Bible Homesteading

Biblical Week

7 Days Ending on the Sabbath

Overview

YHVH created the world in 7 days and rested on the 7th day from all the work which He had done.

For this reason, the Biblical week has 7 days, with the 7th day being the weekly Sabbath – a day of rest.

Our Gregorian calendar marks each of the days with a name based off of pagan gods (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.) but the days of the Biblical Week were simply named by number (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc.) until the end of the week where the 7th day was called the Sabbath (Shabbat).

Working

Torah Requirements

General commandments:

  • The first 6 days of the week are regular days where work may be done, so long as they do not coincide with any appointed time (mo’edim) where servile work is not permitted.
  • The 7th day of the week is the Sabbath (Shabbat), a day of rest where no servile work is to be done.

The Biblical Week in the Torah

Genesis 1:14 And Elohim said, Let light sources be in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night. And let them be for signs and for (Holy day) seasons, and for days and years.
Genesis 1:15 And let them be for light sources in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth. And it was so.
Genesis 1:16 And Elohim made the two great light sources the great light to rule the day, and the small light and the stars to rule the night.
Genesis 1:17 And Elohim set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth,
Genesis 1:18 and to rule over the day and over the night; and to divide between the light and the darkness. And Elohim saw that it was good.

Genesis 2:1 And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
Genesis 2:3 And Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because He rested from all His work on it, which Elohim had created to make.

Exodus 16:11 And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying,
Exodus 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel. Speak to them, saying, Between the evenings you shall eat flesh; and in the morning you shall be satisfied with bread; and you shall know that I am YAHWEH your Elohim.
Exodus 16:13 And it happened in the evening: the quail came up and covered the camp. And in the morning a layer of dew was around the camp.
Exodus 16:14 And the layer of dew went up, and, behold, something small was on the face of the wilderness, scalelike, small like the hoarfrost on the earth.
Exodus 16:15 And the sons of Israel looked. And they said, each one to his brother, What is that? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, That is the bread which YAHWEH has given to you for food.
Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which YAHWEH commanded. Gather from it, each one according to the mouth of his eating; an omer for a head. By the number of your souls you shall take for each man who is in your tent.
Exodus 16:17 And so the sons of Israel did. And they gathered; the one gathering much and the one gathering little.
Exodus 16:18 And they measured with an omer. And the one gathering much did not have too much. And the one gathering little did not have any need. Each one gathered according to the mouth of his eating.
Exodus 16:19 And Moses said to them, Do not let anyone leave from it until morning.
Exodus 16:20 And they did not listen to Moses. And some left from it until morning; and it became rotten with maggots, and stunk. And Moses was angry against them.
Exodus 16:21 And they gathered it in the morning, each one in the morning according to the mouth of his eating. And it melted in the heat of the sun.
Exodus 16:22 And it came about on the sixth day, they gathered double bread, two omers for one. And all the leaders of the congregation came and reported to Moses.
Exodus 16:23 And he said to them, That is what YAHWEH said, Tomorrow is a rest, a holy Sabbath to YAHWEH. What you will bake, bake. And boil what you will boil. And lay up for yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until the morning.
Exodus 16:24 And they laid it up until the morning, as Moses commanded. And it did not stink and no maggot was in it.
Exodus 16:25 And Moses said, Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to YAHWEH. Today you will not find it in the field.
Exodus 16:26 You shall gather it six days, and on the seventh day is a sabbath; in it none shall be found.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (set apart);
Exodus 20:9 six days you shall labor and do all your work;
Exodus 20:10 and the seventh day is a Sabbath to YAHWEH your Elohim; you shall not do any work, you, and your son, and your daughter, your male slave and your slave-girl, and your livestock, and your stranger who is in your gates.
Exodus 20:11 For in six days YAHWEH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all which is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; on account of this YAHWEH blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

Exodus 23:12 You shall do your work six days, and on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your slave-girl and your alien may be refreshed.

Exodus 31:12 And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying,
Exodus 31:13 And you speak to the sons of Israel, charging them, only My Sabbaths you shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you for your generation; to know that I am YAHWEH your sanctifier.
Exodus 31:14 And you shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you; the profaners of it shall sure be executed; for everyone doing work in it, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of his people.
Exodus 31:15 Work may be done six days, and on the seventh day is aSabbath of rest, holy to YAHWEH; everyone doing work on the Sabbath day surely shall be put to death.
Exodus 31:16 And the sons of Israel shall guard the Sabbath, to observe and do the Sabbath for their generations; it is a never ending covenant.
Exodus 31:17 It is a sign forever between Me and the sons of Israel; for in six days YAHWEH made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.
Exodus 31:18 And when He finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of Elohim.

Exodus 34:21 You may work six days, and on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

Exodus 35:1 And Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel and said to them, These are the Words which YAHWEH has commanded, to do them:
Exodus 35:2 Work may be done six days and on the seventh day it shall be holy to you, a Sabbath of rest to YAHWEH; everyone doing work in it surely shall die.
Exodus 35:3 You shall not kindle a fire in all your dwellings on the day of the Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:3 Work is to be done six days, and on the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of rest, a holy gathering; you shall do no work; it is a Sabbath to YAHWEH in all your dwellings.

Deuteronomy 5:12 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Set apart), as YAHWEH your Elohim has commanded you.
Deuteronomy 5:13 Six days you shall labor, and shall do all your work,
Deuteronomy 5:14 and the seventh day shall be a Sabbath to YAHWEH your Elohim. You shall not do any work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male slave, nor your female slave, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger that is within your gates; so that your male slave and your female slave may rest like yourself.
Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and YAHWEH your Elohim brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm. On account of this YAHWEH your Elohim has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Jewish Traditions

Days of the Week

The Jewish people list the days of the week as follows:

  • Sunday – First (Rishon)
  • Monday – Second (Sheni)
  • Tuesday – Third (Shlishi)
  • Wednesday – Fourth (Revi’i)
  • Thursday – Fifth (Chamishi)
  • Friday – Sixth (Shishi)
  • Saturday – Stopped (Shabbat)

More details on the Jewish traditions surrounding the Jewish calendar can be found here at Chabad.org.