Biblical Sabbath

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For other uses, see Shabbat and Sabbath in seventh-day churches.

Illustration from the first engraved Christian Bible in Russian (1696), depicting God reposing on
Sabbath.

Biblical Sabbath is a weekly day of rest or time of worship given in the Bible as the seventh
day. It is observed differently in Judaism and Christianity and informs a similar occasion in
several other faiths. Though many viewpoints and definitions have arisen over the millennia,
most originate in the same textual tradition of "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy".

Observation and remembrance of Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments (the fourth in the
original Jewish, the Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant traditions, the third in Roman
Catholic and Lutheran traditions), sometimes referred to individually as the Sabbath
Commandment. Most people who observe Biblical Sabbath regard it as having been made for
man (Mark. 2:27) at Creation (Ex. 20:8–11), and instituted as a perpetual covenant for the people
of Israel (Ex. 31:13-17, Ex. 23:12, Deut. 5:13-14), a rule that also applies to proselytes, and a
sign respecting two events: the seventh day, during which God rested after having completed
Creation in six days (Gen. 2:2-3, Ex. 20:8-11), and God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt
(Deut. 5:12-15).
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Contents
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 1 Etymology
o 1.1 Sabbath
o 1.2 Shmita
 2 Tanakh
o 2.1 Torah
o 2.2 Prophets
o 2.3 Writings
 3 New Testament
o 3.1 Gospels
o 3.2 Epistles
 4 Apocrypha
 5 Religious books from no Biblical canon
 6 Frameworks
o 6.1 Seventh day
 6.1.1 Seventh-day Sabbatarians
 6.1.1.1 Sunday law
o 6.2 First day
 6.2.1 Assemblies
o 6.3 Both days
o 6.4 Unspecified day
 7 Interpretations
o 7.1 Genesis 2
o 7.2 Matthew 5
o 7.3 Colossians 2
o 7.4 Hebrews 4
o 7.5 Hebrews 8
 8 See also
 9 References

Etymology[edit]
Sabbath[edit]

The Anglicized term "Sabbath" is in Hebrew Shabbath (‫שַׁ בָּ ת‬, Strong's Concordance number 7676
as šabbāt, now usually Shabbat), meaning "day of rest". It derives from the verb shavath of same
Hebrew spelling but different pointing (‫שָּ בַׁ ת‬, Strong's 7673 as šāvat, often shavat), defined as
"repose, i.e. desist from exertion" (often "rest" or "cease"). (Another noun form of this root,
shebeth ("cessation", 7674), is identical to the infinitive (7675) of the common word "to sit"
(yashav, 3427).) Shabbath is the intensified form and is used only for a weekly cessation, 107
times in the Tanakh.

Sabbatai Zevi in 1665.

The name form is "Shabbethai" (Shabbethay, "restful", 7678), a name appearing three times in
the Tanakh. The Talmud also contains a pun on shebeth, where it secondarily means "dill", a
spice. Another related word is modern Hebrew shevita, a labor strike, with the same focus on
active cessation of labor. And in over thirty languages other than English, the common name for
Saturday is a cognate of "Sabbath".

A cognate Babylonian Sapattum or Sabattum is reconstructed from the lost fifth Enûma Eliš
creation account, which is read as: "[Sa]bbatu shalt thou then encounter, mid[month]ly". It is
regarded as a form of Sumerian sa-bat ("mid-rest"), rendered in Akkadian as um nuh libbi ("day
of mid-repose").[1]

The dependent Greek cognate is Sabbaton (4521), used in the New Testament 68 times. Two
inflections, Hebrew Shabbathown (7677) and Greek "σαββατισμός" (Sabbatismós, 4520), are
both translated "sabbatism" in Strong's (a "special holiday" or "the repose of Christianity"). The
Hebrew form refers to High Sabbaths. The Greek form is cognate to the Septuagint verb
sabbatizo (e.g., Ex. 16:30; Lev. 23:32; 26:34; 2 Chr. 36:21). In English, the concept of
"Sabbatical" is cognate to these two forms.

The King James Bible uses the English form "sabbath(s)" 172 times. In the Old Testament,
"sabbath(s)" translates Shabbath all 107 times (including 35 plurals), plus shebeth three times,
shabath once, and the related mishbath once (plural). In the New Testament, "sabbath" translates
Sabbaton 59 times and prosabbaton once (the day before Sabbath); Sabbaton is also translated as
"week" nine times, by synecdoche.
Shmita[edit]

For more details on this topic, see Shmita.

Sabbath Year or Shmita (Hebrew: ‫שמטה‬, Shemittah, Strong's 8059, literally "release"), also called
Sabbatical Year, is the seventh (‫שביעי‬, shebiy'iy, 7637) year of the seven-year agricultural cycle
mandated by Torah for the Land of Israel, relatively little observed in Biblical tradition, but still
observed in contemporary Judaism. During Shmita, the land is left to lie fallow and all
agricultural activity—including plowing, planting, pruning and harvesting—is forbidden by
Torah and Jewish law.[2] By tradition, other cultivation techniques (such as watering, fertilizing,
weeding, spraying, trimming and mowing) may be performed as preventative measures only, not
to improve the growth of trees or plants; additionally, whatever fruits grow of their own accord
during that year are deemed hefker (ownerless), not for the landowner but for the poor, the
stranger, and the beasts of the field; these fruits may be picked by anyone. A variety of laws also
apply to the sale, consumption and disposal of Shmita produce. When the year ended, all debts,
except those of foreigners, were to be remitted (Deut. 15:1-11); in similar fashion, Torah requires
a slave who had worked for six years to go free in the seventh year. Leviticus 25 promises
bountiful harvests to those who observe Shmita, and describes its observance as a test of
religious faith. The term Shmita is translated "release" five times in the Book of Deuteronomy
(from the root ‫שמט‬, shamat, "desist, remit", 8058).

Tanakh[edit]
Torah[edit]

 Book of Genesis: In 1:1-2:4, God creates the heavens and earth in six days (each day is
defined as evening and morning) and rests on the seventh day, which he thus confers with
special status.

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his
work that he had done in Creation. —Gen. 2:3

This passage uses root form shabath, rather than intensified form Shabbath; neither the
noun form nor a positive Sabbath command appears in Genesis. In 8:4, Noah's ark comes
to "rest" in the seventh month (later revealed as the month of Shabbathown); here the
word for "rest" is not shabath but its synonym nuwach, the root of Noah's name.

 Book of Exodus: In 16:23-30, immediately after the Exodus from Egypt, Sabbath is
revealed as the day upon which manna and manna gathering is to cease weekly; the first
of many Sabbath commands is given, in both positive and negative forms.

Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be
none .... Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh
day. —Ex. 16:26, 16:29

In 20:8-11, one month later, it is enjoined to be remembered as a memorial of Creation,

as one of the Ten Commandments, the covenant revealed after God liberated Israel from
Egyptian bondage.
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 to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any
work .... For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it
holy. —Ex. 20:8-11

In 31:12-17, Sabbath is affirmed as a perpetual sign and covenant, and Sabbath-breakers

are officially to be cut off from the assembly or potentially killed. Summarized again in
35:2-3, verse 3 also forbids lighting a fire on the Sabbath.

Part of a series on

The Ten Commandments

 I am the LORD thy God

 No other gods before me
 No graven images or likenesses
 Not take the LORD's name in vain
 Remember the sabbath day
 Honour thy father and thy mother
 Thou shalt not kill
 Thou shalt not commit adultery
 Thou shalt not steal
 Thou shalt not bear false witness
 Thou shalt not covet

Related articles

 Tablets of Stone
 Ritual Decalogue
 Catholic theology

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 Book of Leviticus: In 16:31, Yom Kippur is stated to be "Sabbath of Sabbaths". In 19,

many of the Ten Commandments are repeated, including Sabbath (19:3, 19:30). In 23,
Moses defines weekly Sabbath, along with seven annual High Sabbaths, which do not
necessarily occur on weekly Sabbath and are additional to the weekly "LORD's Sabbaths".
One High Sabbath, Day of Atonement, is specifically defined as occurring from the
evening of the prior day until the following evening. In 24:8, the showbread is to be laid
out in the tabernacle every Sabbath. In 25:2-6, Shmita is given as a year of rest for land
every seven years. In 26:2, 26:34-35, 26:43, Sabbath is again enjoined, and Moses warns
of the curse that if Israel disobeys, it will go into exile while the land enjoys Sabbaths
denied to it during the time of rebellion.
 Book of Numbers: In 15:32-36, a man gathering firewood on Sabbath is put to death; the
potential punishment for desecrating Sabbath (stoning) is the most severe in Jewish law.
In 28-29, the offerings for Sabbath, new moon, and High Sabbaths are enjoined.
 Book of Deuteronomy: In 5:12-15, the Ten Commandments are restated; instead of
referring again to Creation, Sabbath is enjoined to be observed as a memorial or sign of
The Exodus and Redemption of Israel from Egypt under God's protection.

Yemenite Jew blowing the shofar (ram's-horn trumpet) for Sabbath in the 1930s.

Prophets[edit]

 2 Kings: In 4:23, when Elisha's patroness goes away suddenly to seek him, her husband
questions why, since it was neither new moon nor Sabbath. In 11:5-9, Joash becomes
king, protected from usurper Athaliah by the additional troops present for changing of
duty on Sabbath. In 16, the colonnade built for Sabbath use and its royal entranceway are
removed from the temple by King Ahaz.
 Book of Isaiah: Isaiah mentions Sabbath repeatedly, including in its first and last
chapters. In 1:13, he describes corrupted Sabbath tradition, called by God "your"
assembly (as opposed to his own). In 56:1-8 and 58:13-14, Isaiah commends honoring
 the holiness of Sabbath, rather than using it to go one's own way or to do idly as one
pleases. Because of this passage, it is customary, in Judaism, to avoid talk about money
or business matters on Sabbath; and, among Latter-day Saints, to give full attention to
spiritual matters, to perform only righteous activities, and to prepare only simple foods on
Sabbath. In 66:22-23, he foresees what is understood as the Messianic Kingdom, in
which new moons and Sabbaths are occasions for the righteous to worship in God's
presence, and to meditate on the unquenched fire consuming the wicked.
 Book of Jeremiah: In 17:19-27, Jeremiah declaims against carrying burdens out of houses
or out of the city gates on Sabbath, as was commonly done by merchants in his day.
Jeremiah also prophesies that Israel will be a desolation for seventy years (25:11),
interpreted later as land Sabbaths as also prophesied by Moses.
 Book of Ezekiel: In 20:12-26, Ezekiel records God's giving of laws, precepts, and
Sabbaths, and Israel's rejecting them; Sabbaths are explicitly called a sign between God
and Israel. In 22:8, 22:23-31, 23:38, he states that Israel has profaned and hidden its eyes
from Sabbath. In 44:24, Ezekiel foresees a Messianic Temple, in which the priests keep
Sabbath as truly holy. In 45:17, 46:1-12, he sees the east gate shut on the "six working
days" and open on Sabbath and new moon, and a prince making burnt offerings on those
festivals as well.
 Book of Hosea: In 2:11, casting Israel as an adulterous wife, God vows to end "her"
festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths.
 Book of Amos: In 8:5, Amos objects to those who inquire when Sabbath or new moon
will be over so that marketing can begin again, classifying this practice as comparable to
that of dishonest weights.

"Der Samstug (Sabbath)", Frederich Campe, 1800: German Jews, wearing baretta hats, gather
outside a synagogue on Sabbath.

Writings[edit]

 Book of Psalms: 92 is a song specifically for Sabbath.

 Book of Lamentations: In 1:7, Israel's enemies gloat over its "cessation" (mishbath), after
the destruction of the first temple. In 2:6, this destruction and Israel's rejection is linked to
Israel forgetting its appointed times and Sabbaths.
 Book of Nehemiah: In 9:14, the Levites, who have called a public fast, thank God for
Sabbath, the mitzvoth (commandments), and the Torah. In 10:31-33, the people respond
by swearing not to buy on Sabbath or holy day. In 13:15-22, Nehemiah observes many
kinds of business transacted on Sabbath, rejects it as profanation, locks the city gates for
the whole of Sabbath and has them guarded, and threatens force against merchants who
spend the night outside. Sabbath begins after evening shadows fall on the gates.
 1 Chronicles: In 9:32, the task of preparing Sabbath showbread is shown to have been
assigned to kinsmen of Korah from the clan of Kohath. In 23:31, King David assigns
 Levites to stand and sing thanks and praise whenever the burnt offerings are given for
Sabbath, new moon, and the other designated days.
 2 Chronicles: In 2:4 (2:3, Hebrew) and 8:12-13, Solomon dedicates the first temple for
daily, weekly, monthly, and annual offerings. In 23:4-8, Joash becomes king, protected
from usurper Athaliah by the additional troops present for changing of duty on Sabbath.
In 31:3, Hezekiah rededicates the same offerings as Solomon. In the last chapter of the
Tanakh in Hebrew order (at 36:21), the prophecies of Moses and Jeremiah are combined
as having been fulfilled in seventy years of captivity in Babylon, during which the land
kept its Sabbaths.

