The Study Series: eis mian sabbaton

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, 

a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 

rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2 :15

 

"Now let us see if this day on which they came to the sepulcher is also called "the Sabbath," as the new critics so lustily assert. The words on which they make this claim, as will be seen by the foregoing translation, are "eis mian sabbaton." 

 

Let us analyze this construction:-

Eis is simply a preposition meaning to, toward, or into. It is regularly followed by the accusative case, as we have in the following word

"mian," which is in the accusative.  

 

Mian is an adjective, from the nominative masculine heis, which is the first of the cardinal numbers, meaning "one." (By a Hebraism it is here used as an ordinal, signifying "first.") Adjectives in Greek have a declension the same as nouns; and a difference in gender, number, and case, is indicated by a change of form the same as with nouns. A Presentation of the declension of the numeral adjective "one," in the singular number, will show the reader at once where the form "mian" is found.  

 

From this the reader will see that the form mian is found only in that column which marks the feminine gender, and in the line which gives the accusative case. Therefore we say of mian, that it is a numeral adjective, feminine gender, singular number, and accusative case. There must be some noun, either expressed or understood, with which it agrees, and that must be a noun of the feminine gender, singular number, and accusative case, which caused the
adjective to be so written; for adjectives must agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case.
 

One word more remains to be considered, and that is Sabbaton a word which our translators render "of the week," but which the new critics say should be called "Sabbath," because it is the word which is generally translated "Sabbath."
 

There are two different words rendered "Sabbath" in the New Testament. The first is sabbaton (short "o" in last syllable), a noun of the second declension; the second is a form in the dative plural, sabbasi, as if from the nominative sabbat, which would be a noun of the third declension. But both words are of the neuter gender.

 
The word generally used in the New Testament is sabbaton in some of its forms; and it is used both in the singular and the plural; but when it is used in the plural form (with the exception of such passages as Acts 17:2 and Col.2:16, where it has a plural signification), it means just the same as if it had been written
in the singular. (See Robinson's Greek Lexicon.) The forms for the nominative and genitive, in the singular and plural, are the following: nominative singular, sabbaton, genitive singular, sabbatou; nominative plural sabbata, genitive plural, sabbaton. 

The reader will note that the genitive plural is distinguished by having the long "o," omega, in the last syllable instead of the short "o" as in the nominative singular.

 
In what case and number is the word in Matt.28:1? - It is in the genitive case, plural number, and so it is in every one of the eight texts where the first day of the week is named, except Mark 16:9, where it is in the genitive singular (sabbatou).

What is the relation indicated by the genitive case? 

It shows that relation which is expressed in English by the word "of," so that whatever definition we give to sabbaton, it must be, "of the Sabbath;" if we call it "week," it must be, "of the week."
 

Now what must be the definition of sabbaton in the case before us? If we say it is "Sabbath," meaning just one  day, then we have the expression, "the first of the Sabbath." The first what of the
Sabbath? It cannot be translated "the first Sabbath;" for, as we have seen, the word "of" must come in before the word "Sabbath;" and further, the adjective mian (by a Hebraism used as an ordinal, the first) cannot belong to Sabbath; for it does not agree with it in any particular, mian being of the feminine gender, singular number, and accusative case, while sabbaton is of the neuter gender, plural number, and genitive case!

 
Before following sabbaton farther, let us dispose of mian, and our way will then be still clearer. There is no word expressed with which the adjective mian agrees, hence there must be some word understood, and to be supplied, to bring out the full sense of the passage. What can that word be? There is only one which can be supplied, and that is hemeran, accusative singular of the feminine
noun hemera, "day." 

Hence Greenfield in his Greek Testament, after the adjective
"first," in all the eight texts, refers to the margin where he says, "Supply hemera [day]." 

So in all these passages we have "first day' as a fixed fact; but first day of what?
We now come back to sabbaton, which we are gravely told means "Sabbath" in these passages. Then we have "the first day of the Sabbath," but as the Sabbath consists of only one day, we have "the first day of one day"! We have charity enough for our friends to believe that this is greater nonsense than even they will be willing to father; but they must accept it, or abandon their position.
 

As it must now be apparent to all that we cannot give to sabbaton in these passages the definition of "Sabbath," the question remains as to how it shall be translated. Does it ever mean "week," referring to the whole seven days? and can it mean so here? If it can, then all difficulty is removed, the Greek which Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul have given us is vindicated, and a clear and intelligible idea is expressed; namely, "the first day of the week."

 

Looking in the lexicons, under the word sabbaton, we find the following definitions:-
Greenfield, in his New Testament Lexicon, defines it first as, "the Sabbath, the seventh day, singular and plural," and secondly, "a period of seven days, a week, singular and plural. Matt.28:1; Mark 16:9, et al," etc.

Bagster's Greek Lexicon says: "Properly, cessation from labor, rest; the Jewish Sabbath, both in the sing. and pl.; a week, sing. and pl. Matt.28:1; Mark 16:9, et al."

The Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, article "Week," says:-
"The enumeration of the days of the week commenced at Sunday. Saturday was the last or seventh, and was the Hebrew Sabbath, or day of rest. The Egyptians gave to the days of the week the same names that they assigned to the planets. From the circumstance that the Sabbath was the principal day of the week, the whole period of seven days was likewise called shabat, in Syriac shabta, in the N.T. sabbaton and sabbata. The Jews, accordingly, in designating
the successive days of the week, were accustomed to say, The first day of the Sabbath (that is, of the week), the second day of the Sabbath; that is Sunday, Monday, etc. Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:9; John 20:1,19."
Young, in his new Concordance, under the word "Week," says:-
"A week (from Sabbath to Sabbath) sabbata." He then refers to Matt.28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1Cor.16:2. Again he says:- "A week (from Sabbath to Sabbath) sabbaton," and then refers to Mark 16:9 and Luke 18:12.

 

But one more query can arise on this subject; namely, inasmuch as the same word, and the same form of it (sabbaton,) is used to signify both the Sabbath and the week, how is it to be determined when it has the signification of "week"? 

The answer is, Whenever it is preceded by a numeral adjective specifying the day of the week, and agreeing with "day," understood. Whenever sabbaton is used in such a construction, following such an adjective, it cannot with any sense be translated by any other word than "week." And this is exactly the construction we
find in every one of the eight first-day texts. So easy is it to tell why it should be so translated and when." 

Uriah Smith