The concept of Sabbath-rest is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, serving as a divine ordinance and a symbol of spiritual rest and restoration. The term "Sabbath" originates from the Hebrew word "Shabbat," meaning "to cease" or "to rest." It is first introduced in the creation account, where God Himself rests on the seventh day after completing His work of creation. Genesis 2:2-3 states, "By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished."

Old Testament Foundations

The Sabbath is formally instituted as a commandment in the Mosaic Law, serving as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. In Exodus 20:8-11 , the fourth commandment instructs, "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. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the foreigner within your gates. 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 set it apart as holy."

The Sabbath was not only a day of physical rest but also a time for spiritual renewal and reflection on God's provision and sovereignty. It was a reminder of Israel's deliverance from Egypt, as noted in Deuteronomy 5:15 : "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."

Prophetic and Wisdom Literature

The prophets and wisdom literature further emphasize the importance of the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 highlights the blessings associated with honoring the Sabbath: "If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ redefines the understanding of the Sabbath. He emphasizes the principle of mercy over legalistic observance, as seen in Matthew 12:8 : "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Jesus' healing on the Sabbath and His teachings highlight the Sabbath's purpose as a time for doing good and bringing restoration.

The Epistle to the Hebrews presents a theological interpretation of Sabbath-rest, linking it to the spiritual rest found in Christ. Hebrews 4:9-10 states, "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His."

Theological Significance

Sabbath-rest is a foretaste of the eternal rest promised to believers. It symbolizes the cessation of striving and the peace found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The observance of the Sabbath serves as a reminder of God's creation, redemption, and the ultimate rest that awaits in His presence.4520. sabbatismos -- a sabbath rest
... a sabbath rest. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: sabbatismos Phonetic
Spelling: (sab-bat-is-mos') Short Definition: a Sabbath rest Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4520.htm - 6k

2992. laos -- the people
... Heb 4:9: "So there remains a Sabbath rest for (2992 )" (). Word Origin a prim. word
Definition the people NASB Word Usage people (134), peoples (8). people. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2992.htm - 7k

Fundamental Oneness of the Dispensations.
... There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. ... Surely it is that
the Sabbath rest still remains for the true people of God. ...
/.../chapter iii fundamental oneness of.htm

The Two Sabbath-Controversies - the Plucking of the Ears of Corn ...
... [3531] This, then, was their first care: by a series of complicated
ordinances to make a breach of the Sabbath-rest impossible. ...
/.../chapter xxxv the two sabbath-controversies.htm

Works which Hallow the Sabbath
... They deal with the two classes of 'works' which later Christian theology has recognised
as legitimate exceptions to the law of the Sabbath rest; namely, works ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/works which hallow the sabbath.htm

February 5. "Rest in the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. ).
... FEBRUARY 5. "Rest in the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii.). "Rest in the Lord" (Psalm 37.. In
the old creation the week began with work and ended with Sabbath rest. ...
/.../simpson/days of heaven upon earth /february 5 rest in the.htm

The Pharisees Attack the Disciples for Plucking Corn on the ...
... The Mosaic law itself opposed it, inasmuch as the priests were necessarily compelled,
in the Temple-service, to infringe upon the Sabbath rest; clearly showing ...
/.../section 172 the pharisees attack.htm

Of the Eternal Felicity of the City of God, and of the Perpetual ...
... For even our good works, when they are understood to be rather His than ours,
are imputed to us that we may enjoy this Sabbath rest. ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 30 of the eternal felicity.htm

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
... 2. The consecration of the Sabbath's rest consists in performing three sorts of
duties:"First, Before; Secondly, At; Thirdly, After, the public exercises of ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/the true manner of keeping.htm

Meditations of the True Manner of Practising Piety on the Sabbath ...
... (Exodus 25:31), put them in remembrance of the creation, light, and Sabbath's rest;
so, under the New Testament, Christ, the true light of the world, appears ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations of the true manner.htm

Appendix xvii. The Ordinances and Law of the Sabbath as Laid Down ...
... take out the cattle. Accordingly, the laws are now laid down for ensuring
Sabbath rest to the animals. The principle underlying ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xvii the ordinances and.htm

What is Written in the Revelation of John Regarding the Two ...
... among other things, specially by the number of a thousand years, as if it were a
fit thing that the saints should thus enjoy a kind of Sabbath-rest during that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 7 what is written in.htm

Sabbath-rest (1 Occurrence)
Sabbath-rest. Sabbath-produce, Sabbath-rest. Sabbaths . Multi-Version
Concordance Sabbath-rest (1 Occurrence). Hebrews ...
/s/sabbath-rest.htm - 6k

Rest (831 Occurrences)
... (4.) Gr. sabbatismos, a Sabbathrest, a rest from all work (Hebrews 4:9; RV, "sabbath"),
a rest like that of God when he had finished the work of creation. ...
/r/rest.htm - 47k

Follows (65 Occurrences)
... Christ have perished. (WEY). Hebrews 4:9 It follows that there still remains
a sabbathrest for the people of God. (WEY). Revelation 2 ...
/f/follows.htm - 25k

Remains (118 Occurrences)
... DBY NAS RSV NIV). Hebrews 4:9 There remains therefore a Sabbathrest for
the people of God. (WEB WEY DBY NAS RSV NIV). Hebrews 7:3 ...
/r/remains.htm - 34k

Sabbatism (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Intermission of labor, as upon the Sabbath;
rest. Multi-Version Concordance Sabbatism (1 Occurrence). ...
/s/sabbatism.htm - 6k

Sabbath-produce (1 Occurrence)
Sabbath-produce. Sabbath-keeping, Sabbath-produce. Sabbath-rest . Multi-Version
Concordance ... (See JPS). Sabbath-keeping, Sabbath-produce. Sabbath-rest . ...
/s/sabbath-produce.htm - 6k

Sabbaths (53 Occurrences)

/s/sabbaths.htm - 24k

Pharisees (86 Occurrences)
... A man did not break the Sabbathrest of his ass, though he rode on it, and hence
did not break the Sabbath law, but if he carried a switch with which to ...
/p/pharisees.htm - 66k

Cosmological
... The writer may well have intended symbolically to represent the creation as
a great week of work, ending with the Creator's Sabbathrest. ...
/c/cosmological.htm - 33k

How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Sabbath day? | GotQuestions.org

Why does Exodus 35:2 require the death penalty for working on the Sabbath? | GotQuestions.org

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