First Day of the Week...

[visionary]

The expression 'first day of the week' is found in the following verses;

Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1Cor 16:2.

Of these references, those found in the four gospels refer specifically to
the day Christ rose from the dead. Acts 20:7 refers to a day Paul taught at
Troas and 1Cor 16:2 refers to when a provision for the saints in Jerusalem
was to be set aside.

The proper translation of the Greek is 'first of the sabbaths'. This text could in effect be translated in a number of ways without totally destroying its meaning;

'first of the weeks'
or 'first of day of the sabbaths'
or 'first of day of the weeks'.


What does destroy the meaning is the rendering of the word 'sabbaths' in the singular form as either 'Sabbath' or 'week'. This is because the Old Testament describes a specific period of the year as the time of the 'sabbaths' or 'weeks'.


NB: All the above 'first day of the week' verses reflect the same Greek text, except for Mark 16:9 reads 'foremost sabbath'. This might at first lead one to believe that Christ rose on a Sabbath day. However, as can be seen from Luke 18:12, the word 'sabbath' is sometimes used in the New Testament to refer to a 'week'. Rendering the Greek as 'foremost week', suggests the first of several weeks as in First Fruits with is a sabbath starting point for the seven weeks before Pentecost which is also called a Sabbath, a feast of weeks sabbaths.

 

[visionary]

We notice in the Old Testament that there existed a period of 7 weeks.

Deut 16:9 You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks ...

This seven week period was followed by the annual celebration called the 'Feast of Weeks'. In the New Testament this feast is known by the name 'Pentecost'.

The name Feast of Weeks was in recognition of the passing of 7 weeks. In the New Testament the name Pentecost was in recognition of this feast, being held on the day following the completion of the 7 weeks,
ie the 50th day.

I am building up to why this is important to understand the meaning of the "first day" of the "Week"

 

[visionary]

The day which initiated the period of the counting of 7 weeks, and also the 50 days, was the day the wave sheaf offering was presented.

Lev 23:15 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.

The sheaf of the wave offering day is "the first day of Sabbath [week]s"

 

[BobRyan]

The expression 'first day of the week' is found in the following verses;

Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1Cor 16:2.

Of these references, those found in the four gospels refer specifically to
the day Christ rose from the dead. Acts 20:7 refers to a day Paul taught at
Troas and 1Cor 16:2 refers to when a provision for the saints in Jerusalem
was to be set aside.

The proper translation of the Greek is 'first of the sabbaths'.

Not according to most Greek scholars. Greek is heavily context sensitive in terms of meaning a "high context" language.

so for example "fasting twice a week" is not "fasting twice a Sabbath"

Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

This is why "it just so happens" that the Bible translations get this detail right.

 

[visionary]

The English phrase 'first day of the week' is found in Scripture in reference to three applications.

The day Messiah Yeshua was resurrected. Since the wave sheaf day was the first day of the harvest season, it was appropriate for our Messiah in fulfilling the feast prophecy to be raised at that time.

The day Paul preached at Troas (Acts 20:7) is also the Wave Sheaf or First Fruit feast. To understand precisely when this day occurred it is necessary to realize the shortcoming of standard translations of Acts 20:6. Refer the corrected rendering provided in the discussion under the title 'Timing of the Wave Sheaf Offering Day'.

The day a provision was to be made for the saints (1Cor 16:2). This was a specific collection of food and was to be made from any food remaining from the prior years harvest. Hence the timing, the first day of the new year's harvest.

The Greek 'first of the Sabbaths' should not have been rendered as 'first day of the week'. It was never intended to be a reference to Sunday. The text was rather a reference to the first day of the period of the
'sabbaths', ie the first day of a specific period in the Old Testament calendar. A day which only occurred once per year.

 

[visionary]

Not according to most Greek scholars. Greek is heavily context sensitive in terms of meaning a "high context" language.

so for example "fasting twice a week" is not "fasting twice a Sabbath"

Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

This is why "it just so happens" that the Bible translations get this detail right.

Like this is related to feasts?? NOT

 

[BobRyan]

'first of the weeks'
or 'first of day of the sabbaths'
or 'first of day of the weeks'.

Pentecost is also called the "feast of weeks" - but it makes no sense to inject this into the texts for Christ's resurrection on Sunday - because the narrative already tells us that He was crucified on Passover. No "new" information is added by saying "first day of the first week in the five weeks leading up to the feast of weeks" and no text in OT or NT does that.

 

[visionary]

Pentecost is also called the "feast of weeks" - but it makes no sense to inject this into the texts for Christ's resurrection on Sunday - because the narrative already tells us that He was crucified on Passover. No "new" information is added by saying "first day of the first week in the five weeks leading up to the feast of weeks" and no text in OT or NT does that.

