noun · neuter
sabbatem
Strong’sG4521
the Sabbath, a week
stem sabbat-68 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books5 of 6 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
The word refers to the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week set apart as a day of rest 1234. It appears in both a singular form and a plural form that is also used to mean the single day, a usage explained by the way the Aramaic word for Sabbath was mistaken for a plural in Greek 13. Strong's adds that it can denote not only the day itself but also the observance or institution of resting from ordinary work 2.
The word can also mean a week, the seven-day period, especially the stretch between one Sabbath and the next 1234. In this sense it is used in phrases like "the first day of the week" or "twice a week" 13.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
† σάββατον, -ου, τό (Aram. שַׁבָּתָא, transliterated σάββατα, and this being mistaken for a pl., the sing. σάββατον was formed from it), and σάββατα, -ων, τά
[in LXX for שַׁבָּת, שַׁבָּתוֹן;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4521 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidsab'-bat-on
the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension, a se'nnight, i.e. the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications
Fromof Hebrew origin ();
King Jamessabbath (day), week.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
the Hebrew Refs (δηλοῖ δὲ ἀνάπαυσιν.. τὸ ὄνομα NT+1st c.AD+: frequently in plural of the single day, NT+3rd c.BC+; ἡ ἡμέρα τῶν σ. LXX+NT+1st c.AD+, frequently with variant{σαββάτοις}; but σάββασι is certain in Refs 1st c.BC+
2 period of seven days, week, εἰς μίαν σαββάτων toward the first day of the week, NT; τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σNT; δὶς τοῦ σ. NT
3 Σαβάτ, the LXX
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject or object direct | sabbatem5×σάββατον | sabbateim |
| of, belonging to genitive | sabbateu13×σαββάτου | sabbateiu11×σαββάτων |
| to, for dative | sabbate16×σαββάτῳ | sabbatei13×σάββασιν |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
sabbate is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
68 occurrences, every one of them listed
sabbatem“sabbath”subject or objectdirect singular5×
Mark 2:27kai legate autoi; Tem sabbatem dia ton anthrōpon geneta kai ouk …Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man …
Luke 23:54kai hēmeras ate paraskevau, kai sabbatem epifōskate.It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning.
John 5:9… krabatton autou kai peripatate. Ate de sabbatem en ekeina ta hēmera.… walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
John 5:10legale oun tois Ioudaiois to therapeuorēnto; Sabbatem atō, kai ouk exestinatō si airara …… had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to …
John 9:14ate de sabbatem en ha hēmera ton pēlon poiata …… and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.
sabbateu“sabbath”of, belonging togenitive singular13×
Matthew 12:8kurios gar atō teu sabbateu tos huios tou anthrōpou.… of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:28… tos huios tou anthrōpou kai teu sabbateu.… Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 6:2kai generanteu sabbateu archeta didaskarō en ta sunagōga; kai …When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in …
Mark 16:1Kai diageneranteu teu sabbateu Marias tas Magdalēnas kai Marias tas …When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the …
Mark 16:9Anastēarantos de prōi prōta sabbateu fanita prōtem Maria ta Magdalēna, para …… on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen, He appeared …
Luke 6:5kai legate autoi; Kurios atō teu sabbateu tos huios tou anthrōpou.… of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 13:14… therapeuovōr kai mē ta hēmera teu sabbateu.… those days and not on the Sabbath.”
Luke 13:16… tou desmou houtou ta hēmera teu sabbateu?… released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”
Luke 14:5… eutheōs anaspati auton en hēmera teu sabbateu?… falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him …
Luke 18:12nēsteuamō dis teu sabbateu, apodekatamō panteim hoseim ktomō.I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that …
John 19:31… gar megas tas hēmeras ekeineu teu sabbateu, erōtala ton Pilaton hina kateagileia autoiu …… remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have …
Acts 1:12… kalorōnteu Elaiōnou, hem atō engus Ierousalēm sabbateu echarōntem hodan.… which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
1 Corinthians 16:2kata henan sabbateu hekastos vu para heauto tithatōr thēsaurizarōntos …On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside …
sabbate“sabbath”to, fordative singular16×
Matthew 12:2… poialō hem ouk exestinatō poiarō en sabbate.… doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 24:20… geneteia tas fugas vu cheimōnou mēde sabbate;… in the winter or on the Sabbath.
Luke 6:1Geneta de en sabbate diaporeuorō auton dia sporimeiu, kai tillale …One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields …
Luke 6:6Geneta de en hetere sabbate eiserchara auton eis tan sunagōgan kai …On another Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and was …
Luke 6:7… kai tois Farisaiois ei en te sabbate therapeuatō, hina heuriskaleia katēgorarō autou.… if He would heal on the Sabbath.
Luke 6:9… autoin; Eperōtamō vin, ei exestinatō te sabbate agathopoiara ē kakopoiara, psuchan sōzara ē …… you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do …
Luke 13:14… de tos archisunagōgos, aganaktarōntos hoti te sabbate therapeuata tos Iēsus, legate to ochlo …… that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work …
Luke 13:15… kai legata; Hupokritoir, hekastos vu te sabbate ouk luatō ton bouon autou ē …… not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from …
Luke 14:1… oikon tinou toiu archontoiu toiu Farisaioiu sabbate esthiara arton kai autois ale paratērorōntois …One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the …
Luke 14:3… nomikoin kai Farisaioin legarōntos; Exestinatō te sabbate therapeuara ē ou?… it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
John 5:16… ton Iēsun hoti houteim poiate en sabbate.… was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.
