
The biblical Sabbath is not simply a day of idleness. It is a day of the week set apart by God with special qualities, meaning, and purpose.
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Biblical Sabbath – “Traditionally Misunderstood”
Underrecognized and misunderstood. The Sabbath according to the biblical description is by no means a purely Jewish matter. It is the 4th commandment and is just as unchangeable as all the other 9 commandments. The fact that the Sabbath was supposed to have been a commandment given exclusively to the people of Israel in the Old Testament is due to the massive interventions of the Roman Catholic Church, which was already in existence in its early days. (Info). In addition, even the former Protestantism attributed the Sabbath to the ceremonial laws from the outset (Augsburg Confession of Faith in 1530) and therefore declared it to be abolished for Christians.
The reasons for the supposed abolition of the Sabbath for Christianity are all based on shaky ground. It is particularly astonishing that the formulated non-binding nature of the Sabbath is maintained, although the Roman Catholic Church itself has clearly and unambiguously declared that it has abolished the biblically binding Sabbath and introduced Sunday observance instead. (Info).
Sabbath-keepers portrayed in the wrong light

The Protestant churches that still hold on to the biblical Sabbath (7th day of the week, “Saturday”) are accordingly ridiculed and viewed with contempt. At this point, polemics and discrediting are not far away. “They worship Saturday” is an extremely transparent false claim. There is a big difference between worshipping THE Sabbath and creating a separate day ON the Sabbath. Nowhere in the Bible is there any indication that a day must be worshipped..
The 7th day of the week, the Sabbath, was established by God in direct connection with His creation. It is the crowning achievement after six days of creating all the things in this world known to us. The characteristics of the Sabbath, the meaning and purpose of this day, are clearly described. There are 7 clues that clearly indicate what kind of day it actually is.
The descriptions of the Sabbath
The Bible describes clear characteristics of THE Sabbath.
Genesis 2:2:
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”
The Sabbath is a day of completion of the work done in the days before. The Hebrew word for “ended” is “kalah” here. A completion or completion of the works in connection with a close experience with God.
The key word is the Hebrew word for “rest”. Here we find the word “sabbat”. An expression of physical rest and reflection.
Genesis 2:3:
“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
The Hebrew word “barak” has been translated as blessing. This also stands for being filled with the Holy Spirit and receiving a new heart. In Hebrew, the word for “sanctification” is “quadash“. Sanctification in this definition leads to consecration, purification and the setting apart (of the day) for holy intercourse.
Exodus 20:11:
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
In this verse the Hebrew word for “rest” is “nuach“. An expression for physical, mental and intellectual rest. Especially used for a calm in times of storm.
Exodus 31:16:
“Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”
Observing here does not mean surveillance. The Hebrew word is “asah“. A description of exquisite and uplifting joy.
Exodus 31:17:
“It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”
Here the word “refreshment” is the Hebrew word “naphash“. This means refreshment, mental rest.
Sabbath – The First Sanctified

The Sabbath is neither a day that must be “worshipped” nor a day that should be spent exclusively lying down. The Sabbath is the first thing that God ever sanctified. It is neither an object nor a location. The sanctification of the Sabbath is the sanctification of a period of time. The 7th day, which according to our usual calendar begins on Friday at sunset and ends on Saturday at sunset.
Observance of the Sabbath, taking into account all of the above-mentioned characteristics, meaning and purpose, is nothing less than the recognition of God, His creation and His authority as the lawgiver. In view of the polytheism that has existed since ancient times, specifically before the Flood and, with Nimrod, after the Flood, it is even a necessity to clearly express, through the Sabbath, that the true Creator God is to be worshipped.
Therefore, the special observance of the 1st day of the week (“Sunday”), which is not an invention of the Church of Rome, but was cloaked in Christian garb by this Roman-pagan institution, is also a confession of false theology (Info). Sunday, or the 1st day of the week, is dedicated to a pagan (fictional) sun god and the justifications for this are truly varied (Info).
Sabbath – Characteristics & Purpose – Summary
- kalah – completion of the works (6 days)
- shabbat – physical rest and relaxation
- barak – filling with the Holy Spirit, new heart
- quadash – sanctification through purification, separation from everyday life
- nuach – physical, mental, intellectual rest
- asah – uplifting joy
- naphash – refreshment, mental relaxation
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Isaiah 56:2
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)