Oldest Sabbatarian Meeting House in America (Seventh Day Baptist), built in 1729 in Newport,
Rhode Island, now owned by Newport Historical Society.

New Testament[edit]
Gospels[edit]

Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain several synoptic accounts, which John occasionally concurs
in.

 Exorcism in Capernaum (Mk. 1:21-39, Lk. 4:31-43): Jesus makes a practice of teaching
in the Capernaum synagogue on Sabbath. One Sabbath he exorcises an unclean spirit, and
also heals Peter's wife's mother. After sundown that day, he heals many people, and early
in the morning of the first day, he goes out to pray alone.
 Lord of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:1-8, Mk. 2:23-28, Lk. 6:1-5): When his disciples pick heads
of wheat and eat them, Jesus tells objectors that, because Sabbath was made for man, the
Son of Man is Lord of Sabbath. Sabbatarians believe that Sabbath-keeping is central to
following Christ, and that he highly regarded Sabbath; some non-Sabbatarian Protestants
and Catholics believe that Christ has power to abrogate Sabbath via a "better
dispensation", and that he did so as with all ceremonial law.[3] The doctrine that Christ
"made" all Creation (Jn. 1:3-10, Col. 1:16) implies that "Sabbath was made", and
observed, by Christ (Mk. 2:27), during Creation; this is taken as earning him the
identification "Lord of Sabbath".
 Healing of the Withered Hand (Mt. 12:9-21, Mk. 3:1-6, Lk. 6:6-11): Knowing he is being
watched, Jesus heals a man who had a withered hand, arguing that doing good and saving
life is permitted and right on Sabbath. This passage follows his proclamation as Lord of
Sabbath in Mark and Luke, but in Matthew follows his quotation of Jer. 6:16 that he
would give rest for his disciples' souls; this is taken as indicating Matthew intended to
teach that Sabbath's true or spiritual fulfillment is found in coming to Jesus.[4]
  Rejection of Jesus (Mk. 6:1-6, Lk. 4:16-30): As is his custom, Jesus attends the Nazareth
synagogue on Sabbath and stands to read. He preaches against skeptical demands for
miracles and states that he is rejected there in his hometown.
 Events unique to John: In 5:9-18, Jesus heals a paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda and tells
him to carry his mat, spurring accusations of Sabbath-breaking. In 7:22-23, Jesus argues
that healing in general is equivalent to permitted Sabbath activity of circumcision,
regarded as a cleansing ritual. In 9, Jesus makes clay with spittle on Sabbath and heals a
man born blind, and is investigated by Pharisees.
 Events unique to Luke: In 13:10-17, Jesus heals a woman who had been bent over double
for 18 years, arguing that setting her free is equivalent to permitted Sabbath activity of
loosing one's animals to water them. In 14:1-6, Jesus heals a man with dropsy (swollen
with fluid), arguing that this is equivalent to permitted Sabbath activity of rescuing an
animal from a well. In 18:9-14, Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, the
Pharisee fasts twice a week, literally twice per Sabbath (the word Sabbaton means
"week" by synecdoche).
 Olivet Discourse, unique to Matthew: In 24, describing then-future apocalypses such as
the Second Coming, Jesus requests prayer (at 24:20) that the coming time, when Judah
must escape to the hills, not occur in winter or on Sabbath. Sabbatarians believe that
Jesus based on this text expected Sabbath to be kept long after his death;[5] others believe
Jesus foresaw a non-Sabbatarian future community hampered by surrounding
Sabbatarianism.[6]
 Crucifixion of Jesus (Mt. 27, Mk. 15, Lk. 23, Jn. 19): Jesus is crucified on Preparation
Day, the day before Sabbath; differing chronologies interpret this either as Friday (before
weekly Sabbath) or Nisan 14 (before High Sabbath) or both. Joseph of Arimathaea buries
him before this Sabbath begins. The women who wished to prepare his body keep
Sabbath rest according to the commandment, intending to finish their work on the first
day of the week (the day after weekly Sabbath); one reading of the text permits "they
rested" to include a hint that the body of Jesus rests on Sabbath as well. Seventh-day
Sabbatarians see no change in God's law, regarding it as in force and affirmed by the
evangelists after Jesus died on the cross.[7] Others regard Sabbath as changed by the cross,
either to Lord's Day or to spiritual Sabbath.
 Resurrection of Jesus (Mt. 28, Mk. 16, Lk. 24, Jn. 20): Jesus is raised from the dead by
God and appears publicly on the first day of the week to several women. Jesus appears to
Peter and again on the evening beginning the second day (i.e., after two disciples traveled
seven miles from Emmaus, having begun when it was almost evening and getting dark,
Lk. 24:28-36). The text stating that "Jesus rose early on the first day of the week" (Mk.
16:9) is often inferred as speaking indirectly of Sabbath change; this conclusion is not
direct in any Scripture, and the verse is not found in the two most ancient manuscripts
(the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) and some other ancient manuscripts, though it appears in
Irenaeus and Hippolytus in the second or third century.[8]

Epistles[edit]

 Book of Acts 1-18: In 1:12, the distance from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem is called
a "Sabbath journey", the distance Jewish law permitted one to walk on the Sabbath. In 2,
the Spirit of God is given to the disciples of Christ on Pentecost, who baptize 3,000
people into the apostolic fellowship; though the weekday is not mentioned, this is usually
calculated as falling on the day after Sabbath. In 13:13-45, 16:13, 17:2, and 18:4, as is his
custom, Paul preaches on Sabbath to communal gatherings of Jewish and Gentile
Christians, usually in synagogue, in Pisidian Antioch, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth
(the meeting of Philippians was a riverside women's prayer group, in Gentile territory).
 Seventh-day Sabbatarians believe that Luke's recording Paul's sitting down in the
synagogue indicates they kept a rest day and affirmed the seventh day as Sabbath,[7] while
others believe that Paul merely preached on days that the Jewish portion of his audience
would be available. In 15:19-29, the Apostolic Decree, James proposes four limited rules
for Gentile proselytes in response to the question of whether Gentiles should be directed
to follow the Mosaic Law; the apostles then write that no greater burden is laid on the
Gentiles. James also states that Moses is read every Sabbath, which can be construed
either as discounting Moses as too unnecessary to promote (the Law being split into parts
with Gentiles ordered to follow only Noachide Laws), or as supporting Moses as too
ubiquitous to promote (the Law being a unity to grow into).
 Acts 20: When the Christians meet to break bread, during an all-night worship service in
Troas, Paul preaches and raises Eutychus from the dead, the night after Sabbath (i.e.,
Saturday night and Sunday morning); the first day had begun at sundown (cf. Judg.
14:17-18). Though Paul's special farewell service, this event is otherwise considered a
regular Christian Eucharistic observance.[9][10] Paul then immediately walks eighteen miles
from Troas to Assos, boards a boat, and continues to Mitylene. Seventh-day Sabbatarians
state that Paul (as a lifelong Sabbath keeper) would not have done so on Sunday, if he
had regarded Sunday as Sabbath. Non-Sabbatarians state that Paul did not keep any day
of the week as Sabbath (citing his later passages) and that the early church met on the
first day of the week but without rigor. First-day Sabbatarians state that he did not extend
the travel prohibition to the first day.
 Book of Romans: In 14:5-6, without mentioning Sabbath, Paul emphasizes being fully
convinced of one's practice, whether esteeming one day above another, or esteeming
every day alike. Each interpretative framework regards this passage as demonstrating that
ritual observance of others' Sabbaths is not required, but is optional according to the
conscience of each individual Christian.
 1 Corinthians: In 7:1, Paul exhorts readers to follow his example in religious practice as
he follows Christ's. In 16:1-2, Paul encourages the setting aside of money on the day after
Sabbath for a collection for the Christians in Jerusalem; it is not stated whether this is in
conjunction with a first-day group meeting. As in Acts 20, the word "week" translates
Sabbaton in "the first day of the week".
 Galatians: In 4:10-11, spiritual enslavement to special days, months, seasons, and years is
rejected. In context, Paul speaks of enslavement to "the elemental things of the world"
and "those weak and miserable principles" (4:3, 4:9), and allegorizes the Israelites as
"children who are to be slaves" (4:24). The theme of 5 is freedom. Seventh-day
Sabbatarians believe Paul was promoting freedom in Sabbath observance and rejecting
either observance of non-Levitical Gnostic practices, or else legalistic observance of
Biblical festivals (cf. Col. 2:9-17);[11] others believe Paul spoke about Judaizers and was
rejecting seventh-day Sabbath as not prescribed in the New Covenant, represented by
Mount Zion above and by freedom.
 Colossians: In 2:9-17, the rule is laid down that no one should pass judgment on anyone
else in regard to High Sabbaths, new moon, and Sabbath. Paul states that these yet remain
as a shadow of Messianic events that are still coming as of his writing. The withholding
of judgment has been interpreted variously as indicating either maintenance, transference,
or abolition of Sabbath. First-day Sabbatarians and non-Sabbatarians often regard the
Mosaic law as being the "record of debt" (ESV) nailed to the cross. Some seventh-day
Sabbatarians regard only High Sabbaths as abolished due to their foreshadowing the
cross, holding it impossible for weekly Sabbath (which preceded sin) to foreshadow
deliverance from sin in the cross.[12] Others regard Sabbath, new moon, and High
Sabbaths not as nailed to the cross but as foreshadowing the eternal plan of God.[13]
  Book of Hebrews: In 4:1-11, Sabbath texts are analyzed with the conclusion that some
form of Sabbath-keeping (sabbatismos) remains for God's people; the term generically
means any literal or spiritual Sabbath-keeping.
 Revelation: In 1:10, John the Beloved states that he was "in Spirit" in the "Lord's Day", a
term apparently familiar to his readers, without mentioning Sabbath. First-day
Sabbatarians hold that this means he was worshipping on Sunday, the day of Christ's
resurrection (cf. Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2, later patristic writings). Seventh-day Sabbatarians
hold that this means he was brought by the Spirit into a vision of the Day of the Lord (cf.
Is. 58:13-14, etc.). Both lay claim to the name "Lord's Day" for Sabbath. In 20:1-10, the
millennial reign of Christ is described, which is often interpreted as a seventh
(Sabbatical) millennium.

Apocrypha[edit]
 1 Esdras: 1:58 quotes 2 Chr. 36:21, relying on the prophecies of Jer. 25 and of Lev. 26. In
5:52, Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel lead the rededication of the altar for
Sabbath, new moon, and (annual) holy feasts.
 1 Maccabees: In 1:39-45, under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Jerusalem's Sabbaths become a
reproach and profanation. In 2:32-41, he wars against the Maccabees and followers on
Sabbath, one thousand of whom are killed after refusing to come out; Mattathias and his
friends decree they will battle on Sabbath in self-defense. In 9:34-49, Bacchides prepares
to attack on Sabbath but is defeated by Jonathan Maccabeus. In 10:34, Demetrius I Soter
declares that Jews will be free to celebrate feasts, Sabbaths, new moons, and solemn
days, but is not received.
 2 Maccabees: In 5:25-26, a Mysian captain named Apollonius attacks all those
celebrating Sabbath. In 6:6-11, Antiochus criminalizes Sabbath and ancient fasts, and
those keeping Sabbath secretly in caves are burned to death. In 8:26-28, after defeating
Nicanor's army, the men of Judas Maccabeus leave off pursuit on Preparation Day,
instead gathering spoil, occupying themselves about Sabbath, and praising and thanking
God; after Sabbath they distribute the spoil to the maimed, widows, and orphans, and
then themselves and their servants. In 12:38-39, Judas's men reach Adullam and purify
themselves when the seventh day comes, according to custom, and keep Sabbath there,
burying those dead in battle on the day after, according to custom (i.e., the first day). In
15:1-4, Nicanor resolves to attack Judas in Samaria on Sabbath but is entreated to forbear
by the Jews accompanying him, who argue that the living Lord commanded the seventh
day to be kept in holiness.
 Judith: In 8:6, Judith fasts and lives in a tent for three years and four months, except for
Sabbath eve, Sabbath, new moon eve, new moon, and feasts and solemn days. In 10:2, it
is repeated that she only dwelt in her house for Sabbath and feast days.