John 7:22… alla ek toiu patroiu kai en sabbate peritemavō anthrōpon.… you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses …
John 7:23ei peritoman labatō anthrōpos en sabbate hina mē luiteia tos nomos Mōusou, …… boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses …
John 7:23… hoti holon anthrōpon hugion poiama en sabbate?… the whole man well on the Sabbath?
John 19:31… tou staurou teim sōmeim en te sabbate, ate gar megas tas hēmeras ekeineu …… the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would …
Acts 13:44Te de erchorōnte sabbate schedōs pantas tas polas sunagita akouara …On the following Sabbath, nearly the whole city gathered to …
sabbateiu“week”of, belonging togenitive plural11×
Matthew 28:1Opse de sabbateiu, ta epifōskarōnta eis henan sabbateiu, erchata …After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day …
Matthew 28:1… de sabbateiu, ta epifōskarōnta eis henan sabbateiu, erchata Mariam tas Magdalēnas kai tas …… on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary …
Mark 16:2kai liōs prōi ta hena teiu sabbateiu ercholō epi tem mnēmeiem anatellarantou tou …… on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to …
Luke 4:16… eiōtharēntem auto en ta hēmera teiu sabbateiu eis tan sunagōgan, kai anastēata anagnōskara.… He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to …
Luke 24:1ta de hena teiu sabbateiu orthrou bathuou epi tem mnēmem erchala …On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the …
John 20:1Ta de hena teiu sabbateiu Marias tas Magdalēnas erchotō prōi skotiau …… on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary …
John 20:19… opsēau ta hēmera ekeina ta hena sabbateiu, kai taiu thuraiu kleiorēntaiu hopou ale …… was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the …
Acts 13:14… eis tan sunagōgan ta hēmera teiu sabbateiu kathizala.… they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.
Acts 16:13ta tē hēmera teiu sabbateiu exerchana exō tau pulau para potamon …On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate …
Acts 20:7En de ta hena teiu sabbateiu sunagorēntoiu nu klara arton tos Paulos …On the first day of the week we came together to break bread …
Colossians 2:16“sabbath day”… en mere heortau ē noumēniau ē sabbateiu,… feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.
sabbatei“sabbath”to, fordative plural13×
Matthew 12:1… to kairo poreuita tos Iēsus tei sabbatei dia teiu sporimeiu; tois de mathētois …… went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began …
Matthew 12:5… anagnōskava en to nomo hoti tei sabbatei tois hierevois en te hiere tem …… in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break …
Matthew 12:10… eperōtala auton legarōntois; Ei exestinatō tei sabbatei therapeuarō? hina katēgoraleia autou.… it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
Matthew 12:11… henem, kai ean empiptateia houtem tei sabbatei eis bothunon, ouchi kratati autem kai …… falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of …
Matthew 12:12… diaferatō anthrōpos probateu. hōste exestinatō tei sabbatei kalōs poiarō.… lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Mark 1:21… eisporeuolō eis Kafarnaoum. kai euthuos tei sabbatei didaskate eis tan sunagōgan.… Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.
Mark 2:23Kai geneta auton en tei sabbatei paraporeuorō dia teiu sporimeiu, kai tois …One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields …
Mark 2:24… legale auto; Ide tinem poialō tei sabbatei hem ouk exestinatō?… doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Mark 3:2kai paratērale auton ei tei sabbatei therapeuati auton, hina katēgoraleia autou.… if He would heal on the Sabbath.
Mark 3:4kai legatō autoi; Exestinatō tei sabbatei agathopoiara ē kakopoiara, psuchan sōzara ē …… them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do …
Luke 4:31… kai ate didaskarōntos autoin en tei sabbatei;… town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
Luke 6:2… Tinem poiavō hem ouk exestinatō tei sabbatei?… doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Luke 13:10… en hena taiu sunagōgaiu en tei sabbatei.One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of …
sabbatem9×
Matthew 12:5… tois hierevois en te hiere tem sabbatem bebēlalō kai anaitiois alō?… priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
Mark 2:27… kai ouk tos anthrōpos dia tem sabbatem;… for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Luke 23:56… arōmeim kai mureim. Kai tem men sabbatem hēsuchazala kata tan entolan,… perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment.
John 5:18… apoktenara hoti ouk monem luate tem sabbatem, alla kai patron idion legate ton …… Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God …
John 9:16… para theou tos anthrōpos, hoti tem sabbatem ouk tēratō. allosois legale; Pōs dunotō …… for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a …
Acts 13:27… fōnain toiu profētoiu tain kata pantem sabbatem anagnōskorōntain krinarantois plērala,… the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
Acts 13:42… de autoiu parakalale eis tem metaxu sabbatem lalira autoi teim rēmeim houteim.… continue this message on the next Sabbath.
Acts 15:21… echatō en tai sunagōgai kata pantem sabbatem anagnōskorōntos.… read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Acts 18:4… de en ta sunagōga kata pantem sabbatem, peithate tē Ioudaioin kai Hellēnoin.Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying …
sabbateim1×
Acts 17:2“sabbath days”… Paulo eiserchata pros autoin kai epi sabbateim treis dialegeta autoi apo taiu grafaiu,… his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,