SABBATH (Heb. shabbath, sabbathon, etc., from thabath, to rest; not from daub, to re turn, or shebah, seven) designates the seventh day of the week, set aside, in the Old Testa ment, as a period of cessation from work. Without entering into the question of its origin, i.e., whether it be an institution of pre-Mosaic times—either of " paradise" or of "heathenism"—or whether it be purely Mosaic, we shall merely state that, according to our only available source, the Pentateuch, the division of the week (q.v.) into seven days appears at a very early period; but the celebration of the seventh day as a day con secrated to Jehovah is first mentioned after the Exodus from Egypt, and seems to have preceded the Sinaitic legislation, which merely confirmed and invested it with the high. est authority. On the occasion of the manna (Ex. xvi. 23), the Sabbath and its solem nity seem presupposed. and the "Remember the Sabbath-day" of the Decalogue further seems to indicate its previous institution. There is no trace of its celebration in the patriarchal times, although the Semitic traditions of the creation, and of the divine com pletion of it on that day, had undoubtedly marked it early as a special day of sanctity among the Abrahamites. The significance that was super-added to it after the Exodus, i.e., that of being a remembrance of the freedom from bondage, makes it appear likely enough that its first legal promulgation dates, as a Talmudic& tradition has it, from Mandl, where Moses "set them laws and rights" (Ex. xv. 25). While it thus on the one hand formed a sort of general human memento of the creation and the Creator of all things, as it is characterized in the first redaction of the commandments in Exodus, it became also, on the other hand, a national day of record of the bondage and the libera tion from it, a notion prominently brought forward in the second recension of the Deea logue (q.v.) (Dent. v. 15), andlhe "rest" that was inculcated for everybody—kindred, strangers, slaves, even animals—received a double meaning. It is in the latter sense also denominated a sign between Jehovah and the generations of Israel (Ex. xxxi. 13):
a kind of badge of nationality, a token of the covenant between Jehovah and Israel for ever (Ex. xxxi. 10, cf. Ezek. xx. 12, Neh. ix. 13, etc.). It is constantly mentioned together with institutions of the same peculiar nature; such as reverencing the sanctuary (Lev. xis. 30), celebrating the feasts of a national character (Hos. ii. 11), keeping the ordinances (Ezek. xlv. 17), etc. And in like manlier it was made one of the first obliga tions for proselytes, as one by which they were " taking hold of the covenant" (Is. lvi. 6). A few special cases only are furnished by the Pentateuch in explanation of the word " work" used in the prohibition—lighting a fire, gathering sticks, going out of time camp for the purpose of gathering manna. The violation of this law of rest was, as a crime of high treason against Jehovah, punishable with death; yet cessation from labor was only the negative part of the celebration of the day, which is called, like the other festivals, a " holy convocation." It is difficult to decide now what precise meaning is to be attached to these words, as referring to the early periods of Israelitish history, particularly before the institution of the prophets or sacred orators had been fully developed. It may be conjectured that the convocation was a kind of general religious assembly, in which readings and some kind of exposition of the law formed the principal features; and there is indeed a tradition to that effect recorded id the Talmud. Some. however, suppose that it was a festive meeting in honor of Jehovah, and refer to Nell. viii. 0-18 for proof that such a celebration was consistent with Jewish notions of keep ing days holy to the Lord. As a further celebration of the day, a special burnt-offering consisting of two lambs of the first year, with the corresponding meat and drink offer ing, besides the ordinary daily sacrifice, was instituted, and the shew-bread was renewed in the sanctuary.