Religious books from no Biblical canon[edit]

 Infancy Gospel of Thomas 2.1-5: The five-year-old Jesus forms twelve sparrows out of
clay on Sabbath, which then fly away, chirping; he also gathers together flowing water
into pure pools by his word at the same time, and pronounces an efficaceous curse on the
child who disperses the pools. Jews object to Joseph about these things.
 Gospel of Thomas 27: Jesus warns, "Fast as regards the world ... Observe the Sabbath as
a Sabbath."
 Gospel of Peter 2.5, 7.27: Herod commends the swift burial of Jesus because it is the day
before Sabbath and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That day, after the ninth hour
 (3:00 p.m.), the disciples mourn and weep "night and day until the Sabbath" (sunset or
6:00 p.m.; the idiom "night and day" can import a portion of a day).
 Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate) 1.1, 2.6, 4.2, 6.1, 12.1-2, 15.6, 16.1-2: Annas,
Caiaphas, and others accuse Jesus of polluting Sabbath and wanting to destroy Torah,
because he healed on Sabbath. Joseph of Arimathea is arrested and sealed up in a room
on the day of Jesus' death, the day before Sabbath; he is ordered by a council to be
dishonored on the day after Sabbath, but is not found when the door is opened. Joseph
later testifies (on the day before another Sabbath) that he had remained locked up all
Sabbath but, on midnight the day after, beheld a lightning flash and was led outside by
the risen Jesus.
 Acts of Paul, in the latter half of the second century: Paul prays "on the Sabbath as the
Lord's Day [kyriake] drew near."
 Damascus Document, known from the Dead Sea Scrolls monastic community, as well as
a previously found copy, contains some of the most detailed Sabbath regulations
anywhere: Sabbath is said to begin from when the setting sun "is above the horizon by its
diameter"; any discussion of business or commerce on Sabbath is specifically forbidden,
as is housecleaning, opening a container, or taking anything in or out of one's house; and
the limit for walking outside one's city is set at 1000 cubits, or 2000 cubits if following a
herd animal. One may bathe and drink water directly from the river on Sabbath, but not
fill a container with water. Also, it is permitted to rescue a human being who falls into a
well on the Sabbath, but significantly, not permitted to rescue an animal from a well on
the Sabbath.

Frameworks[edit]

Table set for Shabbat eve.

Three primary interpretative frameworks exist, with many subcategories. Interpretation is

complicated by the differing meanings attributed to unambiguous seventh-day Sabbath prior to
the resurrection of Jesus; the ambiguity of events after the resurrection, including first-day and
seventh-day events (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2, perhaps Rev. 1:10; Acts 1:12, 13:13-45, 15:19-29,
16:13, 17:2, and 18:4); and several early Christian observances being attested as daily or on
nonspecific days (Mk. 2:1-2, Lk. 19:47-20:1, Acts 2:42-47). Early Christians also observed
Jewish practices as a sect of Judaism (Acts 3:1, 5:27-42, 21:18-26, 24:5, 24:14, 28:22), and
observed Tanakh feasts (Passover, Acts 12:3-4, 20:6, 1 Cor. 5:7-8, 15:20, Jude 12; Pentecost,
Acts 2:1, 18:21, 20:16, 1 Cor. 16:8; Atonement, Acts 27:9). Interpreters of each framework
consider the high regard for the New Covenant described in Jer. 31:31 (cf. Heb. 8:1-13) as
supporting their Sabbath positions.
Seventh day[edit]

Main articles: Shabbat and Sabbath in seventh-day churches

Observing the Sabbath-closing havdalah ritual in 14th-century Spain.

At least two branches of Christianity keep a seventh-day Sabbath, though historically they are
not derived one from the other: the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Seventh-day Sabbatarians.
Of different outlooks in some respects, they share others. Just as in the Jewish calendar, the
Orthodox begin and end every ecclesial day at sunset, including the Sabbath. Both branches thus
observe the Sabbath from what the civil calendar identifies as Friday sunset until Saturday
sunset. Both identify the Sabbath with the day of rest established by God as stated in Genesis 2, a
day to be kept holy. Both identify Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath, and acknowledge that
he faithfully kept the Sabbath throughout his life on earth. Both accept the admonitions of St.
Ignatius on the keeping of the Sabbath.[14]

Seventh-day Sabbatarians[edit]

Seventh-day Sabbatarians rest on the seventh Hebrew day. Jewish Shabbat is observed from
sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night; it is also
observed by a minority of Christians. Thirty-nine activities prohibited on Shabbat are listed in
Tractate Shabbat (Talmud). Customarily, Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles shortly
before sunset, at halakhically calculated times that change from week to week and from place to
place. Observance in Hebrew Scriptures was universally from sixth-day evening to seventh-day
evening (Neh. 13:19, cf. Lev. 23:32) on a seven-day week; Shabbat ends approximately one hour
after sunset by rabbinical ordinance to extend the Tanakh's sunset-to-sunset Sabbath into the first
day of the week. The Jewish interpretation usually states that the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31)
refers to the future Messianic Kingdom.

Several Christian denominations (such as Seventh Day Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, Sabbath
Rest Advent Church, Church of God (Seventh Day), and other Churches of God) observe
Sabbath similarly to or less rigorously than Judaism, but observance ends at Saturday sunset
instead of Saturday nightfall. Like the Jews with Shabbat, they believe that keeping seventh-day
Sabbath is a moral responsibility, equal to that of any of the Ten Commandments, that honors
God as Creator and Deliverer. The Christian seventh-day interpretation usually states that
Sabbath belongs inherently to all nations (Ex. 20:10, Is. 56:6-7, 66:22-23) and remains part of
the New Covenant after the crucifixion of Jesus (Lk. 23:56, Mt. 24:20, Acts 16:13, Heb.
8:10).[7][15] Many seventh-day Sabbatarians also use "Lord's Day" to mean the seventh day, based
on Scriptures in which God calls the day "my Sabbath" (Ex. 31:13) and "to the LORD" (16:23);
some count Sunday separately as Lord's Day and many consider it appropriate for communal
worship (but not for first-day rest, which would be considered breaking the Ten
Commandments[16]).

In this way, St. Ignatius saw believers "no longer observing the [Jewish] Sabbath, but living in
the observance of the Lord's Day", and amplified this point as follows: "Let us therefore no
longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness .... But let every
one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in
relaxation of the body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day
before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed space, nor finding delight in
dancing and plaudits which have no sense in them. And after the observance of the Sabbath, let
every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief
of all the days."[14]

The Seventh-day Adventist official 28 fundamental beliefs (at 20) state:

The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted
the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God's
unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest,
worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the
Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol
of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste
of our eternal future in God's kingdom. The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal
covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to
evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex.
20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:12, 20; Deut.
5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.)[17]

The Doctrinal Points of the Church of God (7th day) (Salem Conference, at 17) state:

We should observe the seventh day of the week (Saturday), from even to even, as the Sabbath of
the Lord our God. Evening is at sunset when day ends and another day begins. No other day has
ever been sanctified as the day of rest. The Sabbath Day begins at sundown on Friday and ends
at sundown on Saturday. Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Isaiah 58:13-14; 56:1-8; Acts 17:2;
Acts 18:4, 11; Luke 4:16; Mark 2:27-28; Matthew 12:10-12; Hebrews 4:1-11; Genesis 1:5, 13-
14; Nehemiah 13:19.[18]

Both Jewish and Christian seventh-day interpretation usually state that Jesus' teachings relate to
the Pharisaic position on Sabbath observance, and that Jesus kept seventh-day Sabbath
throughout his life on earth.

Sunday law[edit]

Main article: Seventh-day Adventist eschatology

Noticing the rise of blue laws, the Seventh-day Adventist church in particular has traditionally
taught that in the end time a coalition of religious and secular authorities will enforce an
international Sunday law; church pioneers saw observance of seventh-day Sabbath as a "mark"
or "seal" or test of God's people that seals them, even as those who do not observe Sunday rest
will be persecuted and killed. Ellen G. White interpreted Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:15, Rev. 7, Ezek.
20:12-20, and Ex. 31:13 in this way, describing the subject of persecution in prophecy as being
about Sabbath commandments.

First day[edit]

Main articles: Sabbath in Christianity and Sabbatarianism § Sunday Sabbatarians

Most Christians worship communally on the first (Hebrew or Roman) day. In most Christian
denominations (Roman Catholic, some[citation needed] Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant), the
"Lord's Day" (Sunday) is the fulfillment of the "Sabbath" (Catholic Catechism 2175), which is
kept in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ, and often celebrated with the Eucharist
(Catholic Catechism 2177).[19] It is often also the day of rest. Lord's Day is considered both the
first day and the "eighth day" of the seven-day week, symbolizing both first creation and new
creation (2174).[19] (Alternatively, in some calendars, Sunday is designated the seventh day of the
week.) Relatively few Christians regard first-day observance as entailing all of the ordinances of
Shabbat. This interpretation usually states that the Holy Spirit through the Apostles instituted the
worship celebration of the first day to commemorate Jesus' resurrection, and that the New
Covenant transfers Sabbath-keeping (whether defined as rest or communal worship or both) to
the first day by implication.[20] In Roman Catholicism, the transfer is described as based on their
church's authority and papal infallibility.[21]

Roman Catholics (and many Protestants) view the first day as a day for assembly for worship
(2178, Heb. 10:25),[19] but consider a day of rigorous rest not obligatory on Christians (Rom.
14:5, Col. 2:16).[22] Catholics count the prohibition of servile work as transferred from seventh-
day Sabbath to Sunday (2175-6),[19][23] but do not hinder participation in "ordinary and innocent
occupations".[24] Similarly, second-century father Justin Martyr believed in keeping perpetual
Sabbath by repentance,[25] holding that Gentile Christians need not rest as Jews were
commanded;[26] but he accepted extant non-Judaizing seventh-day Sabbatarian Christians "in all
things as kinsmen and brethren".[27]

In other Protestant denominations, Lord's Day is kept as a rest day with similar rigor as Jewish
Sabbath. The Westminster Confession of Faith 21:7-8, a Reformed Sabbatarian creed, states:

As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of
God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all
ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him
(Ex. 20:8, 20:10-11, Is. 56:2, 56:4, 56:6-7): which, from the beginning of the world to the
resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was
changed into the first day of the week (Ge. 2:2-3, 1 Cor. 16:1-2, Ac. 20:7), which, in Scripture, is
called the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10), and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian
Sabbath (Ex. 20:8, 20:10, Mt. 5:17). This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men,
after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not
only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their
worldly employments and recreations (Ex. 20:8, 16:23, 16:25-26, 16:29-30, 31:15-17, Is. 58:13,
Neh. 13:15-19, 13:21-22), but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private
exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy (Is. 58:13).[28]
Likewise, the General Rules of the Methodist Church required "attending upon all the ordinances
of God" including "the public worship of God" and prohibited "profaning the day of the Lord,
either by doing ordinary work therein or by buying or selling".[29]

Assemblies[edit]

Main article: Lord's Day

The following textual evidence for first-day assembly is usually combined with the notion that
the rest day should follow the assembly day to support first-day Sabbatarianism. On the first day
of the week (usually considered the day of Firstfruits), after Jesus has been raised from the dead
(Mk. 16:9), he appears to Mary Magdalene, Peter, Cleopas, and others. "On the evening of that
first day of the week" (Roman time), or the evening beginning the second day (Hebrew time), the
resurrected Jesus appears at a meeting of ten apostles and other disciples (Jn. 20:19). The same
time of the week "a week later" (NIV) or, more literally, "after eight days again" inclusive
(KJV), Jesus appears to the eleven apostles and others (Jn. 20:26). After Jesus ascends (Acts
1:9), on the feast of Pentecost or Shavuot (the 50th day from Firstfruits and thus usually
calculated as the first day of the week), the Spirit of God is given to the disciples, who baptize
3,000 people into the apostolic fellowship. Later, on one occasion in Troas, the early Christians
meet on the first day (Hebrew) to break bread and to listen to Christian preaching (Acts 20:7).
Paul also states that the churches of Corinth and Galatia should set aside donations on the first
day for collection (1 Cor. 16:2). Didache 14:1 (AD 70-120?) contains an ambiguous text,
translated by Roberts as, "But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and
give thanksgiving";[30] the first clause in Greek, "κατά κυριακήν δέ κυρίου", literally means "On
the Lord's of the Lord",[31] and translators supply the elided noun (e.g., "day", "commandment"
(from 13:7), or "doctrine").[32] Gleason Archer regards this as clearly referring to Sunday.[33]
Breaking bread may refer to Christian fellowship, agape feasts, or Eucharist (cf. Acts 2:42, 20:7).
Other interpreters believe these references do not support the concept of transfer of the seventh-
day rest, and some add that they do not sufficiently prove that Sunday observance was an
established practice in the primitive New Testament church.

By the second century, Justin Martyr stated, "We all gather on the day of the sun" (recalling both
the creation of light and the resurrection);[34] and the Epistle of Barnabas on Is. 1:13 stated the
eighth-day assembly marks the resurrection and the new creation: "He is saying there: 'It is not
these sabbaths of the present age that I find acceptable, but the one of my own appointment: the
one that, after I have set all things at rest, is to usher in the Eighth Day, the commencement of a
new world.' (And we too rejoice in celebrating the Eighth Day; because that was when Jesus rose
from the dead, and showed Himself again, and ascended into heaven.)"[35]

Both days[edit]

Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox Christians (both of which are branches of Oriental
Orthodoxy) distinguish between the Sabbath (seventh day) and Lord's Day (first day) and
observe both. Seventh-day Adventists in several islands of the Pacific (Tonga; Western Samoa;
Tokelau; Wallis & Futuna; Phoenix & Line Islands) observe Sunday as the practice on ships in
the Pacific had been to change days at the 180° meridian. The islands were well to the east of this
line, so the missionaries observed the Sabbath on the day sequence of the Western Hemisphere.
However, the Tonga islands used the same days as New Zealand and Australia, so the
missionaries were observing the seventh-day Sabbath on the day the secular authorities called
Sunday.[36][a]
The International Date Line (IDL) was placed east of Tonga to align its weekdays with New
Zealand and Fiji. Consequently, Tonga's time zone is UTC+13 rather than UTC−12:00, as it
would be if the Date Line ran along the 180° meridian.[37] However, the SDA church observes the
Sabbath as though the IDL followed the 180° meridian.

