Topics  The Living Words
The Living Words: Sabbath
This article is an xcerpt from Mr. Benner's book The Living Words.
| Six days you will serve (avad) and do all your business (melakah). Exodus 20:9 |
In this verse are the words עבד avad [H:5647], meaning serve, and מלאכה melakhah [H:4399], meaning business. Just as God did his business in six days, he directs Israel to do the same.
| But the seventh day is the shabbat of Yahweh your Elohiym, you will not do any business... Exodus 20:10 |
The word שבת shabbat [H:7676] is always transliterated as "sabbath" and most assume it is simply a name for the day of the week and are unaware this word has a meaning. It is derived from the verb שבת shavat [H:7673] meaning "to cease or stop." The noun shabbat is a time of ceasing and, as stated in the above verse, the seventh day is a time for ceasing business. This verse also states it is the "shabbat of Yahweh Elohiym" in reference to Genesis 2:2.
| And Elohiym finished his business which he did on the seventh day and he ceased (shavat) in the seventh day from all his business which he did. |
The word "ceased" in this passage is the verb shavat , the root of the word shabbat.
We previously studied the Hebrew verb שוב shuv [H:7725], meaning "to turn." The parent root to this word is שב shav and would have been written as   in the ancient pictographic script. The , a picture of teeth (The name of the letter is shin and is derived from the word שן sheyn [H:8127] meaning tooth.), represents the idea of pressing as when pressing on food with the teeth when chewing. The is a picture of the nomadic tent. When combined, these mean to "press to the tent/house" or "return." This parent root is also the root of the word שבת shabbat [H:7676] with the letter ת. This letter is written as  in the pictographic script and represents a sign or mark (The name of the letter is tav and is derived from the word תו tav [H:8420] meaning mark.) as well as a covenant.
| Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Exodus 31:16,17 (ASV) |
On the seventh day, Israel "returns () to the covenant ()."
Related Pages by Jeff A. Benner
 | | The Living Words (Book)
A study of Hebrew words in the Old and New Testament from their original Hebraic perspective. |
 | | The Living Words: Perfect (Article)
Excerpt from Mr. Benner's Book "The Living Words" and examining the Hebrew word for perfect. |
|
