LoveGodsWord said:
↑ Actually no. Hebrew 4 is talking about God's 4th commandments Sabbath.
HEBREWS 4:9 THEREFORE IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
Your response here...
That’s not what it means. Try reading some scholarship on that passage:
It means here “a resting,” or an observance of sacred repose - and refers undoubtedly to heaven, as a place of eternal rest with God. It cannot mean the rest in the land of Canaan - for the drift of the writer is to prove that that is “not” intended.
It cannot mean the “Sabbath,” properly so called - for then the writer would have employed the usual word σάββατον sabbaton - “Sabbath.”
It cannot mean the Christian Sabbath - for the object is not to prove that there is such a day to be observed, and his reasoning about being excluded from it by unbelief and by hardening the heart would be irrelevant.
It must mean, therefore, “heaven” - the world of spiritual and eternal rest; and the assertion is, that there “is” such a “resting,” or “keeping of a Sabbath” in heaven for the people of God. Hence, learn:
(1) That heaven is a place of cessation from wearisome toil. It is to be like the “rest” which God had after the work of creation (Heb 4:4, note), and of which that was the type and emblem
Hmmm... nope! That is exactly what it means...
HEBREWS 4:9 THEREFORE IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
Go look them up...
The Aramaic translation says in
HEBREWS 4:9 THEREFORE IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH
Most of the other translations use...
HEBREWS 4:9 THERE REMAINS A SABBATH REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD (also good)
Which ever translation you want to use whether Greek or Aramaic it still works out the same. "There still remains a Sabbath rest/Sabbath keeping (Sabbatismos is the verbal noun for
keeping the Sabbath).
The Greek of
Hebrews 4:9 is...
HEBREWS 4:9 άρα απολείπεται
σαββατισμός τω λαώ του θεού (ABPi)
The highlighted part of the Greek above is the Greek Word
sabbatismos
Let's now look at the Greek Dictionaries, and Lexicons for word meaning and applications so you can see I am not reading into the scripture what the scripture does not say. The root word of sabbatismos is from sabbaton (Translated Sabbath in the Greek).
Let’s look at the meaning of Sabbatismos…
Strongs Concordence
SABBATISMOS: a sabbath rest; Original Word: σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ; Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine; Transliteration: sabbatismos; Phonetic Spelling: (sab-bat-is-mos') Short Definition: a Sabbath rest; Main Definition:
a keeping of the Sabbath, a Sabbath rest.
Abbot Smiths Greek Lexicon of the New Testament
*†σαββατισμός, -οῦ, ὁ (<σαββατίζω, TO KEEP THE SABBATH, Exo 16:30, al.),
A KEEPING SABBATH, A SABBATH REST: metaph., as in Mishna (Zorell, s.v.), Heb 4:9.†
BDAG
σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ (σαββατίζω; Plut., Mor. 166a cj.; Just., D. 23, 3)
sabbath rest, sabbath observance fig. Hb 4:9 a special period of rest for God’s people modeled after the traditional sabbath (CBarrett, CHDodd Festschr. ’56, 371f [eschat.]).—S. on κατάπαυσις HWeiss, CBQ 58, ’96, 674–89. M-M. TW.
The Anchor Bible Dictionary
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).
Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
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. 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. The Greek word, σαββατισμός
sabbatismos, is a noun.
The verbal form of the word is σαββατίζω sabbatizo, which means to keep the Sabbath
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.
And there you have it. Clearly, the Sabbath is still very much valid today, and to say that we no longer have to keep it holy, because Jesus is our Sabbath rest, is dangerous and foolish and is simply not biblical as the only definition of God's 4th commandment "SABBATH" is "THE SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK" *Exodus 20:10; Matthew 12:8.
Now that is enough for GREEK Word meaning as this does not determine complete definition without it's application to CHAPTER CONTEXT surrounding HEBREWS 4:9. So let's look at the surronding CONTEXT in HEBREWS 4:1-11
HEBREWS 4:1-11
[1], Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into
HIS REST, any of you should seem to come short of it.
[2], For to us was the gospel preached, as well as to them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
[3], For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into
MY REST: ALTHOUGH THE WORKS WERE FINISHED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
[4],
FOR HE SPOKE IN A CERTAIN PLACE (GENSIS 2:1-3) OF THE SEVENTH DAY ON THIS WISE, AND GOD DID REST THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS.
[5], And in this place again, If they shall enter into
MY REST.
NOTE: CONTEXT is
God's REST from the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH REST OF CREATION (v4-5) and those who BELIEVE and FOLLOW GOD's WORD enter into God's SABBATH REST as GOD did on the SEVENTH DAY of the week. CONTEXT is GOD's SEVENTH DAY SABBATH REST and those who BELIEVE AND FOLLOW GOD'S WORD enter into that rest which God's WORD defines as the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH which is GOD'S REST! Let's continue...
6], Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
[7], Again, he limits a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
[8], For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
[9],
SO THEN IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
Hebrews 4,
verse 9: “There remains therefore a SABBATH
rest to the people of God.” In
verses 1,
3,
4 and
8, the Greek word for “rest” is
katapausin. It means “rest.” But in
verse 9, the Greek word for “rest” is
sabbatismos, which is a Hebrew word—
Sabbat, which means “the Sabbath”—combined with a Greek suffix—
ismos, which means “a keeping of” or “a doing of.” Put together,
sabbatismo means “a keeping of the Sabbath.” When correctly translated,
Hebrews 4:9 should read, “There remains therefore a
keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God.”
[10], For he that is entered into
HIS REST (v9 God's SABBATH REST), he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
[11], LET US LABOR THEREFORE TO ENTER INTO THAT REST (God's SEVENTH DAY SABBATH REST), lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (
HEBREWS 3).
.............
CONCLUSION:
HEBREWS 4 is talking about the Gospel rest of BELIEVING and FOLLOWING God's WORD; v29 Learn of me; v30 my burden (doing) is light. This agrees with
Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
HEBREWS 4:1-11 is in reference to GOD'S REST which God's WORD defines is the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH which is the CONTEXT shown in
HEBREWS 4:1-5.
HEBREWS 4 therefore with context added is saying that no one enter God's Sabbath rest if they do not BELIEVE AND FOLLOW God's WORD.
Hope this helps.