When the International Date Line was moved, islanders who had been worshiping on Sabbath
were suddenly worshiping on Sunday because of a man made international treaty. After much
discussion within the church, it was decided that the islanders would continue to worship on the
same day as they always had, even though the name of the day had been changed from Saturday
to Sunday by decree. However this situation is not without conflict.[38]

Note:

1. Jump up ^ Governments are free to select the time zone of their choice.

Unspecified day[edit]

Main article: Non-Sabbatarianism

Non-Sabbatarians affirm human liberty not to observe a weekly rest or worship day. While
keepers of weekly days usually believe in religious liberty,[39] non-Sabbatarians are particularly
free to uphold Sabbath principles, or not, without limiting observance to either Saturday or
Sunday. Some advocate Sabbath rest on any chosen day of the week, and some advocate Sabbath
as a symbolic metaphor for rest in Christ; the concept of "Lord's Day" is usually treated as
synonymous with "Sabbath". The non-Sabbatarian interpretation usually states that Jesus'
obedience and the New Covenant fulfilled the laws of Sabbath, which are thus often considered
abolished or abrogated.

Some of Jesus' teachings are considered as redefining the Sabbath laws of the Pharisees (Lk.
13:10-17, Jn. 5:16-18, 9:13-16). Since Jesus is understood to have fulfilled Torah (Mk. 2:28, Mt.
5:17), non-Sabbatarian Christians believe that they are not bound by Sabbath as legalists
consider themselves to be. Non-Sabbatarians can thus exhibit either Christian liberty or
antinomianism. On principles of religious liberty, non-Sabbatarian Jews similarly affirm their
freedom not to observe Shabbat as Orthodox Jews do.

Non-Sabbatarian Christians also cite 2 Cor. 3:2-3, in which believers are compared to "a letter
from Christ, the result of our ministry, written ... not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human
hearts"; this interpretation states that Christians accordingly no longer follow the Ten
Commandments with dead orthodoxy ("tablets of stone"), but follow a new law written upon
"tablets of human hearts". 3:7-11 adds that "if the ministry that brought death, which was
engraved in letters on stone, came with glory ..., will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more
glorious? .... And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of
that which lasts!" This is interpreted as teaching that new-covenant Christians are not under the
Mosaic law, and that Sabbath-keeping is not required. Further, because "love is the fulfillment of
the law" (Rom. 13:10), the new-covenant "law" is considered to be based entirely upon love and
to rescind Sabbath requirements.

Non-Sabbatarians who affirm that Sabbath-keeping remains for God's people (as in Heb. 4:9)
often regard this as present spiritual rest and/or future heavenly rest rather than as physical
weekly rest. For instance, Irenaeus saw Sabbath rest from secular affairs for one day each week
as a sign of the way that Christians were called to permanently devote themselves to God[40] and
an eschatological symbol.[41]

Interpretations[edit]
Genesis 2[edit]

Based on Genesis 2:1-4, Sabbath is considered by seventh-day Sabbatarians to be the first holy
day mentioned in the Bible, with God, Adam, and Eve being the first to observe it. In order to
reconcile an omnipotent God with a resting on the seventh day of Creation, the notion of active
cessation from labor, rather than passive rest, has been regarded as a more consistent reading of
God's activity in this passage. Non-Sabbatarians and many first-day Sabbatarians consider this
passage not to have instituted observance of Sabbath, which they place as beginning with Moses
and the manna. Walter Brueggemann emphasizes Sabbath is rooted in the history of the Book of
Exodus.[42]

Matthew 5[edit]

Jesus' statement, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not
come to abolish them but to fulfill them," is highly debated. Some non-Sabbatarians and others
such as Anabaptists believe Jesus greatly reformed the Law and thus that Sabbath could only be
justified if it were reaffirmed by Jesus. Antinomianism, generally regarded as a heresy, holds
that, because Jesus accomplished all that was required by the law, thus "fulfilling" it, he made it
unnecessary for anyone to do anything further. Strict Sabbatarians follow or expand Augustine's
statement in Reply to Faustus that Jesus empowered his people to obey the law and gave
additional commands that furthered its true intentions. This passage is often related to Colossians
2, from which maintenance, transference, or abolition of Sabbath are variously taught.

Colossians 2[edit]

The English Standard Version at Col. 2:16-7 ("Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in
questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a
shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.") is taken as affirming non-
Sabbatarian freedom from obligations to Sabbath, whether this means only annual Sabbaths
(Lev. 23:4–44)[43] or specifically weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:1–3).[44] This passage's threefold
categorization of events is parallel to Num. 28-29, 1 Chr. 23:31, 2 Chr. 2:4, Is. 1:13, Ezek. 45:17
(Lev. 23 mentions Sabbaths and festivals but not new moons). Accordingly, non-Sabbatarians
and some first-day Sabbatarians believe this passage indicates Sabbath-keeping is part of an Old
Covenant that is not mandatory (cf. Heb. 8:13). Seventh-day Sabbatarians and strict first-day
Sabbatarians believe this passage indicates that weekly Sabbath remains to be kept as a shadow
of things future to Paul's day[45] and/or a memorial of creation past.[43]

Additionally, Col. 2:13-5 states, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our
trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he
set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open
shame, by triumphing over them in him." The ESV footnote regards "in it (that is, the cross)" as
equivalent to the closing in him (Christ). First-day Sabbatarians and non-Sabbatarians often
regard Sabbath as changed, either to Lord's Day or to spiritual Sabbath, by the Mosaic law being
the "record of debt" (ESV) nailed to the cross. Some seventh-day Sabbatarians regard only High
Sabbaths as abolished due to their foreshadowing the cross, holding it impossible for weekly
Sabbath (which preceded sin) to foreshadow deliverance from sin in the cross.[12] Others see the
"record of debt" (accusations) as distinct from God's unchanging law, believing it to be in force
and affirmed by the evangelists after Jesus died on the cross,[7] regarding Sabbath, new moon,
and High Sabbaths not as nailed to the cross but as foreshadowing the eternal plan of God.[13]

Hebrews 4[edit]

The unique word sabbatismos in Hebrews 4:9 is translated "rest" in the Authorized Version and
others; "Sabbath rest" in the New International Version and other modern translations;
"Sabbatism" (a transliteration) in the Darby Bible; "Sabbath observance" in the Scriptures 98
Edition; and "Sabbath keeping" in the Bible in Basic English. The word also appears in Plutarch,
De Superstitione 3 (Moralia 166A); Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 23:3; Epiphanius, Adversus
Haereses 30:2:2; Martyrium Petri et Pauli 1; and Apostolic Constitutions 2:36:2. Andrew
Lincoln states, "In each of these places the term denotes the observance or celebration of the
Sabbath .... Thus the writer to the Hebrews is saying that since the time of Joshua an observance
of the Sabbath rest has been outstanding."[46] Sabbatarians believe the primary abiding Christian
duty intended is weekly Sabbath-keeping, while non-Sabbatarians believe it is spiritual or
eschatological Sabbath-keeping; both meanings may be intended. Justin uses sabbatismos in
Trypho 23:3 to mean weekly Sabbath-keeping.

However, Justin does not speak of Hebrews 4, instead holding that there is no longer any need
for weekly Sabbath-keeping for anyone. Hippolytus of Rome, in the early third century,
interpreted the term in Hebrews 4 to have special reference to a millennial Sabbath kingdom
after six millennia of labor. St. Chrysostom interpreted the term as having reference to three
rests: God's rest from His labor on the seventh day, the rest of the Israelites in arriving in
Canaan, and the heavenly (eschatological) rest for the faithful. He argued that the "rest" that "has
been outstanding" is the heavenly rest, since the first two rests had already been going on. He
also interpreted weekly Sabbath as a symbol of this heavenly rest: "And well did he conclude the
argument. For he said not rest but 'Sabbath-keeping'; calling the kingdom 'Sabbath-keeping,' by
the appropriate name, and that which they rejoiced in and were attracted by. For as, on the
Sabbath He commands to abstain from all evil things; and that those things only which relate to
the Service of God should be done, which things the Priests were wont to accomplish, and
whatsoever profits the soul, and nothing else; so also [will it be] then."[47]

Matthew Henry calls this "a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a
rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their
desires .... undoubtedly the heavenly rest, which remains to the people of God, and is opposed to
a state of labour and trouble in this world. It is the rest they shall obtain when the Lord Jesus
shall appear from heaven .... God has always declared man's rest to be in him, and his love to be
the only real happiness of the soul."[48] This is taken to support the belief that Sabbath-keeping is
a metaphor for the eternal "rest" that Christians enjoy in Christ, prefigured by the promised land
of Canaan.

Hebrews 8[edit]

Non-Sabbatarians and some first-day Sabbatarians believe Hebrews 8 indicates Sabbath-keeping

is not mandatory, because "in that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old" (Heb.
8:13 KJV; or "obsolete" NIV). Seventh-day Sabbatarians and strict first-day Sabbatarians believe
Hebrews 8 indicates the Law of God (including Sabbath) remains on the hearts of God's people
to be kept, but not fallibly as in the older covenant (Heb. 8:9–10).

Sabbath desecration
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The Sabbath Breakers by J.C. Dollman (1896)

The Ten Commandments on a monument on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol. The fourth
commandment listed is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy", see also Biblical law in
Christianity.
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Sabbath desecration is the failure to observe the Biblical Sabbath, and is usually considered a
sin and a breach of a holy day in relation to either the Jewish Shabbat (Friday sunset to Saturday
nightfall), the Sabbath in seventh-day churches, or to the Lord's Day (Sunday), which is
recognized as the Christian Sabbath in first-day Sabbatarian denominations.

Contents
[hide]

 1 Judaism
 2 Christianity
o 2.1 Traditional application to Sunday
 2.1.1 Blue laws
o 2.2 Seventh-day churches, application to Saturday
 3 See also
 4 References

Judaism[edit]
For more details on this topic, see Shabbat.

According to Mosaic Law, to desecrate shabbat intentionally, despite warning, is a capital

offense (Exodus 31:15). All work was prohibited during shabbat, even minor tasks, such as
"gathering wood" (Numbers 15:32-36). Since the decline of classical semicha (rabbinic
ordination) in the 4th century C.E., the traditional Jewish view is that Jewish courts have lost the
power to rule on criminal cases. As such, it would be practically impossible for Orthodox courts
to enforce the death penalty in modern times, even if they had the political standing to do so.
Talmudic protections for defendants make execution very difficult even by the Great Sanhedrin,
e.g., requiring two competent witnesses to the shabbat violation, and an official court warning
prior to the violation. Some Reform and Conservative rabbis condemn capital punishment
generally, partly based on this stringency.

There are 39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat, derived in the tractate Shabbat
(Talmud) from the construction of the Biblical tabernacle. Halakha (Jewish law) derives many
further forbidden acts from these categories (toledoth and shevuth), with varying severity, that
may not be performed except for preventing severe illness or death. Unwarranted violation of
any of these precepts is termed chillul shabbat (profanation of shabbat). People who consistently
violate shabbat today are generally not considered reliable in certain matters of Jewish law.

Christianity[edit]
Further information: Christian views on the Old Covenant

Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists, as well as many Episcopalians, have

historically espoused the view of first-day Sabbatarianism, which teaches that the Lord's Day
(Sunday) is the Christian Sabbath, in keeping with the understanding that the moral law
contained in the Ten Commandments stands eternally.[1][2][3][4] Seventh-day Sabbatarians believe
that the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday, holding that it was not transferred from
Saturday to Sunday. Other Christians do not observe the Sabbath or apply it to a "day of rest,"
believing that it is a part of the Mosaic Law that has no application to Christians.

Traditional application to Sunday[edit]

Main article: Sunday Sabbatarianism

Further information: Sabbath in Christianity

The traditional application of the Christian Sabbath to Sunday is based on the claim that the
Sabbath was moved to the Lord's Day, the day that Jesus rose from the dead. The Westminster
Confession, held by Presbyterian Churches, teaches first-day Sabbatarianism:

As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of
God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all
ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him
(Ex. 20:8, 20:10-11, Is. 56:2, 56:4, 56:6-7): which, from the beginning of the world to the
resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was
changed into the first day of the week (Ge. 2:2-3, 1 Cor. 16:1-2, Ac. 20:7), which, in Scripture, is
called the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10), and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian
Sabbath (Ex. 20:8, 20:10, Mt. 5:17). This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men,
after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not
only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their
worldly employments and recreations (Ex. 20:8, 16:23, 16:25-26, 16:29-30, 31:15-17, Is. 58:13,
Neh. 13:15-19, 13:21-22), but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private
exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy (Is. 58:13).[5]

This statement was adopted by the Congregationalist Churches, which are descended from the
Puritans, in their Savoy Declaration.[6] The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith of the Reformed
Baptists advances the same first-day Sabbatarian obligation of the Presbyterian's Westminster
Confession and the Puritan Congregationalists' Savoy Declaration.[7][8]

The General Rules of the Methodist Church similarly require "attending upon all the ordinances
of God" including "the public worship of God" and prohibit "profaning the day of the Lord,
either by doing ordinary work therein or by buying or selling".[9][10]

Blue laws[edit]

For more details on this topic, see Blue law.

