Although Christians may have differing beliefs on various matters, one thing they generally agree on is the importance of having a day of rest in the Christian life. But which day should we observe as the day of rest? Do we decide? What does the Bible say?

In Genesis 2:2-3, it is mentioned that God rested on the seventh day after completing His work of creation. This day was blessed and made holy by God, establishing the concept of Sabbath, which means “rest.” Exodus 20:10 further confirms that the seventh day is dedicated to the Lord as a Sabbath.

Interestingly, many cultures and languages reflect in their customs a day of rest on the seventh day of the week. The term for the seventh day in various languages, even unrelated to ancient Hebrew, translates to “rest day.” Over 100 languages worldwide still refer to Saturday as the “Sabbath” and recognize it as a day of rest.

It’s important also to note that the concept of Sabbath predates Judaism. Throughout thousands of years, the Jewish people have consistently observed the seventh day Sabbath, regardless of calendar changes. Even with adjustments made to the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII, the sequential order of the days of the week remained intact.

In Exodus 16, we read about the weekly miracles associated with the Sabbath over a period of forty years. God reaffirmed the observance of the Sabbath at Sinai (Exodus 20:8-11), and the Jewish people continued to observe the seventh day Sabbath during the time of Jesus. Jesus Himself observed the Sabbath (Luke 4:16; 23:54, 56; 24:1) until His death, which is described in Luke as happening on the day before the Sabbath.

Luke’s account also mentions that the women who followed Jesus rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. The next day, on the first day of the week (Sunday), they discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead. Christians commemorate this event through the celebration of Easter. The day between Jesus’ death and resurrection, on which the women rested, had to be Saturday.

Scripture clearly portrays God designating the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath, and throughout biblical history, His followers celebrated it as such. If it hasn’t been changed, the seventh day remains the Sabbath. So why do many people today observe Sunday instead of Saturday? This is a question that invites further exploration and understanding.

The chart highlights the widespread presence of the Sabbath concept and the recognition of the seventh day as a day of rest in various ancient and modern languages. Even in languages predating the Hebrew race, such as Babylonian, the seventh day was referred to as “sabaton,” meaning “rest day.” This demonstrates that the biblical Sabbath is not limited to Judaism alone.

It is fascinating to observe that the word “Sabbath” and the practice of resting on the seventh day (Saturday) are found in numerous languages throughout history. This suggests that God’s seventh-day Sabbath predates Judaism. Cultures spanning from Babylon to the present day have acknowledged and observed a holy day of rest on Saturday.

When examining languages globally, two important observations emerge. Firstly, the majority of major languages designate the last day of the week as the “Sabbath.” Secondly, no language designates any other day as the “day of rest.” These findings suggest that not only those who referred to the last day of the week as the “Sabbath,” but also all other people and races who recognized a day of rest, observed it on the seventh day. It is worth noting that historian, So omen recorded that during his time, the entire known world, except for Rome and Alexandria, observed the seventh day of the week.

Socrates, in his “Ecclesiastical History,” Book 7, chapter 19, wrote: “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria.”

An intriguing observation is that the original words used in different languages to refer to the seventh day of the week as the “Sabbath” have remained remarkably similar over time. Meanwhile, other words have undergone significant changes, becoming unintelligible across different language groups. This further supports the notion that the concept of Sabbath and the specific terms used to signify the seventh day of the week as the “Sabbath day” originated from Creation, aligning with the biblical account found in Genesis 2:1-3.