{"id":9899,"date":"2016-12-05T09:07:03","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T17:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/?p=9899"},"modified":"2016-12-05T09:07:04","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T17:07:04","slug":"first-day-or-first-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/2016\/12\/05\/first-day-or-first-week\/","title":{"rendered":"First Day or First Week? A Big Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"He<\/a>Matthew 28:1,<\/b> First of the week.<\/i><\/b> <\/i>Is this phrase only emphasizing that Yeshua\u2019s resurrection was on the first day of the week, or is it also telling us something else? This verse reads:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIn the end [Greek: de] of the sabbath [Greek: sabbaton], as it began to dawn [Greek: epiphosko<\/i>] toward the first day [a supplied word which is not in the Greek] of the week [Greek: sabbaton<\/i>], came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.\u201d (KJV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The other parallel passages in the Gospel accounts include:<\/p>\n

And when the sabbath [Greek: sabbaton<\/i>] was past [diaginomai<\/i>], Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. (Mark 16:1, KJV)<\/p>\n

Now upon the first [Greek: mia<\/i>] day [a supplied word which is not in original Greek] of the week [Greek: sabbaton<\/i>], very early in the morning [Greek: orthros<\/i>] , they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (Luke 24:1, KJV)<\/p>\n

Now one of the week, while still very early, they came on the tomb \u2026 (Luke 24:1, J.P. Green Interlinear<\/i>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The first [Greek: mia] day [a supplied word which is not in original Greek] of the week [Greek: sabbaton<\/i>] cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. (John 20:1, KJV)<\/p>\n

According to Vine\u2019s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words<\/i>, the Greek word shabbaton<\/i> as used in Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Acts 20:7,11 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 though translated in the KJV as \u201cthe first day of the week\u201d literally and idiomatically means, \u201cone of the sabbaths\u201d signifying \u201cthe first day after the sabbath.\u201d (p. 810)<\/p>\n

Some scholars see this as a reference to the beginning count of the Feast of Weeks since in all the above references either that Feast or the Feast of Unleavened Bread is mentioned in the textual context of each passage.<\/p>\n

The Interlinear Bible <\/i>of J.P. Green translates sabbaton<\/i> in Matthew 28:1, John 20:19, and Acts 20:7 as sabbaths, though he translates the same word not as sabbaths, but first of the week or of a week in Mark 16:2 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 respectively. Green translates the phrase containing sabbaton<\/i> in Luke 24:1 as \u201cBut on one of the week, while still very early\u2026\u201d Likewise, Young\u2019s Literal Translation <\/i>reads, \u201cAnd on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths\u2026\u201d The Bishops Bible<\/i> of 1568 translates John 20:1 as, \u201cThe first day of ye Sabbothes, came Marie Magdalene early, when it was yet darke, unto the sepulchre, and sawe the stone taken awaye from the grave.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Acts 20:7, Vincent\u2019s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/i> admits that sabbaton<\/i> is plural in the Greek, though he reference it as a singular word saying, \u201cThe plural [is] used for the singular, in imitation of Hebrew form. The noun Sabbath is often used after numerals in the signification of a week. See Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2; John 20:19\u201d (vol. 1, p. 558).<\/p>\n

The Greek word sabbaton<\/i>, as noted, is from the Hebrew word shabbaton<\/i>, which is from the Hebrew root word shabbat<\/i>, which can mean \u201cweeks of Sabbaths.\u201d Shabbatown<\/i> (Strong\u2019s H7677, from H7676) means \u201ca special holy day\u201d and is used in reference to the weekly Sabbath, Day of Atonement, the sabbatical year, Day of Trumpets and the first and last days of the Feast of Tabernacles and is translated in the KJV as rest<\/i> (8 times), sabbath<\/i> (3 times). Examples of its usage include:<\/p>\n