The law in North Dakota at one time stated: "The fine for Sabbath-breaking is not less than one
dollar or more than ten dollars for each offence." Other laws have been passed against Sabbath
breaking, e.g., by the Puritans. First-day Sabbatarian organizations, such as the Lord's Day
Alliance in North America, as well as the Lord's Day Observance Society in the British Isles,
have mounted campaigns with support in both Canada and Britain from labour unions, with the
goal of preventing secular and commercial interests from hampering freedom of worship and
preventing them from exploiting workers.[11]

Seventh-day churches, application to Saturday[edit]

For more details on Sabbath in seventh-day churches, see Sabbath in Christianity.

Fundamental Belief # 20 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church states...

The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted
the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God's law
requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in
harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day
of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a
sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God's
kingdom. The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His
people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a
celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa. 56:5,
6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11; Lev.
23:32; Mark 1:32.)

— Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Beliefs[12]

Names of the days of the week

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Italian cameo bracelet representing the days of the week, corresponding to the planets as Roman
gods: Diana as the Moon for Monday, Mars for Tuesday, Mercury for Wednesday, Jupiter for
Thursday, Venus for Friday, Saturn for Saturday, and Apollo as the Sun for Sunday. Middle 19th
century, Walters Art Museum

The names of the days of the week in many languages are derived from the names of the
classical planets in Hellenistic astrology, which were in turn named after contemporary deities, a
system introduced in by the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity. In some other languages, the
days are named after corresponding deities of the regional culture, either beginning with Sunday
or with Monday. In the international standard ISO 8601, Monday is treated as the first day of the
week.

Contents
[hide]

 1 Days named after planets

o 1.1 Greco-Roman tradition
  1.1.1 Romance languages
 1.1.2 Celtic languages
 1.1.3 Adoptions from Romance
o 1.2 Germanic tradition
 1.2.1 Adoptions from Germanic
o 1.3 South Asian tradition
o 1.4 East Asian tradition
o 1.5 Southeast Asian tradition
 2 Numbered days of the week
o 2.1 Days numbered from Sunday
o 2.2 Days numbered from Monday
o 2.3 Days numbered from Saturday
 3 Mixing of numbering and astronomy
 4 See also
 5 Notes
o 5.1 Sunday
o 5.2 Monday
o 5.3 Tuesday
o 5.4 Wednesday
o 5.5 Thursday
o 5.6 Friday
o 5.7 Saturday
 6 References
 7 Further reading

Days named after planets[edit]

Greco-Roman tradition[edit]

Further information: Week and Planetary hours

Between the 1st and 3rd centuries, the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight-day Roman
nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. Our earliest evidence for this new system is a
Pompeiian graffito referring to the 6th February (viii idus Februarius) of the year AD 60 as dies
solis ("Sunday").[1] Another early witness is a reference to a lost treatise by Plutarch, written in
about AD 100, which addressed the question of Why are the days named after the planets
reckoned in a different order from the actual order?.[2]

The days were named after the planets of Hellenistic astrology, in the order Sun, Moon, Mars
(Ares), Mercury (Hermes), Jupiter (Zeus), Venus (Aphrodite) and Saturn (Cronos).[3]

The seven-day week spread throughout the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity. By the 4th century,
it was in wide use throughout the Empire, and it had also reached India and China.

The Greek and Latin names are as follows:

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Day:
Sōl or Luna or Mars or Mercurius Iuppiter Venus or Saturnus
(see
Helios Selene Ares or Hermes or Zeus Aphrodite or Kronos
Irregularities)
(Sun) (Moon) (Mars) (Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Day:
Sōl or Luna or Mars or Mercurius Iuppiter Venus or Saturnus
(see
Helios Selene Ares or Hermes or Zeus Aphrodite or Kronos
Irregularities)
(Sun) (Moon) (Mars) (Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
ἡμέρᾱ ἡμέρᾱ ἡμέρᾱ ἡμέρᾱ ἡμέρᾱ
ἡμέρᾱ Ἑρμοῦ ἡμέρᾱ Διός
Ἡλίου Σελήνης Ἄρεως Ἀφροδῑ́της Κρόνου
Greek hēmérā hēmérā
hēmérā hēmérā hēmérā hēmérā hēmérā
Hermoû Diós
Hēlíou Selḗnēs Áreōs Aphrodī́ tēs Krónou
diēs diēs diēs diēs diēs
Latin diēs Mercuriī diēs Iōvis
Sōlis Lūnae Martis Veneris Saturnī

Romance languages[edit]

Except for modern Portuguese, the Romance languages preserved the Latin names, except for the
names of Sunday, which was replaced by [dies] Dominicus (Dominica), i.e. "Day of the Lord"
and of Saturday, which was named for the Sabbath.

Day: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Sunday
(see Luna Mars Mercurius Iuppiter Venus Saturnus
Sōl (Sun)
Irregularities) (Moon) (Mars) (Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
domenica
Italian [☉1] lunedì martedì mercoledì giovedì venerdì sabato [♄1]
Lombard domenega
lunedì martedì mercoldì giovedì venerdì sabet [♄1]
Milanese [☉1]
Old domingo
lues martes mércores joves vernes sábado [♄1]
Portuguese [☉1]
domingo
Galician [☉1] luns martes mércores xoves venres sábado [♄1]
domingo
Spanish [☉1] lunes martes miércoles jueves viernes sábado [♄1]
duminică sâmbătă
Romanian [☉1] luni marți miercuri joi vineri [♄1]

dimanche
French [☉1] lundi mardi mercredi jeudi vendredi samedi [♄1]
dissabte
Occitan dimenge [☉1] diluns dimarts dimècres dijòus divendres [♄1]

diumenge dissabte
Catalan [☉1] dilluns dimarts dimecres dijous divendres [♄1]

domingu
Asturian [☉1] llunes martes miércoles xueves vienres sábadu [♄1]
domenega
Venetian [☉1] luni marti mèrcore zioba vénare sabo [♄1]
Friulian domenie [☉1] lunis martars miercus joibe vinars sabide [♄1]
dummeneca
Neapolitan [☉1] lunnerì marterì miercurì gioverì viernarì sàbbatu [♄1]
Sardinian dominiga Sappadu
[☉1] lunis martis mercuris iobia chenabura [♄1]
language
Sicilian dumínica luni marti mércuri juvi vénniri sábbatu [♄1]
 Day: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Sunday
(see Luna Mars Mercurius Iuppiter Venus Saturnus
Sōl (Sun)
Irregularities) (Moon) (Mars) (Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
[☉1]

Celtic languages[edit]

Early Old Irish adopted the names from Latin, but introduced separate terms of Norse origin for
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, then later supplanted these with terms relating to church
fasting practices.

Day: Monday Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Sunday
(see Luna Mars
Mercurius Iuppiter Venus Saturnus
Sōl (Sun)
Irregularities) (Moon) (Mars)
(Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
Diu srol
[5]
Diu Diu Diu Diu
Old Irish[4] Diu iath[9] Diu saturn
Dies scrol[6] luna[7] mart[8] eathamon[10] triach[11]
Diu eter
Old Irish Diu cétaín Diu aíne Diu saturn
Diu domnica Diu luna Diu mart [☿2] dib aínib [♀1]
(later) [♃1]

An An
An An Aoine
Domhnach An Chéadaoin [♀1] An Satharn
☉ An Luan ☿ Déardaoin
Irish [ 1]
Mháirt [ 2]
[♃1] Dé Dé
Dé Luain
Dé Dé Máirt Dé Sathairn
Déardaoin hAoine
Domhnaigh Céadaoin
Di- Di-
Di-Ciadain Di-Ardaoin Di-
Scottish Dòmhnaich / Di-Luain Di-Màirt / Haoine /
/ Diciadain / Diardaoin Sàthairne /
Gaelic Didòmhnaich / Diluain Dimàirt [☿2] [♃1] Dihaoine
[☉1] [♀1] Disathairne
dydd dydd dydd dydd dydd
Welsh dydd Sul dydd Iau
Llun Mawrth Mercher Gwener Sadwrn
Dy' Dy' Dy'
Cornish Dy' Sul Dy' Lun Dy' Yow Dy' Sadorn
Meurth Mergher Gwener
Breton Disul Dilun Dimeurzh Dimerc’her Diriaou Digwener Disadorn
Manx Jedoonee [☉1] Jelune Jemayrt Jecrean [☿2] Jerdein [♃1] Jeheiney Jesarn
[♀1]

Adoptions from Romance[edit]

Albanian adopted the Latin terms[citation needed]. Other languages adopted the week together with the
Latin (Romance) names for the days of the week in the colonial period. Some constructed
languages also adopted the Latin terminology.

Day: Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Sunday Tuesday
(see Luna Mercurius Iuppiter Venus Saturnus
Sōl (Sun) Mars (Mars)
Irregularities) (Moon) (Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
Albanian E diel E hënë E martë E mërkurë E enjte E premte E shtunë
[☉1]
Linggò
Filipino Dominggo Lunes Martes Miyerkules Huwebes Biyernes Sábado [♄1]
in most
 Day: Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Sunday Tuesday
(see Luna Mercurius Iuppiter Venus Saturnus
Sōl (Sun) Mars (Mars)
Irregularities) (Moon) (Mercury) (Jupiter) (Venus) (Saturn)
other
Philippine
languages
[Rā
[Rā Tapu]
Horoi]
[not
Rāpare (rā [not
celestially Rāhina (rā Rātū (rā + Rāapa (rā + Rāmere
+ celestially
named] + Māhina Tūmatauenga Apārangi = (rā + Mere
Māori [12]
Pareārau named]
(Rā + = day + = day + day + = day +
= day + (rā + horoi
Tapu = Moon) Mars) Mercury) Venus)
Jupiter) =
"holy
"washing
day")
day")
Tetum Dumingu Segunda Tersa Kuarta Kinta Sesta Sabadu[13]
Dominica Sabbato
Interlingua [☉1] Lunedi Martedi Mercuridi Jovedi Venerdi [♄1]
Ido Sundio Lundio Mardio Merkurdio Jovdio Venerdio Saturdio
dimanĉo
Esperanto [☉1] lundo mardo merkredo ĵaŭdo vendredo sabato [♄1]

Germanic tradition[edit]

Further information: Germanic calendar

The Germanic peoples adapted the system introduced by the Romans by substituting the
Germanic deities for the Roman ones (with the exception of Saturday) in a process known as
interpretatio germanica. The date of the introduction of this system is not known exactly, but it
must have happened later than AD 200 but before the introduction of Christianity during the 6th
to 7th centuries, i.e., during the final phase or soon after the collapse of the Western Roman
Empire.[14] This period is later than the Common Germanic stage, but still during the phase of
undifferentiated West Germanic. The names of the days of the week in North Germanic
languages were not calqued from Latin directly, but taken from the West Germanic names.

 Sunday: Old English Sunnandæg (pronounced [ˈsunnɑndæj]), meaning "sun's day". This is
a translation of the Latin phrase dies Solis. English, like most of the Germanic languages,
preserves the original pagan/sun associations of the day. Many other European languages,
including all of the Romance languages, have changed its name to the equivalent of "the
Lord's day" (based on Ecclesiastical Latin dies Dominica). In both West Germanic and
North Germanic mythology the Sun is personified as Sunna/Sól.
 Monday: Old English Mōnandæg (pronounced [ˈmoːnɑndæj]), meaning "Moon's day".
This is equivalent to the Latin name dies lunae. In North Germanic mythology, the Moon
is personified as Máni.
 Tuesday: Old English Tīwesdæg (pronounced [ˈtiːwezdæj]), meaning "Tiw's day". Tiw
(Norse Týr) was a one-handed god associated with single combat and pledges in Norse
mythology and also attested prominently in wider Germanic paganism. The name of the
day is also related to the Latin name dies Martis, "Day of Mars".
 Wednesday: Old English Wōdnesdæg (pronounced [ˈwoːdnezdæj]) meaning the day of the
Germanic god Woden (known as Óðinn among the North Germanic peoples), and a
 prominent god of the Anglo-Saxons (and other Germanic peoples) in England until about
the seventh century. It is also vaguely related to the Latin counterpart dies Mercurii, "Day
of Mercury". The connection between Mercury and Odin is more strained than the other
syncretic connections.[citation needed] The usual explanation[who?] is that both Wodan and
Mercury were considered psychopomps, or guides of souls after death, in their respective
mythologies; both are also associated with poetic and musical inspiration.[citation needed] The
Icelandic Miðviku, German Mittwoch, Low German Middeweek and Finnish keskiviikko
all mean mid-week.
 Thursday: Old English Þūnresdæg (pronounced [ˈθuːnrezdæj]), meaning 'Þunor's day'.
Þunor means thunder or its personification, the Norse god known in Modern English as
Thor. Similarly Dutch donderdag, German Donnerstag ('thunder's day'), Finnish torstai,
and Scandinavian Torsdag ('Thor's day'). Thor's day corresponds to Latin dies Iovis, "day
of Jupiter".
 Friday: Old English Frīgedæg (pronounced [ˈfriːjedæj]), meaning the day of the Anglo-
Saxon goddess Fríge. The Norse name for the planet Venus was Friggjarstjarna, 'Frigg's
star'. It is based on the Latin dies Veneris, "Day of Venus".
 Saturday: the only day of the week to retain its Roman origin in English, named after the
Roman god Saturn associated with the Titan Cronus, father of Zeus and many
Olympians. Its original Anglo-Saxon rendering was Sæturnesdæg
(pronounced [ˈsæturnezdæj]). In Latin, it was dies Saturni, "Day of Saturn". The
Scandinavian Lørdag/Lördag deviates significantly as it has no reference to either the
Norse or the Roman pantheon; it derives from old Norse laugardagr, literally "washing-
day". The German Sonnabend (mainly used in northern and eastern Germany) and the
Low German words Sünnavend mean "Sunday Eve", the German word Samstag (mainly
used in southern and western Germany) derives from the name for Shabbat.

