| Sabbaths and Sundown |
The sabbaths are special days to be kept to Yahwehfor all time by His covenant people. They are days to remember Himand all that He has done. If they are not observed, He is not remembered.Yahweh set apart the seventh day of the week as a day of rest, a sabbath(Exodus 20: 8-11; Leviticus 23: 3). In addition to the weekly sabbath,Yahweh declared seven other days in the year to be sabbaths (Leviticus 23),keeping the same guidelines as the weekly sabbath. These seven special sabbathsare described in the essay The Feasts of Israeland Their Christian Replacements.
Looking at Matthew 28: 1, we need to be aware that sincethe time of Genesis the Jews have started and ended their day at sundown.However, for most of the world today, the day begins and ends at midnight.This simple difference has caused problems in interpretting this passage.Also, let us not forget that there are times when there may be more thanone sabbath in a week, as shown above.
Yahshua was impaled on Passover (Thursday) and was placedin the tomb before the "sabbath," this case being the first dayof the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day would have been a Friday. Thefollowing day (Saturday) was the weekly sabbath. Yahshua would have beenin the tomb over these two days before rising on the third day (Sunday),the Feast of Firstfruits. There were two successive sabbath days that week,explaining why the women had to wait until the third day to check the tomb.
The following comparison of 53 versions will illustratethe confusion translators have when regarding the end of the sabbath (ie.,sundown vs. midnight) and over how many sabbaths there were that week.
| Versions Compared |
| Matthew28: 1 |
| AAT | After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary from Magdala and the other Mary went to look at the grave. |
| AB | Now after the Sabbath, near the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary of Magdalaand the other Mary went to take a look at the tomb. |
| ANT | When the sabbath was over, as the day after the sabbath began to dawn,Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to inspect the burial place. |
| BNT | Late on the Sabbath, just as the day was breaking onthe Sunday, Mary from Magdala and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. |
| CEV | The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sundaywhen Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. |
| CJB | After Shabbat, toward dawn on Sunday, Miryam of Magdalaand the other Miryam went to see the grave. |
| CLNT | Now it is the evening of the sabbaths. At the lighting up into one of the sabbathscame Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to behold the sepulcher. |
| CNT | The day after the Sabbath, as the first light of another week began to dawn,Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went forth to look at the grave. |
| CTNT | At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came down to see the sepulcher, ... . |
| DHB | Now late on the sabbath, as it was dusk of the next dayafter sabbath, came Mary of Magdala and the other Mary to look at the sepulchre. |
| DRB | And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of theweek, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. |
| EBR | And <late in the week when it was on the point of dawning into the first of theweek> came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to view the sepulchre. |
| GW | After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning, MaryMagdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| HBME | After the Sabbaths, towards the dawn of the day following the Sabbaths, Mary, theMagdalene, and the other Mary, came to examine the tomb. |
| HBRV | Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
| IB | After the sabbaths, at the dawning into the first ofthe sabbaths, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the grave. |
| IV | In the end of the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week,early in the morning, came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
| KJV | In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
| LB | Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to the tomb. |
| LBP | In the evening of the sabbath, when the first day of the week began to dawn,there came Mary of Magdala and the other Mary to see the tomb. |
| MCT | After the sabbath, as Sunday dawned, Mary of Magdalaand the other Mary came to see the tomb, ... . |
| MNT | At the close of the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary ofMagdala and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| MRB | Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
| MSNT | After the Sabbath, in the early dawn of the first dayof the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to see the sepulchre. |
| NAB | After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
| NAS | Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. |
| NBV | After the close of the Sabbath, with the dawning of the first day of the week,came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to look at the tomb. |
| NCV | The day after the Sabbath day was the first day of the week. At dawn on thefirst day, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| NEB | The sabbath was over, and it was about daybreak on Sunday,when Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to look at the grave. |
| NET | After the Sabbath, as Sunday was dawning, Mary from Magdalaand the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| NIV | After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| NJB | After the Sabbath, and towards dawn on the first dayof the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre. |
| NKJ | Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week beganto dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
| NLV | The Day of Rest was over. The sun was coming up on the first day of the week.Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the grave. |
| NNT | After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. |
| NRS | After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. |
| NSNT | Now, late on the sabbath, as dawn was appearing on the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. |
| NWT | After the sabbath, when it was growing light on the firstday of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to view the grave. |
| PRS | When the Sabbath was over, just as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary from Magdala and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| REB | About daybreak on the first day of the week, when the sabbath was over,Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to look at the grave. |
| RSV | Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first dayof the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre. |
| SGAT | After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| SNB | And late in the week when it was on the point of dawning into the first of the week,came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to view the sepulchre. |
| SSBE | Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,came Miriam Magdalene and the other Miriam to see the sepulchre. |
| SV | After the sabbath day, at first light on the first dayof the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to inspect the tomb. |
| TDB | [Omitted.] |
| TEV | After the day of worship, as the sun rose Sunday morning,Mary from Magdala and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. |
| TM | After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new weekdawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. |
| WAS | Now, in the end of sabbaths at the dawning toward the first day of sabbaths,came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
| WET | Now, the sabbath having passed, as it was growing light toward the first day of theweek, there came Mary, the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to inspect the tomb. |
| WMF | After the sabbath day had passed Miss Alabama and theother Mary came at the crack of dawn ... . |
| WNT | After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to get a look at the tomb. |
| YLR | And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths,came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre, ... |
| Commentary |
The Interlinear Bible starts well, but then makesthe mistake of calling the "first day" a sabbath day. The twoprevious days were sabbaths; therefore the plural is correct. However,Sunday, the first day of the week (Firstfruits), cannot be a sabbath.Young's Literal Translation reads the same.
The passage in the Darby Holy Bible is confusing,even when considering the differences in the sabbaths. Also, dusk cannotbe the proper time period. A footnote offers little help: "Now, lateon the sabbath, as it was dusk of the next day after the sabbath ... .'or 'the first day of the week' as Mark 16: 2."
The Holy Bible in Modern English translates thepassage well. However, the footnotes are questionable. The footnote reads,"The Greek original is in the plural, 'Sabbaths,' which is retained.Readers should remember that all seven days of the Paschal week were 'sabbaths'in the old Hebrew Kalendar. -- F. F." On the contrary, only the first andseventh days of that week would be sabbaths (Leviticus 23: 6-8), in additionto the usual weekly sabbath. Also, keep in mind that the Jewish peoplecould not kindle fire or prepare their meals on sabbath days. Try thatone for a week!
The Worrell New Testament takes the issue one stepfurther by introducing a doctrinal change. In his footnotes, the translatorstates:
The New Testament never refers the Sabbath being movedfrom the seventh day to the first day. Meeting together to worship on thefirst day of the week does not mean that the Sabbath has changed.
The reader may now appreciate the difficulties the translatorshave in explaining Matthew 28: 1. Viewing Biblical passages from a "Western"point of view can be confusing. In order to avoid misinterpretations, weshould be careful not to remove the Jewishness from the Scriptures. Asseen in this comparison, a simple misunderstanding or a lack of knowledgeof the Jewish customs as found in the Old Testament can lead to frustration, --or even a new doctrine.