What does the article or lack of article mean?
The post below is a collection from different sources over time before coming here and not completely my work and part of my old notes when researching sabbatismos and historical use. I have tried to add as much of the sources as possible.
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https://linguistics.stackexchange.c...ogy-of-the-greek-word-σαββατισμός-sabbatismos
"Sabbat-ismos "sabbathism, sabbathisation, sabbathising" are deverbal nouns, arising from the verb
sabbatizo "to act in a way associated with the/a Sabbath", i.e. "to observe the Sabbath". Ancient Greek nouns could be definite or indefinite in the absence of an explicit definite article: the definite article develops only gradually in ancient Greek, and even in Koine there are contexts where Greek does not use a definite article and English would. But without a definite article, the default
assumption would be indefinite.
In Greek the article is never attached to the noun or adjective. In this form it often coincide with the vocative case but for these nouns (sabbatismos) it's an exception and is nominative without article. When found in this form it implies an indefinite article but not a number (that is in English it would be a but not one since in Greece it's just one word therefore the literal definition of sabbatismos is to the keeping of the Sabbath.
So would it be the equivalent of a deverbal noun or gerund in English? Would it be "keeping the Sabbath" Yes! because the meaning is already around in ancient Greek preceding it's use which we will discuss next. (because the underlying verb suffix means "act in a matter associated with", and can mean "be a partisan of"). The point of the noun suffix is to make the verb into an action noun." (
Stack Exchange)
Lets look at a few more references and use it's historical uses.
The translation for "Keeping Sabbath" comes from the Greek word that is used in Hebrews 4:9, σαββατισμός, pronounced
sabbatismos, which is a noun form that means Sabbath rest, Sabbath (keeping) observance (Arndt and Gingrich,
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).
This definition of the Greek word σαββατισμός
sabbatismos is confirmed by other historical works: The words 'keeping sabbath' or sabbath rest is translated from the GK noun
sabbatismos, [and is] a unique word in the NT.
This term appears also in Plutarch (
Superset. 3 [Moralia 166a]) for sabbath observance or keeping, and in four post-canonical Christian writings which are not dependent on Heb. 4:9 (
The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 5, p. 856).
The Greek word, σαββατισμός
sabbatismos, is a noun. The verb form of the word is σαββατίζω
sabbatizo, which means to keep the Sabbath (Arndt and Gingrich,
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).
This definition of σαββατίζω
Sabbatizo is confirmed by its use in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament which dates from third century BC. It is called the Septuagint, meaning Seventy because the first five books were translated by seventy scholars who were Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria, Egypt. Jews used the Septuagint in synagogues throughout the Roman empire, and by the Greek-speaking Jewish and Gentile coverts in the early New Testament church. The apostle Paul quotes extensively from the Septuagint in his epistle to the Hebrews. When Paul used the Greek word σαββατισμός
sabbatismos in Hebrews 4:9, he knew that the meaning of this word was well known to the Greek-speaking believers of that day. The verb form σαββατίζω,
sabbatizo was used in the Septuagint which was as familiar to the Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles of New Testament times as the King James Bible is to Christians today.
The use of the verb σαββατίζω
sabbatizo in Leviticus 23:32 in the Septuagint leaves no room to mistake its meaning. The
Greek English Lexicon of the Septuagint defines σαββατίζω
sabbatizo as to keep sabbath, to rest (Lust, Eynikel, Hauspie). The English translation of this verse in the Septuagint reads: It [the Day of Atonement] shall be a holy sabbath [literally, a Sabbath of Sabbaths] to you; and ye shall humble your souls, from the ninth day of the month: from evening to evening shall ye keep your sabbaths (
The Septuagint With the Apocrypha, Brenton).
The phrase shall ye keep your sabbaths is translated from the Greek phrase σαββατιείτε τα σάββατα
sabbatieite ta sabbata, which literally means, You shall sabbathize the Sabbaths. The form of the Greek verb σαββατίζω
sabbatizo is the second person plural σαββατιείτε
sabbatieite, which means, ye shall keep. Since the verb sabbathize, means to keep the Sabbath, this verb is a special verb that also relates to and defines Sabbath-keeping, for God’s command for the land Sabbath every seven years. In the entire Septuagint, the verb σαββατίζω
sabbatizo is never used to define the keeping of anything else. Rather, it is always used in relation to Sabbath-keeping and Sabbath-keeping only. In keeping with this definition, the KJV translates σαββατιείτε
sabbatieite, this way: shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
There is no question that the Greek verb σαββατίζω
sabbatizo in Leviticus 23:32 is specifically referring to Sabbath observance. This meaning applies equally to the noun form σαββατισμός
sabbatismos, which we find in Paul’s epistle to Hebrews. The fact that Paul used the Septuagint translation in this epistle confirms that the meaning word σαββατισμός
sabbatismos, in Hebrews 4:9, is in complete accord with the meaning of σαββατιείτε τα σάββατα
sabbatieite ta sabbata, in Leviticus 23:32. Clearly Paul is upholding the observance of the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week in Hebrews 4:9.
Hope this is helpful
Yes. What did I post to you. How did you interpret it?