Day: Wednesda
Monday Thursday Friday
(see Sunday Tuesday y Saturday
Mona/Má Thunor/Th Frige or
Irregularities Sunna/Sól Tiw/Tyr Woden/Odi Saturn
ni or Freya
) n
*Tīwas *Saturnas
Proto- *Sunnōniz *Mēniniz dagaz, *Wōdanas *Þunras *Frijjōz dagaz,
Germanic dagaz dagaz *Þingsas dagaz dagaz dagaz *Laugōz
dagaz [♂1] dagaz [♄2]
Mōnandæ Wōdnesdæ Sæternesdæ
Old English Sunnandæg Tīwesdæg Þunresdæg Frīgedæg
g g g
*Tiuwesd *Sunnunāƀa
*Mānund ag, Wōdanesda *Thunaresd nd [♄3],
Old Saxon Sunnundag Frīadag
ag *Thingesd g ag *Satarnesda
ag [♂1] g
Sunnûnâban
Old High Wuotanest d [♄3],
Sunnûntag Mânetag Zîestag Donarestag Frîjatag
German ag Sambaztag
[♄1]

Sunnenaven
Middle Low Wodenesda
Sunnedag Manedag Dingesdag
[♂1] Donersdag Vrīdag d [♄3],
German g
Satersdag
Dienstag Mittwoch Sonnabend
[♂1] [☿1]
German Sonntag Montag , (older Donnerstag Freitag [♄3]
, Samstag
[♄1]
Ziestag Wutenstag)
 (Alemanni
c German)
Zuntik – Montik – Dinstik – Mitvokh – Donershtik Fraytik – Shabbes –
Yiddish
‫זונטיק‬ ‫מאנטיק‬ ‫♂[ דינסטיק‬1] ‫☿[ מיטוואך‬1] – ‫פרײטיק דאנערשטיק‬
ַׁ ‫♄[ שבת‬1]
[♄1]
Saubath , Monanda
Scots Tysday Wadensday Fuirsday Friday Seturday
Sunday y
Dutch zondag maandag dinsdag [♂1] woensdag donderdag vrijdag zaterdag
Afrikaans Sondag Maandag Dinsdag
[♂1] Woensdag Donderdag Vrydag Saterdag
Luxembourg Dënschde Mëttwoch Donneschd Samschdeg
Sonndeg Méindeg [☿1] Freideg [♄1]
ish g [♂1] eg
Sneon [♄3],
West Frisian Snein Moandei Tiisdei Woansdei Tongersdei Freed
Saterdei
Middewee
k [☿1], Sünnavend
Low Saxon Sünndag Maandag Dingsdag
[♂1] Goonsdag Dünnerdag Freedag [♄3]
,
(rarely Saterdag
Woonsdag)
laugardagr
[♄2]
,
Old Norse sunnudagr mánadagr tysdagr óðinsdagr þórsdagr frjádagr
sunnunótt
[♄3]

mikudagur
[☿1]
hósdagur/
mánadagu , fríggjadag leygardagur
Faroese sunnudagur týsdagur tórsdagur [♄2]
r ónsdagur ur
(Suðuroy)
(Suðuroy)
mánudag þriðjudag miðvikuda fimmtudag föstudagu laugardagur
Icelandic sunnudagur [♄2]
ur ur [♂3] gur [☿1] ur [♃3] r [♀1]
Norwegian
søndag mandag tirsdag onsdag torsdag fredag lørdag [♄2]
Bokmål
Norwegian sundag/søn
måndag tysdag onsdag torsdag fredag laurdag [♄2]
Nynorsk dag
Danish søndag mandag tirsdag onsdag torsdag fredag lørdag [♄2]
Swedish söndag måndag tisdag onsdag torsdag fredag lördag [♄2]
Elfdalian sunndag mondag tisdag ųosdag tųosdag frjådag lovdag

Adoptions from Germanic[edit]

Day: Sunday Monday Tuesda Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturda

(see Sunna/Só Mona/Mán y Woden/Odi Thunor/Tho Frige or y
Irregularities) l i Tiw/Tyr n r Freya Saturn
keskiviikko perjanta lauantai
Finnish sunnuntai maanantai tiistai [☿1] torstai [♄2]
i
pühapäev laupäev
Estonian [☉2] esmaspäev teisipäev kolmapäev neljapäev reede [♄2]

Maori
Wiki[☉8]; Mane; Tūrei; Wenerei; Paraire; Hāterei;
(transliteration Tāite; Rāpare
Rātapu Rāhina Rātū Rāapa Rāmere Rāhoroi
; translation)
South Asian tradition[edit]

Further information: Navagraha

Hindu astrology adopted the concept of days under the regency of a planet under the term vāra,
the days of the week being called āditya-, soma-, maṅgala-, budha-, guru-, śukra-, and śani-
vāra. śukrá is a name of Venus (regarded as a son of Bhṛgu); guru is here a title of Bṛhaspati,
and hence of Jupiter; budha "Mercury" is regarded as a son of Soma, i.e. the Moon.[15]
Knowledge of Greek astrology existed since about the 2nd century BC, but references to the vāra
occur somewhat later, during the Gupta period (Yājñavalkya Smṛti, c. 3rd to 5th century), i.e. at
roughly the same period the system was introduced in the Roman Empire. (Source?)

Monday
Sunday the Wednesda
Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday
the Sun Moon y
Mars Jupiter Venus Saturn
(Aditya, (Soma, Mercury
(Mangala) (Guru) (Shukra) (Shani)
Ravi) Chandra, (Budha)
Indu)
Shingsher
Adeed Chamdral Angaru Boru Brespod Shugoru
Balti ‫شنگ‬
‫عدید‬ ‫انگارا چامدرال‬ ‫بورو‬ ‫بریس پود‬ ‫شوگ ورو‬
‫شےر‬
মঙ্গলিার
রবিিার স ামিার িুধিার িৃহস্পবিিার শুক্রিার শবিিার
Bengali Monggolba
Robibar Shombar Budhbar Brihôshpotibar Shukrobar Shonibar
r
सबिच्चर
Bhojpu एतवार सोमार मंगर बुध बबयफे सुक्क
Sanichch
ri Aitwār Somār Mangar Budh Bi'phey Sukk
ar
Shemsha
Burush Adit Chandoro Angaro Bodo Berayspat Shukuro
yr
aski ‫ادیت‬ ‫نگارو چندورؤ‬ ‫بوڈو‬ ‫بیرے سپاٹ‬ ‫شوک ورؤ‬ ‫شیم شےر‬
Yaksham Doshamb
Chitrali bey ey Charshamb
Seshambey Pachambey Adina Shambey
ey
(Khowar
)
‫یک‬ ‫دو‬ ‫پچھمبے چار شمبے سہ شمبے‬ ‫آدینہ‬ [♀3]
‫شمبے‬
‫شمبے‬ ‫شمبے‬ [☽4]

Gujarat રવિિાર સોમિાર મંગળિાર બુધિાર ગુરૂિાર શુક્રિાર શવિિાર

i Ravivār Somvār Mangaḷvār Budhvār Guruvār Shukravār Shanivār
मंगलवार
रबववार सोमवार बुधवार गुरूवार शुक्रवार शबिवार
Hindi Mangalavā
Ravivār Somavār Budhavār Guruvār Shukravār Shanivār
r
Atwaar Suwar Mungal Bud Jumiraat Jummah Khali
Hindko
‫اتوار‬ ‫منگل سؤ وار‬ ‫بدھ‬ ‫جمعرات‬ ‫جمعہ‬ ‫خالي‬
Konkan आयतार सोमार मंगळार बुधवार भीरे स्तार शुक्रार शेिवार
i Āytār Somaar Mangaḷār Budhavār Bhirestār Shukrār Shenvār
ް ީ ‫ާއ‬
Maldivi ަ‫ދއތ‬ ޯ
ަ‫ހމ‬ ަ‫ގ‬
‫ރ‬ ާ ‫ނ‬
ް ‫އ‬ ަ ‫ުބ‬
‫ދ‬ ް ‫ރ‬
ަ ‫ސފ‬
‫ތ‬ ާ ‫ުބ‬ ު ‫ުހ ުކ‬
ަ‫ރ‬ ު ‫ޮހނހ‬
ަ‫ރ‬
an Aadheetth Homa Angaara Budha Buraasfathi Hukuru Honihiru
a
 मंगळवार
Marath रबववार सोमवार बुधवार गुरूवार शुक्रवार
Mangaḷavā
i Ravivār Somavār Budhavār Guruvār Shukravār
r
Shokụrvār /
Çāņdėrvā Jumāh
Āthvār Bomvār Bödvār Brêsvār Baţėvār
r
Kashmi आथु 'वार बोमवार ‫ پم‬बॅदवार ‫ برھ‬ब्रसवार ‫برس‬ शो'कु'रवार बटु 'वार
ri च़'न्दु 'रवार
‫اَتھ وار‬ ‫شۆکروار‬
ٕ ‫بٹ وار‬
‫وار ژندر وار‬ ‫وار‬ ‫وار‬
जुमाह ‫جمھ‬
ُ
ಭಾನುವಾ ಸೋಮ ಮಂಗಳ
ಬುಧವಾರ ಶನಿವಾರ
Kannad ರ ವಾರ ವಾರ ಗುರುವಾರ ಶುಕ್ರ ವಾರ
Budha Shani
a Bhanu Soma Mangala Guru Vaara Shukra Vaara
Vaara Vaara
Vaara Vaara Vaara
Malaya ഞായര് തിങ്കള് ച ാവ്വ ബുധന് വ്യാഴം ചവ്ള്ളി ശനി
lam Nhāyar Tingal Chovva Budhan Vyāzham Velli Shani
आइतवार सोमवार मंगलवार बुधवार बबबहवार शुक्रवार शबिवार
Nepali
Aaitabar Sombar Mangalbar Budhabar Bihibar Sukrabar Sanibar
Etwar Gul Nehi Shoro Ziarat Jumma Khali
Pashto
‫اتوار‬ ‫ګل‬ ‫نهه‬ ‫شورو‬ ‫زيارت‬ ‫جمعه‬ ‫خالي‬
ਸਨ ੁੱ ਚਰਵਾ
Punjabi ਐਤਵਾਰ ਸੋਮਵਾਰ ਮੰਗਲਵਾਰ ਬੁੱਧਵਾਰ ਵੀਰਵਾਰ ਸੁੱਕਰਵਾਰ
(Gurmuk
ਰ
hi) etvār sōmvār mangalvār búdvār vīrvār shukkarvār shaniccha
rvār
ରବିବାର ସ ାମବାର ମଙ୍ଗଳବାର ବୁ ଧବାର ଗୁରୁବାର ଶୁକ୍ରବାର ଶନିବାର
Odia
Rabibār Sombār Mangalbār Buddhbār Gurubār Shukrabār Shanibār
අඟහරු සසනසු
බ්රහස්පති
ඉරිදා සඳුදා වාදා බදාදා සිකුරාදා රාදා
Sinhala න්දා
Irida Sanduda Angaharuw Badada Sikurada Senasura
Brahaspathinda
ada da
ু ু রিার /
ক্ষ
রবিিার স ামিার মঙ্গলিার িুধিার বিষুধিার জুম'আিার শবিিার
Sylheti
Robibar Shombar Mongolbar Budhbar Bishudhbar Shukkurbar / Shonibar
Jum'abar[♀4]
ఆదివా సోమవా మంగళవా బుధవా
గురువారం శనివారం
శుక్రవారం
Telugu రం రం రం రం Bestha/Guru/L Shani
Aadi Soma Mangala Budha Shukra Vāram
akshmi Vāram Vāram
Vāram Vāram Vāram Vāram
ஞாயிறு திங் கள் செவ் வாய் புதன் வியாழன் சவள் ளி ெனி
Tamil
Gnyāyiru Thingal Chevvāi Budhan Viyāzhan Velli Sani
भािुवासर इन्दु वासर सौम्यवासर स्थथरवासर
भौमवासरम्
Sanskri म् म् गुरुवासरम् भृगुवासरम्
Bhaumavās म् म्
t Bhānuvās Induvāsar aram Saumyavās Guruvāsaram Bhṛguvāsaram Sthiravās
aram am aram aram
Tsunduro
Adit Ungaro Budo Brespat Shukur Shimsher
Shina ‫تساند‬
‫ادیت‬ ‫نگارو‬ ‫بوڈو‬ ‫بیرے سپاٹ‬ ‫شوکر‬ ‫شیم شےر‬
‫ورؤ‬
 Aacheru Soomaru Angaro Arbau Kameesa Jum'o Chancher
Sindhi
‫آچر‬ ‫سومر‬ ‫انڱارو‬ ‫اربع‬ ‫خمیس‬ ‫جمعو‬ ‫ڇنڇر‬
শুক্ষুরিার/জুমা
রবিিার স ামিার মঙ্গলিার িুধিার বিশুদ্ধিার িার শবিিার
Sylheti
Robibar Shombar Mongolbar Budhbar Bishudbar Shukkurbar/Ju Shonibar
mmabar
Itwār Pīr Mangal Bodh Jumārāt Jummah Heftah
Urdu
‫اتوار‬ ‫پیر‬ [☽4]
‫منگل‬ ‫بدھ‬ ‫جمعرات‬ ‫جمعہ‬ [♀4]
‫ہفتہ‬ [♄6]

