The Sabbath (Shabbat) is traditionally observed on Saturday, or more specifically from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. But how do we know that this was the original design? Has Saturday always been the Sabbath, or has this changed over time? Does it ever change even in modern times?
What is Saturday?
Saturday is the name, in English, of the seventh day of the week on the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is used universally, even in cultures that historically have had and still use other calendars. The Gregorian calendar always has seven days in each week. While there are some adaptations that may begin the week on Monday, indicating the modern work week, Saturday is still considered to be the seventh day of the week.
The name Saturday is derived from the Latin phrase dies Saturni, which means “day of Saturn.” Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture, and the day was dedicated to him. So for those about to raise the issue, the name Saturday does indeed have pagan origins. The same can be said for the English names of the rest of the days of the week as well as the names of he months.
And while this may be true in a number of languages such as the French samedi, there are also many that are derived from the Hebrew term shabbat (in English, “Sabbath”). Here are just a few:
- Spanish: sábado (from Latin sabbatum, meaning “Sabbath,” a day of rest).
- Italian: sabato (also from Latin sabbatum).
- Portuguese: sábado (similar to Spanish).
- Russian: суббота (subbota), which is derived from the Hebrew Shabbat (Sabbath).
- Arabic: السبت (as-sabt), derived from the Hebrew word Shabbat.
The Day of the Sabbath Has Never Changed
The Sabbath observed by ancient Israel is rooted in religious practices that date back well over 3,000 years. The continuity of the seven-day week is key here. The Sabbath has been observed every seventh day by the ancient Hebrews since the time of the exodus from Egypt, and possibly longer.
- Biblical and historical evidence: The Sabbath is first mentioned in the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible), where it is established as a day of rest following the creation narrative. Its observance is further codified in the Ten Commandments and in several other places in the Torah, which emphasize the sanctity of the seventh day.
- Continuous practice: For the Hebrew people, the cycle of the seven-day week has been preserved through religious observance, and there is a long, documented history of them observing the Sabbath on the seventh day. Throughout history, there has been no interruption to this pattern, even during the exile, dispersion, and changes in empires that impacted Israelite communities.
- Observed by Yeshua: Followers of Yeshua need only go back as far as his time, as we can be assured he kept the Sabbath at the proper time. He was in the synagogue when the rest of the Jewish community was there and was even accused of breaking the Sabbath, so we know it was the same day practiced by the Jewish leaders. We can be certain nothing has changed since the time of the Roman Empire.
The Jewish Sabbath is rooted in ancient religious practices that date back over 3,000 years. The continuity of the seven-day week is key here. The Sabbath has been observed every seventh day according to Jewish tradition since the time of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament).
- Biblical and historical evidence: The Sabbath is first mentioned in the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible), where it is established as a day of rest following the creation narrative (Genesis 2:2-3). Its observance is further codified in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15), which emphasize the sanctity of the seventh day.
- Continuous practice: For the Jewish people, the cycle of the seven-day week has been preserved through religious observance, and there is a long, documented history of Jews observing the Sabbath on the seventh day. Throughout history, there has been no interruption to this pattern, even during the exile, dispersion, and changes in empires that impacted Jewish communities.
The Seven Day Pattern Also Never Changes
It is impossible to shift the Sabbath day from month-to-month or from year-to-year and still keep the Sabbath commandment. God made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six days, and on the seventh day he rested, blessed it, and set it apart. We are to continue that pattern.
Torah instructions always confirm the seven-day week. Here are few examples:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
(Exodus 20:8-10)Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
(Deuteronomy 5:12-14)“Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.”
(Exodus 16:26)‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. ‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ “It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”
(Exodus 31:15-17)“You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
(Exodus 34:21)‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
(Leviticus 23:3)
There have been attempts to change the structure of the week in history. The most notable examples include:
- The French Revolutionary Calendar (1793-1805): During the French Revolution, the French government introduced a decimal calendar with a 10-day week, known as the “décade.” This was part of a broader effort to rationalize time, but it was unpopular and ultimately abandoned after a few years.
- The Soviet Union: In the early years of the Soviet Union, there was an attempt to introduce a five-day week (or even a six-day week in some experiments) as part of efforts to increase productivity. These changes were similarly unpopular and were reversed in the 1930s. The seven-day week was restored.
Despite these experiments, the seven-day week has always prevailed, and these attempts to alter it were ultimately unsuccessful.
Calendars With Changing Sabbaths
There are primarily three different types of calendars in use today: Solar, Lunar, and Luni-solar.
A solar calendar is based on the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, specifically the time it takes for Earth to complete one full orbit (a tropical year), which is about 365.25 days. A solar calendar typically consists of 12 months, with each month containing a fixed number of days, usually 30 or 31. This kind of calendar aligns closely with the seasons. The Gregorian calendar, which is the most commonly used today, is a solar calendar.
A lunar calendar is based on the phases of the Moon. It measures time by the cycle of the Moon’s phases, which takes approximately 29.5 days to complete a full cycle (from one new moon to the next). A year in a lunar calendar is typically composed of 12 lunar months, resulting in a year of about 354 days, which is shorter than the solar year (365.25 days). As a result, lunar calendars “drift” with respect to the solar year and the seasons. Examples of lunar calendars include the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.
A luni-solar calendar combines elements of both lunar and solar calendars. It tracks both the Moon’s phases and the Sun’s position in the sky to ensure that months stay aligned with the seasons. In a luni-solar calendar, the months follow the Moon’s phases, but an extra month (called an intercalary month) is periodically added to keep the calendar year in sync with the solar year. This type of calendar maintains alignment with both the Moon and the seasons, making it more accurate over time than a purely lunar calendar. Examples of luni-solar calendars include the Chinese, Hindu, and of course the Hebrew (Hillel) calendars.
Within the lunar or luni-solar calendars, some pagan cultures (Babylonian, Celtic, and Druidic) adopted a seven-day week that always aligned with the moon phases, sometimes called “lunar sabbath.” Because the lunar month is not evenly divisible by seven, that always left extra days at the end of the month, which violates the Torah instructions to work six days and rest on the seventh. Unfortunately, a few splinter groups in Hebrew Roots circles have incorporated this concept.
And within the solar calendars, particularly some “Enoch” calendars, the days of the week are tied to the beginning of the year at the Spring Equinox. This leaves an extra day or two at the end of the previous year, again violating the Torah instructions to work six days and rest on the seventh.
Conclusion
The seven day week, and therefore the seventh day Sabbath, are fixed in time and are independent of the sun or moon. Consider the account of the fourth day of creation:
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
(Genesis 1:14-19)
Notice that the sun and the moon are for 1) seasons, 2) days, and 3) years. The seven day week is not dependent on the sun or moon; it is a continuous pattern of seven days. We also can be assured that there has never been a week longer or shorter than seven days, and that our current seven day seek aligns with the original pattern. The Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, corresponds to the day we call, in English, Saturday.
Any calendar that deviates from this continuous seven day pattern is not Biblical and is not in sync with our Creator.
Unless marked otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) © The Lockman Foundation