The "first day of the week" after the Passover is First Fruits, or Wave Sheaf, which Yeshua fulfilled. What is your first clue...
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

 

[visionary]

Yeshua's Parable in John 12:23-24. The instructions for the feast of First Fruits stipulated that a sheaf of grain be waved by the priest before Yehovah as a testimony of Elohim's provision. We can think of this as the grain which had come from the earth now being lifted high for all to see. Yeshua alluded to His own death and resurrection in similar terms in the parable He told in (Jn. 12:23-24) Is the timing of His telling this parable just a coincidence, or is He seeking to make a point here? The parable is spoken just as the disciples have come to celebrate the Passover; and as such is just prior to the Feast of First Fruits (Jn. 21:1;20). Could it be that Yeshua is pointing to the fact that His resurrection is the fulfillment of First Fruits?

 

[visionary]

"The" Sheaf of the First Fruits is significanat, the way this is phrased is very important. The passage could have read -"bring a sheaf " - but it says - "bring the sheaf." According to the Mishnah - a Jewish Commentary of Scripture - we read; "when a man goes down to his field and sees for the first time ripe grain, he binds it with reed-grass and says, 'This is the First Fruits' ." The idea being that this sheaf is set apart from all the rest - it is singled out and it becomes the First Fruit.

How is this important? It helps us to understand just what Paul is talking about in (I Cor. 15:20,23). He is not just stating that Yeshua was the first to rise from the dead, but by so doing , He is the direct fulfillment of the Feast of First Fruits, and as such points to the fact that this festival should be important for all believers in Messiah. The theme of this passage is also that of part of the meaning of First Fruits, "it is the promise of more to come", summed up by Paul in (I Cor.15:53-58). This first day of the week is significant because it is an annual Sabbath feast, the first in the week of sabbaths, and fulfilled by Yeshua in His resurrection.

 

[visionary]

Yeshua himself also referred to His coming death and the future resurrection of his followers as a harvesting cycle when he explained in Yochanan (John) 12:24 that “I tell you that unless a grain of wheat that falls to the ground dies, it stays just a grain; but if it dies, it produces a big harvest.”

 

[BobRyan]

The "first day of the week" after the Passover is First Fruits, or Wave Sheaf, which Yeshua fulfilled. What is your first clue...
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

Feast of First Fruits is never called "The first day of the week" because it falls on a different day each year. The Gospels are pointing to the "first day of the week" to show that Christ was raised on week-day-1 - Sunday because the Luke 24 reference "today is the third day" applies to that "first day of the week" and shows how Christ's "sign" of three days and three nights had been fulfilled.

 

[visionary]

Feast of First Fruits is never called "The first day of the week" because it falls on a different day each year. The Gospels are pointing to the "first day of the week" to show that Christ was raised on week-day-1 - Sunday because the Luke 24 reference "today is the third day" applies to that "first day of the week" and shows how Christ's "sign" of three days and three nights had been fulfilled.

The day after Sabbath is the first day of the week. It will always follow Sabbath and will always be the first day of the week that the First Fruits lands on.
Lev 23;10-11 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

1 Cor 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.

There are two Sundays that are annually called Sabbaths in the feasts... First Fruits/Wave Sheaf and Pentecost. These prophetic time tables are unmoved from year to year, they will always be the "morrow after Sabbath"

 

[visionary]

Feast of First Fruits is never called "The first day of the week" because it falls on a different day each year. The Gospels are pointing to the "first day of the week" to show that Christ was raised on week-day-1 - Sunday because the Luke 24 reference "today is the third day" applies to that "first day of the week" and shows how Christ's "sign" of three days and three nights had been fulfilled.

The Feast of Firstfruits was commanded by God in the Law of Moses found in Leviticus 23:9-14. This was the time in which the Jews were to come and offer the first sheaf of their barley harvest to the priests, who would present the sheaves to the LORD as an offering, waving or 'lifting up' the sheaf to the LORD. Firstfruits was to occur on the day after the Shabbat that fell after the Passover. So to review, on the week Yeshua died and rose again, Passover started Wednesday that year night at sundown and went till Thursday night at sundown (Jesus died around 3:00 on Wednesday, so those who remained to bury Him had just a few hours to do so before sundown). The High Sabbath is the first day of the Unleavened Bread feast which is the reason for the rush to get Him off the cross. That is why there is the preparation day is after the Sabbath and before the Sabbath that year.

The first month in the Jewish calendar is Nissan (also spelled Nisan) and occurs during the months of March thru April in the Roman calendar. Nissan is the month in which the Passover is observed.

The 13th day (Tuesday) of Nissan is called the preparation day for the Passover. The Passover meal is eaten after 6:00pm, which means that it is really eaten on the 14th day of Nissan. From the New Testament we know that Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal on a Tuesday night. (Matt.26:17-19; Luke 22:13-20)

The 14th day (Wednesday) of Nissan was called the first day of the Passover and people still worked on this day. This was the day that Yeshua was brought to Pilate at 6:00am (Matt.27:1-2) and was crucified the sixth hour (12:00pm).