Wester
n Aitwār Pīr Mangal Budh Jumāy-rāt Jummah Hafta
Punjabi ‫اتوار‬ ‫پیر‬ ‫منگل‬ ‫بدھ‬ ‫جمعرات‬ ‫جمعہ‬ ‫ہفتہ‬
(Shahmu
khi)

East Asian tradition[edit]

The East Asian naming system for the days of the week closely parallels that of the Latin system
and is ordered after the "Seven Luminaries" (七曜 qī yào), which consists of the Sun, Moon and
the five planets visible to the naked eye.

The Chinese seem to have adopted the seven-day week from the Hellenistic system by the 4th
century, although by which route is not entirely clear. It was again transmitted to China in the 8th
century by Manichaeans, via the country of Kang (a Central Asian polity near Samarkand).[16]
The 4th-century date, according to the Cihai encyclopedia,[year needed] is due to a reference to Fan
Ning (範寧/范宁), an astrologer of the Jin Dynasty. The renewed adoption from Manichaeans in
the 8th century (Tang Dynasty) is documented with the writings of the Chinese Buddhist monk
Yi Jing and the Ceylonese Buddhist monk Bu Kong.

The Chinese transliteration of the planetary system was soon brought to Japan by the Japanese
monk Kobo Daishi; surviving diaries of the Japanese statesman Fujiwara Michinaga show the
seven day system in use in Heian Period Japan as early as 1007. In Japan, the seven day system
was kept in use (for astrological purposes) until its promotion to a full-fledged (Western-style)
calendrical basis during the Meiji era. In China, with the founding of the Republic of China in
1911, Monday through Saturday in China are now named after the luminaries implicitly with the
numbers.

For more information on the Chinese ten-day week, see Chinese_calendar

§ Day.2C_hour.2C_and_week.
For more information on the five elements and their relation to the planets, see Chinese
astrology § Wu Xing, and Wu Xing.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Saturday
Moon (月) Mercury ( Jupiter (木 Venus (金 Saturn (土
Celestial Sun (日) Mars (火) )
Second 水) ) )
Object First Star Third Star Seventh
Star Fourth Star Fifth Star Sixth Star
Star
Classical 日曜日 月曜日 火曜日 水曜日 木曜日 金曜日 土曜日
Chinese Rìyàorì Yuèyàorì Huǒyàorì Shuǐyàorì Mùyàorì Jīnyàorì Tǔyàorì
 日曜日 月曜日 火曜日 水曜日 木曜日 金曜日 土曜日
Japanese
Nichiyōbi Getsuyōbi Kayōbi Suiyōbi Mokuyōbi Kin'yōbi Doyōbi
일요일 월요일 화요일 수요일 금요일 목요일토요일
Korean 日曜日 月曜日 火曜日 水曜日 金曜日 木曜日土曜日
Ilyoil Wolyoil Hwayoil Suyoil Mogyoil
Geumyoil Toyoil
төмөр
өдөр,
наран модон шороон
саран алтан
өдөр гал өдөр усан өдөр өдөр өдөр
Mongolian өдөр өдөр
naraŋ gal ödör usaŋ ödör modoŋ shorooŋ
saraŋ ödör tömör
ödör ödör ödör
ödör, altaŋ
ödör
གཟའ་ཉི་མ། གཟའ་ཟླ་བ། གཟའ་མིག་དམར། གཟའ་ལྷག་པ། གཟའ་ཕུར་བུ། གཟའ་པ་སངས། གཟའ་སྤེན་པ།
(gza' nyi (gza' zla (gza' mig (gza' lhak (gza' phur (gza' pa (gza' spen
Tibetan ma) wa) dmar) pa) bu) sangs) ba)
Nyima Dawa Mikmar Lhakpa Purbu Pasang Penba
Pronunciations for Classical Chinese names are given in Standard Chinese.
For Standard Chinese nomenclature of the days of the week, see Names of the days of the week
§ Mixing of numbering and astronomy.

Southeast Asian tradition[edit]

The Southeast Asian tradition also uses the Hindu names of the days of the week.

Wednesda
Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday
y
ဗုဒ္ဟ
ဓ ူး
တနင်္ဂာ [
IPA: [boʊʔ နသာ
တနင်္ဂန [ွေ ☉9] က ာသာပနတူး
☽5]
အင်္ဂ ါ dəhú] စနန
IPA: [tənɪɴ
́ (Buddhahu) IPA: [tɕà ðà
က ာ
Burmese IPA: [tən
ɡənwè] IPA: [ɪ̀ɴ ɡà] (afternoon=n bədé] IPA: [θaʊ IPA: [sənè]
ɪɴ là]
(ta.nangga.nw ́ (Angga) (Cane)
ew day) ʔ tɕà]
(ta.nangla (Krasapate)
e)
) ရာဟု (Saukra)
Rahu
တၚဲ စန် တၚဲ ဗုဒ္ဝ
ဓ ါ တၚဲ ဗဗြဴဗတ တၚဲ သၚ သဝ်
တၚဲ အဒ္တ
ု ် တၚဲ အၚါ တၚဲ သု ်.
[ŋoa [ŋoa pùt- [ŋoa [ŋoa hɔeʔ
Mon [ŋoa ətɜ̀t] cɔn] [ŋoa əŋɛ̀a] [ŋoa sak]
from Sans. from Sans.
həwɛ̀a] pɹɛ̀apətɔeʔ] from Sans.
sɔ]
from
āditya aṅgāra from Sans. from Sans. śukra from Sans.
Sans.
budhavāra bṛhaspati śani
candra
ថ្ងៃ ចន្ទ
ថ្ងៃ អាទិតយ្ ថ្ងៃ អង្គារ ថ្ងៃ ពុធ ថ្ងៃ ពរ្ ហស្បតណ ិ ថ្ងៃ សុក្រ ថ្ងៃ សៅរ៍
Khmer [tŋaj
[tŋaj ʔaːtɨt] [tŋaj ʔɑŋkiə] [tŋaj put] [tŋaj prɔhoə̯h] [tŋaj sok] [tŋaj saʋ]
can]
ວັນຈັນ ວັນອັງຄານ ວັນສຸ ກ
ວັນອາທິດ ວັນພຸ ດ ວັນພະຫັດ ວັນເສົາ
Lao [wán [wán [wán
[wán ʔàːtʰīt] [wán pʰūt] [wán pʰāhát] [wán sǎu]
càn] ʔàŋkʰáːn] súk]
Cham Adit Thôm Angar But jip Suk Thanưchăn
 ဝၼ်ူးဢႃတ ဝၼ်ူးၸ ဝၼ်ူးသု
ဝၼ်ူးဢင်ူးၵၼ်ူး ဝၼ်ူးၽုတ််ႉ ဝၼ်ူးၽတ်ူး ဝၼ်ူးသဝ်
Shan တ််ႉ ၼ် ၵ်ူး
IPA: [wan˦ IPA: [wan˦ IPA: [wan˦ IPA: [wan˦
IPA: [wan˦ IPA: [wa ʔaŋ˦ kan˦] pʰut˥] pʰat˦] IPA: [wan sʰaw˩]
ʔaː˩ tit˥]n˦ tsan˩] ˦ sʰuk˦]
วันจันทร์ วันพฤหัสบดี
วันอาทิตย์ วันอังคาร วันพุธ วันศุกร์ วันเสาร์
Thai Wan Wan
Wan Āthit Wan Angkhān Wan Phut Wan Suk Wan Sao
Chan Phruehatsabodi
Mongoli адъяа сумъяа ангараг буд бархабадь сугар санчир
an ad'yaa sum'yaa angarag bud barhabad' sugar sanchir
Javanese Raditya Soma Anggara Buda Respati Sukra Tumpek
Balinese Redite Soma Anggara Buda Wrespati Sukra Saniscara
බ්රහස්පති සිකුරා සසනසුරා
සඳුදා අඟහරුවාදා
ඉරිදා බදාදා න්දා දා දා
Sinhala Sanduda Angaharuwaa
Iridaa Badaadaa Brahaspathind Sikuraad Senasuraad
a daa
aa aa aa

Numbered days of the week[edit]

Days numbered from Sunday[edit]

See also: Feria

Sunday comes first in order in calendars shown in the table below. In the Judeo-Christian or
Abrahamic tradition, the first day of the week is Sunday. Biblical Sabbath (corresponding to
Saturday), when God rested from six-day Creation, made the day following Sabbath the first day
of the week (corresponding to Sunday). Seventh-day Sabbaths were sanctified for celebration
and rest. After the week was adopted in early Christianity, Sunday remained the first day of the
week, but also gradually displaced Saturday as the day of celebration and rest, being considered
the Lord's Day.

Saint Martin of Dumio (c. 520–580), archbishop of Braga, decided not to call days by pagan
gods and to use ecclesiastic terminology to designate them. While the custom of numbering the
days of the week was mostly prevalent in the Eastern Church, Portuguese and Galician, due to
Martin's influence, are the only Romance languages in which the names of the days come from
numbers rather than planetary names.[17]

Icelandic is a special case within the Germanic languages, maintaining only the Sun and Moon
(sunnudagur and mánudagur respectively), while dispensing with the names of the explicitly
heathen gods in favour of a combination of numbered days and days whose names are linked to
pious or domestic routine (föstudagur, "Fasting Day" and laugardagur, "Washing Day"). The
"washing day" is also used in other North Germanic languages, but otherwise the names
correspond to those of English.

Day Wednesda Saturday

Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday
Number y Day
Day One Day Two Day Three Day Five Day Six
From One Day Four Seven
Icelandic sunnudagur mánudagur þriðjudagu miðvikudag fimmtudag föstudagur laugardag
 [♀1]
(Sun) (Moon) r ur [☿1] ur ur [♄2]
fríggjadag leygardag
Faroese sunnudagur mánadagur týsdagur mikudagur hósdagur
ur ur
‫ראשון‬ ‫שני‬ ‫שלישי‬ ‫רביעי‬ ‫חמישי‬ ‫שישי‬ ‫שבת‬
Hebrew Shabbat[♄
rishon sheyni shlishi revi'i khamishi shishi 1]

Ecclesiastic feria sabbatum

Dominica [☉1] feria tertia feria quarta feria quinta feria sexta [♄1]
al Latin secunda
segunda- quinta-
Portuguese domingo [☉1] terça-feira quarta-feira sexta-feira sábado [♄1]
feira feira
terza feira
[☉1]
segunda corta feira
Galician domingo terceira quinta feira sexta feira sábado [♄1]
feira quarta feira
feira
loron- loron- loron- loron- loron-
Tetum loron-tersa loron-kinta
domingu segunda kuarta sesta sábadu
Παρασκευ
Κυριακή Δευτέρα Τρίτη Τετάρτη Πέμπτη ή Σάββατο
Greek
Kyriakí [☉1] Deftéra Tríti Tetárti Pémpti Paraskeví Sávato [♄1]
[♀2]

სამშაბათ ხუთშაბა პარასკევ

ორშაბათი ოთხშაბათ შაბათი
Georgian კვირა k'vira ი თი ი
oršabati ი otxšabati šabati
samšabati xutšabati p'arask'evi
Երկուշաբ Երեքշաբ Չորեքշաբ
Հինգշաբթ
Կիրակի թի թի թի Ուրբաթ Շաբաթ
Armenian [☉1]
ի
Kiraki Yerkushabt Yerekshab Chorekshab Urbat Shabat [♄1]
Hingshabti
i ti ti
Vietnames chủ nhật (ngày) thứ (ngày) thứ (ngày) thứ (ngày) thứ (ngày) thứ (ngày)
e (chúa nhật) hai ba tư năm sáu thứ bảy
Somali Axad Isniin Talaado Arbaco Khamiis Jimco Sabti

