι.	I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
Luke 24:1/Plural	τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ὄρθρου βαθέως ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἦλθον φέρουσαι ἃ ἡτοίμασαν ἀρώματα.	On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
John 20:1/Plural	Τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ ἔρχεται πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον καὶ βλέπει τὸν λίθον ἠρμένον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου.	Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
John 20:19/Plural	Οὔσης οὖν ὀψίας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ μιᾷ σαββάτων καὶ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων ὅπου ἦσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν.	On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
Acts 20:7/Plural	Ἐν δὲ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων συνηγμένων ἡμῶν κλάσαι ἄρτον, ὁ Παῦλος διελέγετο αὐτοῖς μέλλων ἐξιέναι τῇ ἐπαύριον, παρέτεινέν τε τὸν λόγον μέχρι μεσονυκτίου.	On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
1 Cor. 16:2/Singular	κατὰ μίαν σαββάτου ἕκαστος ὑμῶν παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ τιθέτω θησαυρίζων ὅ τι ἐὰν εὐοδῶται, ἵνα μὴ ὅταν ἔλθω τότε λογεῖαι γίνωνται.	On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

This usage of σάββατον in the sense of "week" is also found in the Didache, similar to the passage from Luke 18:12. Didache 8.1 says Αἱ δὲ νηστεῖαι ὑμῶν μὴ ἔστωσαν μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν. νηστεύουσι γὰρ δευτέρᾳ σαββάτων καὶ πέμπτῃ· ὑμεῖς δὲ νηστεύσατε τετράδα καὶ καρασκευήν. Kirsopp Lake's translation says "Let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays, but do you fast on Wednesdays and Fridays." To translate this in a wooden-headed, literal fashion, the second sentence would read, "for they fast in the second and in the fifth of the Sabbaths." Obviously, it is referring to days of the week. It is interesting to me that sometimes the Sabbath word is singular, and other times it is plural. It seems not to make a difference in meaning.

When I was young and foolish (I'm not so young anymore, but the foolishness part keeps popping out when I'm not careful), I offended a dear Christian sister at Clayton Christian Church in Deerfield, Missouri where I preached when I was a student. In a Bible School class, she made the comment (correctly) that the word Sabbath meant "cease" or "rest". I was so caught up in the study of the New Testament, and particularly in the Greek language, that I blurted out, "No, it doesn't. It means week!" She was more correct than I, but my word carried more weight than hers. During the worship service, which followed the Bible school hour, I was seated on the platform (on the preacher's throne), and as I looked at the congregation, I was convicted. I had terribly offended her. That she was hurt was obvious. What was I going to do about it? There weren't that many people in the church. Most of them had witnessed my outburst, and probably would forgive a foolish young preacher that still had a whole lot to learn about how to treat people. I was reminded of Matthew 5:23-24: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." Confession of sin should be at least as public as the sin. I had terribly hurt one person, but just about everyone there was aware. I couldn't very well leave the preacher's throne to make amends with her before preaching, so I took the time to confess my sin publicly, and to express remorse. In today's liturgy, probably it would be all right to leave the "preacher's throne". She was gracious and forgave me, but I have never forgotten what I learned that day.

So, one of the uses of σάββατον in the New Testament carries the idea of week. Check out standard lexicons and you will find it. But don't ever blurt out that the word Sabbath means week. You may do some damage that can only be undone by prayer and fasting.

Blessings,

DGF