The 15th day (Thursday) of Nissan was the Feast of the Unleavened Bread and also known as the high Sabbath. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. (John 19:31) This is not to be confused with the regular Sabbath. The high Sabbath was a holy day for the Jews and no work could be done on this day. All roads and bridges leading to Jerusalem had been cleaned the day before from garbage and the corpses of dead animals were removed. Furthermore, all graves had been whitewashed so that the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem would not be defiled. This was the reason the Jewish leadership did not want to have anyone hanging on a cross on the high Sabbath. 1st day and night of Yeshua predicted being dead

The 16th day (Friday) of Nissan was called “The Morrow After” the Sabbath and this was the day of the cutting of barley sheaves at sunrise. 2nd day and night of Yeshua's predicted dead.

The 17th day (Saturday) of Nissan in the year Yeshua was crucified was the regular Sabbath. Yeshua rose from the dead sometime between 6:00pm Saturday night and 6:00am on the first day of the week (Sunday morning). This timeline is consistent with Yeshua’s words that he would be dead for three days and three nights

Matt 12:38-40 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Yeshua was dead and in the grave at the beginning of the 15th day (Thursday) of Nissan. Using the timeline Jesus provided of three full days and nights, Thursday night was the first complete day, Friday night was the second complete day and Saturday night was the third complete day. If we correctly interpret the timeline provided by the four gospels, it is not possible for Yeshua to have been crucified on Friday as commonly thought, but He was crucified and buried on Wednesday. Please refer to the scripture citations of the Passover week timeline for the specifics of that week.

The period from the 17th day to the 20th day of Nissan was called The Lesser Festival.
Friday Shabbat started Friday night at sundown and went to Saturday night at sundown; and Firstfruits began Saturday night at sundown and ended Sunday night at sundown. Yeshua rose from the dead early on Sunday morning—on the third day, as He and the Scriptures predicted.

 

[BobRyan]

The day after Sabbath is the first day of the week. It will always follow Sabbath

agreed.

and will always be the first day of the week that the First Fruits lands on.
Lev 23;10-11 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

Passover is considered one of the annual Sabbaths. On the morrow after the Sabbath is it Passover or the weekly Sabbath?

The 14th will not always end on a friday evening.
The 15th will not always be a Sunday

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.’”

this year the 14th is a Wednesday.

 

[BobRyan]

The 13th day (Tuesday) of Nissan is called the preparation day for the Passover.

No Bible text makes Tuesday the 13th day of Nissan.

Let's start there

 

[visionary]

No Bible text makes Tuesday the 13th day of Nissan.

Let's start there

Wed, 3 April 0030 = 14th of Nisan, 3790 Hebrew Date Converter - 14th of Nisan, 3790 | Hebcal Jewish Calendar
Using these methods, most scholars assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC, and that Yeshua's preaching began around AD 27–29 and lasted one to three years. They calculate the death of Yeshua as having taken place around AD 30. What year did Jesus die?

 

[visionary]

agreed.



Passover is considered one of the annual Sabbaths. On the morrow after the Sabbath is it Passover or the weekly Sabbath?

Passover is not a Sabbath. After Passover that year there was a High Day [the first day of the annual Unleavened Bread Sabbath] which is the start of the Unleavened Bread week. Nisan 15 will be the first day of the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread, the first day of which is always a Sabbath. (Leviticus 23:5, 6) The next day was Preparation day, a term only used for the weekly Sabbath. Then after the Sabbath is the "morrow after the Sabbath" or Sunday which is the feast called First Fruits/Wave Sheaf which is also an annual feast Sabbath.

The 14th will not always end on a friday evening.
The 15th will not always be a Sunday

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.’”

this year the 14th is a Wednesday.

yes

 

[visionary]

 

[LoveGodsWord]

Not according to most Greek scholars. Greek is heavily context sensitive in terms of meaning a "high context" language.

so for example "fasting twice a week" is not "fasting twice a Sabbath"

Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

This is why "it just so happens" that the Bible translations get this detail right.

Hi Bob, I like the scriptures you posted above as a good example of context. The actual GREEK words used here for week and Sabbath uses the same Greek Word "sabbaton". Your correct that the Greek and for that matter the Hebrew language have multiple word meanings and it is the context that determines the word applications....

I like the scripture you posted here as it is a good example.

LUKE 18:12 [12], I fast twice in the week, [G4521] I give tithes of all that I possess.
LUKE 18:12 [12] νηστευω διςG του σαββατου [G4521] αποδεκατω παντα οσα κτωμαι
LUKE 18:12 [12] nesteuo dis sabbaton [G4521] apodekatoo pas ktaomai

The translators have correctly applied the word sabbaton to week. The context also determines the singular or plural applications of the Greek and Hebrew word meanings.

God bless.