እሑድ ሰኞ ማክሰኞ ረቡዕ, ሮብ ሐሙስ ዓርብ ቅዳሜ

Amharic
əhud säñño maksäñño räbu, rob hamus arb ḳədame
(Next) (Sunset) (First)
‫)يوم( الث ُّ اَلثاء‬ ‫سبْت‬
َّ ‫)يوم( ال‬
‫)يوم( األحد‬ ‫)يوم( اإلثنين‬ ‫)يوم( ال ُج ْمعاة )يوم( الخ ِاميس )يوم( األ ا ْربعاء‬
(yawm) (yawm)
Arabic (yawm) al- (yawm) al- (yawm) al- (yawm) al- (yawm)
ath- al-jum‘ah as-sabt
aḥad ithnayn ’arbi‘ā’ khamīs
thulāthā’ [♀4] [♄5]

Maltese il-Ħadd it-Tnejn it-Tlieta l-Erbgħa il-Ħamis il-Ġimgħa

[♀4] is-Sibt [♄5]
Malay Ahad Isnin Selasa Rabu Khamis Jumaat [♀4] Sabtu [♄5]
Minggu [☉1]
Indonesian (Portuguese) Senin Selasa Rabu Kamis Jumat [♀4] Sabtu [♄5]
Ahad
Ngahad,
Ngakad, Senèn Selasa Rebo Kemis Jemuwah Setu [♄5]
Javanese [♀4]
Minggu[☉1]
(Portuguese)
Minggu /
Sundanese Senén Salasa Rebo Kemis Jumaah [♀4] Saptu [♄5]
Minggon [☉1]
 (Portuguese)
‫ آدينه‬or
‫سه شنبه‬ ‫پنجشنبه‬ ‫جمعه‬ ‫شنبه‬
‫يکشنبه‬ ‫دوشنبه‬ ‫چهارشنبه‬
sešanbe panjšanbe ādine [♀3] šanbe
yekšanbe došanbe čāhāršanbe
Persian Bahrām Hormazd or djome Keyvān
Mehr ruz Māh ruz Tir ruz [♀4]
ruz ruz ruz
‫مهرروز‬ ‫ماه روز‬ ‫تير روز‬ Nāhid ruz ‫کيوان روز‬
‫بهرام روز‬ ‫هرمزد روز‬
‫ناهيد روز‬
‫☽[دو شمبے‬4] ‫سہ شمبے‬ ‫چار شمبے‬ ‫پچهمبے‬
‫يک شمبے‬ ‫♀[آدينہ‬3] ‫شمبے‬
Khowar du sey char pachhambe
yak shambey adina shambey
shambey shambey shambey y
Kurdish Yekşem Duşem Sêşem Çarşem Pêncşem În Şemî
yetinç
Old Turkic birinç kün ikinç kün üçünç kün törtinç kün beşinç kün altınç kün
kün
Pazartesi Çarşamba Perşembe Cumartesi
Turkish Pazar [☉4] [☽2] Salı [♂4] [☿4] [♃4] Cuma [♀4] [♄4]
Uzbek Yakshanba Dushanba Seshanba Chorshanba Payshanba Juma Shanba
Damóo Damóo Yiką́o
Damóo Damóo dóó
Damóo/Damíi Biiskání dóó dóó Dį́į́ʼ Ndaʼiiníísh Damóo
Navajo Tááʼ Yiką́o It ends/done [upon]
go [☉1]
(Spanish) Sunday has Naakiską́o Sunday +3 × Yiką́ o
ended Sunday +2 × sunrise Sunday +4 × for the week sunrise [it
sunrise sunrise is] Sunday

Days numbered from Monday[edit]

The ISO prescribes Monday as the first day of the week with ISO-8601 for software date
formats.

The Slavic, Baltic and Uralic languages (except Finnish and partially Estonian) adopted
numbering but took Monday rather than Sunday as the "first day".[18] This convention is also
found in some Austronesian languages whose speakers were converted to Christianity by
European missionaries.[19]

In Slavic languages, some of the names correspond to numerals after Sunday: compare Russian
vtornik "Tuesday" and vtoroj "the following", chetverg "Thursday" and chetvertyj "the fourth",
pyatnitsa "Friday" and pyatyj "the fifth"; see also the Notes.

Day Wednesda
Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Number y
Day One Day Two Day Four Day Five Day Six Day Seven
From One Day Three
ISO 8601 # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
понедельни воскресень
суббота
к вторник среда четверг пятница е
Russian subbota
ponedel'nik vtornik sreda [☿1] chetverg pyatnitsa [♄1] voskresen'y
[☽1]
e [☉3]
панядзелак нядзеля
аўторак серада чацвер пятніца субота
Belarusian panyadzelak nyadzelya
[☽1] awtorak serada [☿1] chats'ver pyatnitsa subota [♄1] [☉6]
Ukrainian понедiлок вiвторок середа четвер п'ятниця субота недiля
 ponedilok vivtorok sereda [☿1] chetver p'yatnitsya subota [♄1] nedilya [☉6]
[☽1]

понеделник
вторник сряда четвъртък петък събота неделя
Bulgarian ponedelnik
[☽1] vtornik sryada [☿1]
chetvărtăk petăk săbota [♄1] nedelya [☉6]
poniedziałek niedziela
Polish [☽1] wtorek środa [☿1] czwartek piątek sobota [♄1] [☉6]

Kashubian pòniedzôłk wtórk strzoda czwiôrtk piątk sobòta niedzela

Slovak pondelok [☽1] utorok streda [☿1] štvrtok piatok sobota [♄1]
nedeľa [☉6]
pondělí or úterý or
Czech středa [☿1] čtvrtek pátek sobota [♄1] neděle [☉6]
pondělek [☽1] úterek
ponedeljek
Slovene [☽1] torek sreda [☿1] četrtek petek sobota [♄1] nedelja [☉6]
Bosnian ponedjeljak utorak srijeda četvrtak petak subota nedjelja
ponedjeljak
Croatian [☽1] utorak srijeda [☿1] četvrtak petak subota [♄1] nedjelja [☉6]
понедељак
уторак среда четвртак петак субота недеља
Serbian ponedeljak
[☽1] utorak sreda [☿1] četvrtak petak subota [♄1] nedelja [☉6]
понеделник
Macedonia вторник среда четврток петок сабота недела
ponedelnik
n [☽1] vtornik sreda [☿1] chetvrtok petok sabota [♄1] nedela [☉6]
antradieni ketvirtadieni penktadieni šeštadieni sekmadieni
Lithuanian pirmadienis trečiadienis
s s s s s
Latvian pirmdiena otrdiena trešdiena ceturtdiena piektdiena sestdiena svētdiena
[☿1]
csütörtök péntek szombat
Hungarian hétfő [☽3] kedd [♂2] szerda [♄1] vasárnap [☉5]
Slavic Slavic Slavic Slavic
Estonian esmaspäev teisipäev kolmapäev neljapäev reede laupäev pühapäev
хагас
нэг дэх хоёр дахь гурав дахь дөрөв дэх тав дахь сайн бүтэн сайн
Mongolian
өдөр өдөр өдөр өдөр өдөр өдөр өдөр
(numerical
neg dekh hoyor gurav dahi döröv dekh tav dahi hagas büten sayn
)
ödör dahi ödör ödör ödör ödör sayn ödör ödör [☉7]
[♄7]

Mongolian даваа мягмар лхагва пүрэв баасан бямба ням

(Tibetan) davaa myagmar lhagva pürev baasan byamba nyam
Tich Tich Chieng'
Luo Wuok tich Tich adek Tich abich Juma pil
ariyo ang'uen ngeso
Tok Pisin
(Melanesia mande tunde trinde fonde fraide sarere sande
n Pidgin)
Apma ren bwaleh /
ren karu ren katsil ren kavet ren kalim lesaare sande
(Vanuatu) mande[20]

In Standard Chinese, the week is referred to as the cycle of the stars (Chinese: 星期; pinyin:
Xīngqī). The modern Chinese names for the days of the week are based on a simple numerical
sequence. The word for 'week' (which is literally translated to 'star day') is followed by a number
indicating the day: 'Monday' is literally 'star day one', 'Tuesday' is 'star day two', etc. The
exception is Sunday, where rì (日), meaning 'sun' or 'day', is used instead of a number.[21]

Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Standard 星期一 星期二 星期三 星期四 星期五 星期六 星期日
Chinese Xīngqīyī Xīngqí'èr Xīngqīsān Xīngqīsì Xīngqīwǔ Xīngqīliù Xīngqīrì

Days numbered from Saturday[edit]

In Swahili, the day begins at sunrise rather than sunset, and so are offset by twelve hours from
the Arabic and Hebrew calendar. Saturday is therefore the first day of the week, as it is the day
that includes the first night of the week in Arabic.

Etymologically speaking, Swahili has two "fifth" days. The words for Saturday through
Wednesday contain the Bantu-derived Swahili words for "one" through "five". The word for
Thursday, Alhamisi, is of Arabic origin and means "the fifth" (day). The word for Friday,
Ijumaa, is also Arabic and means (day of) "gathering" for the Friday noon prayers in Islam.

Day
Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Number from
Day One Day Two Day Three Day Four Day Five Day Six Day Seven
One
alhamisi
Swahili[22] jumamosi jumapili jumatatu jumanne jumatano [♃2] ijumaa [♀4]

Mixing of numbering and astronomy[edit]

In the Žejane dialect of Istro-Romanian, lur (Monday) and virer (Friday) follow the Latin
convention, while utorek (Tuesday), sredu (Wednesday), and četrtok (Thursday) follow the
Slavic convention.[23]

Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Istro-
Romanian, dumireca
lur utorek sredu četrtok virer simbota [♄1] [☉1]
Žejane
dialect

There are several systems in the different Basque dialects.[24]

Day: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Saturday Sunday
larunbata
("fourth",
Standard
astelehena asteartea asteazkena osteguna "meeting of
Basque, ostirala
("week- ("week- ("week- ("Ortzi/Sky friends"), igandea
Guipuscoan (see Ortzi)
first") between") last") day") neskenegun
Basque
("girls'
day")
Biscayne astelena martitzena eguaztena eguena barikua zapatua domeka
Basque ("week- ("Mars ("day last") ("day of ("day (compare (from
 first"), ilen day") days", "day without with Latin
("Moon of light") supper"), Spanish Dominica
day") egubakotx sábado from [dies])
Sabbath)

In Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino), which is mainly based on a medieval version of Spanish, the five
days of Monday–Friday closely follow the Spanish names. Sunday uses the Arabic name, which
is based on numbering, because a Jewish language was not likely to adapt a name based on
"Lord's Day" for Sunday. As in Spanish, the Ladino name for Saturday is based on Sabbath.
However, as a Jewish language—and with Saturday being the actual day of rest in the Jewish
community—Ladino directly adapted the Hebrew name, Shabbat.[25]

Day Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Judaeo-
Spanish Alhadh Lunes Martes Miércoles Juğeves Viernes Shabat [♄1]
(Ladino)

See also[edit]

Week wheel for children

 Akan names of the seven-day week, known as Nawotwe

 Bahá'í calendar (section Weekdays)
 Calculating the day of the week
 Week
 Work Week

Notes[edit]
Sunday[edit]
☉1
From Latin Dominicus (Dominica) or Greek Κυριακή (Christian Sabbath)
☉2
Holy Day and First-Day of the Week (Day of the Sun -> Light -> Resurrection -> Born
again)(Christianity)
☉3
Resurrection (Christianity)
☉4
Bazaar Day
☉5
Market Day
☉6
No Work
☉7
Full good day
☉8
Borrowed from English week
☉9
From an Old Burmese word, not of Indic origin.

Monday[edit]
☽1
After No Work. In Russian also "Day After Week(end)" - see понедельник
☽2
After Bazaar
☽3
Head of Week
☽4
Master (as in Pir, because Muhammad was born on a Monday[citation needed])
☽5
From an Old Burmese word, not of Indic origin.

Tuesday[edit]
♂1
Thing (Assembly), of which god Tyr/Ziu was the patron.
♂2
Second day of the week (cf. Hungarian kettő "two")
♂3
Third day of the week.
♂4
From Arabic "ath-Thalaathaaʼ" (third day)

Wednesday[edit]
☿1
Mid-week or Middle
☿2
The First Fast (Christianity)

Thursday[edit]
♃1
The day between two fasts (An Dé idir dhá aoin, contracted to An Déardaoin) (Christianity)
♃2
Five (Arabic)
♃3
Fifth day of the week.

Friday[edit]
♀1
The Fast (Celtic) or Fasting Day (Icelandic) (Christianity)
♀2
Good Friday or Preparation (Christianity)
♀3
Jumu'ah (Muslim Sabbath)
♀4
Gathering/Assembly/Meeting (Islam) – in Malta with no Islamic connotations

Saturday[edit]
♄1
Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath)
♄2
Wash or Bath day
♄3
Sun-eve (Eve of Sunday)
♄4
After the Gathering (Islam)
♄5
End of the Week (Arabic Sabt = Rest)
♄6
Week
♄7
Half good day