From: Josef Lowder (joe@whidbey.net)
Date: Thu Jan 02 1997 - 22:41:48 EST
To: cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
Subject: Mark 16:9 "prwth sabbatou" = "first day of the week"???
Dear Dr. Conrad:
While I may eventually want to post a query something like this on B-Greek,
I am writing to you personally in the hope that you might be willing to
respond to me privately first.
Although I am not formally schooled in Greek, I have thoroughly enjoyed
"lurking" on B-Greek for several months and for many years have "studied"
(in my own way) Greek through various interlinear texts and references and
through some computerized pattern analysis utilities I have constructed.
Among many items which are especially fascinating to me, I am extremely
curious about the phrase "first day of the week", and wonder how can that
possibly be derived out of "prwth sabbatou"?
In the past, I have made inquiry with a few other people about this (only
one regular on B-Greek some time ago) and have always received a very curt
dismissal of my question. One gentleman simply referred me to BAGD and to
the book "From Sabbath to Lord's Day" edited by Carlson, and told me that
he didn't have time to respond to me beyond that (although I have since
observed him rambling on at length on far more trivial items (imho).
As far as I could determine, neither BAGD or "From Sabbath to Lord's Day"
addressed my question in the slightest degree.
The following appears to me to be a trustworthy literal word-for-word
translation of the first seven Greek words in Mark 16:9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
anastaV de prwi prwth sabbatou efanh prwton
arising * early first sabbath appeared first
(Of course, I have also carefully examined the Greek for every other
verse which contains the rendering: "first day of the week".)
Following are my observations and questions:
A) I cannot see that there are any words in the Greek text which correspond
directly to either "day" or "week". Is that not true?
B) It seems to me to be a matter of pure conjecture that the phrase "prwth
sabbatou" might be interpreted as reading "first day of the week."
C) Is it not at least equally possible (if not more probable) that
"prwth sabbatou" actually means "first sabbath", and that the word
"first" is simply used to distinguish this reference to the sabbath
as referring to and distinguishing the fourth commandment sabbath
from other sabbaths which were subsequently given to God's people?
D) The Words "Now when", "the", and "of the" all seem to me to be
additional interpolatively added words. Is that not true?
E) Jesus' name (and the pronoun "He") also do not seem to be indicated
in the Greek text. Is that not true?
F) Is it not very curious that the KJV added so many words which were not
disclosed as interpolatively added words ... AND that subsequent English
texts have simply followed the KJV and extrapolated these added words
into virtually static elements? Three samples:
nkj: Now when [He] rose early on the first [day] of the week, He
nas: [Now] after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He
niv: When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Finally, I find 62 Greek words which are all of the same cognate root (#4521)
and are symbolically transliterated: sabbata, sabbatw, sabbasin, sabbaton,
sabbatou, and sabbatwn. 54 times these words are translated "sabbath" and
eight times they are translated "first [day] of the week".
I can see nothing in either the context or in the spelling of the word
which would justify such a divergent rendering. It seems to me that "first
sabbath" refers to the weekly sabbath as distinguished from "high" sabbaths.
If "first [day] of the week" is, in fact, the correct translation of sabbatwn,
then why is that same rendering not used in Luke 4:16, Acts 13:14 and 16:13,
and in Colossians 2:16, for consistency?
Shown below is our computer generated recap of the 62 occurrences of 4521
and the rendering as it appears in the KJV. Any light you can shed on this
apparent disparity in rendering would be greatly appreciated.
ACT-17:02 i <2532> epi <1909> sabbata <4521> three sabbath days reasoned
MAT-12:02 0> (5721) en <1722> sabbatw <4521> the sabbath day
MAT-24:20 de <3366> en <1722> sabbatw <4521> the sabbath day
LUK-06:01 de <1161> en <1722> sabbatw <4521> sabbath
LUK-06:06 <1722> eterw <2087> sabbatw <4521> sabbath
LUK-06:07 en <1722> tw <3588> sabbatw <4521> the sabbath day
LUK-13:15 wn <5216> tw <3588> sabbatw <4521> on the sabbath
LUK-14:01 8> farisaiwn <5330> sabbatw <4521> on the sabbath
LUK-14:03 2> (5724) tw <3588> sabbatw <4521> on the sabbath day
JOH-05:16 0> (5707) en <1722> sabbatw <4521> the sabbath day
JOH-07:22 ai <2532> en <1722> sabbatw <4521> the sabbath day
JOH-07:23 0> (5656) en <1722> sabbatw <4521> the sabbath day
ACT-13:44 omenw <2064> (5740) sabbatw <4521> sabbath day
MAT-12:01 <2424> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath day
MAT-12:11 <5124> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath day
MAT-12:10 (5724) toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath days
MAT-12:12 (5724) toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath days
MAR-01:21 <2112> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath day
MAR-02:23 <1722> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> the sabbath day
MAR-02:24 <1722> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> the sabbath day
MAR-03:02 <1487> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath day
MAR-03:04 (5724) toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath days
LUK-04:31 <1722> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> the sabbath days
LUK-06:02 <1722> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> the sabbath days
LUK-13:10 <1722> toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> the sabbath
LUK-06:09 (5724) toiV <3588> sabbasin <4521> on the sabbath days
MAT-12:05 w <2411> to <3588> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath
MAR-02:27 a <1223> to <3588> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath
LUK-23:54 <3904> kai <2532> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath
LUK-23:56 <3588> men <3303> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath day
JOH-05:09 > (5713) de <1161> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath
JOH-05:10 menw <2323> (5772) sabbaton <4521> the sabbath day
JOH-05:18 > (5707) to <3588> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath
JOH-09:14 > (5713) de <1161> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath day
JOH-09:16 i <3754> to <3588> sabbaton <4521> the sabbath day
ACT-13:27 <2596> pan <3956> sabbaton <4521> sabbath day
ACT-13:42 588> metaxu <3342> sabbaton <4521> sabbath
ACT-15:21 <2596> pan <3956> sabbaton <4521> sabbath day
ACT-18:04 <2596> pan <3956> sabbaton <4521> sabbath
MAT-12:08 <2532> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> of the sabbath day
MAR-02:28 <2532> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> of the sabbath
MAR-06:02 enou <1096> (5637) sabbatou <4521> when the sabbath day
MAR-16:01 (5637) tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> the sabbath
MAR-16:09 4404> prwth <4413> sabbatou <4521> first <4413> [day] of the week
LUK-06:05 <2532> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> of the sabbath
LUK-13:14 <2250> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> on the sabbath
LUK-13:16 <2250> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> on the sabbath
LUK-14:05 <2250> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> the sabbath
LUK-18:12 <1364> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> in the week
JOH-19:31 <1565> tou <3588> sabbatou <4521> sabbath day
ACT-01:12 ierousalhm <2419> sabbatou <4521> a sabbath
MAT-28:01 <1519> mian <3391> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
MAR-16:02 <3588> miaV <3391> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
LUK-04:16 <2250> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> the sabbath
LUK-24:01 <3391> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
JOH-20:01 <3391> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
JOH-20:19 <3391> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
ACT-13:14 <2250> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> on the sabbath
ACT-16:13 <2250> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> on the sabbath
ACT-20:07 <3391> twn <3588> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
1CO-16:02 <2596> mian <3391> sabbatwn <4521> first <3391> [day] of the week
COL-02:16 aV <3561> h <2228> sabbatwn <4521> of the sabbath
Thank you for your consideration.
Josef Lowder 360-629-9598 (voice/fax) joe@whidbey.net
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