Seventh Day of the Week in the Bible

The seventh day of the week in the Bible is the Sabbath, corresponding to Saturday on the modern week.

When trying to determine which day is the seventh day of the week according to the Bible, people often wonder whether it is Saturday or Sunday and what the biblical evidence says.

The answer is foundational for understanding Sabbath observance, Christian tradition, and the timeline of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The Bible offers clear and compelling evidence, from Genesis to the Gospels, showing that the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath, corresponding to Saturday on the modern week, and that Sunday is the first day.

Let’s explore the biblical text and its historical context to establish this truth.

Table of Contents

The Seventh Day in Biblical Creation

The origin of the weekly cycle comes from the Creation story:

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Genesis 2:1-3 KJV

From the very beginning, God set apart the seventh day as a day of rest. This was long before the Ten Commandments given at Mount Sinai, showing that the concept of the Sabbath is woven into creation itself.

Commandments and the Sabbath

When God delivered the Ten Commandments at Sinai, the Sabbath command was directly linked to this creation rest:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God…”
Exodus 20:8-10 (KJV)

Notice it clearly specifies the “seventh day” as the Sabbath.

Jesus, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection: Chronological Proof

A major question is: How do the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection help clarify which day is the seventh day?

The Day of the Crucifixion

Jesus was crucified on “the day of Preparation” (Luke 23:54), which was when Jews prepared for the Sabbath.

In Jewish reckoning, days begin at sundown, so the Sabbath began Friday evening and ended Saturday evening.

And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Luke 23:54 KJV

The Day of the Burial

The women who followed Jesus “rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment” after seeing where Jesus was buried:

And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luke 23:56 KJV

This makes clear that the Sabbath (the seventh day) came after Friday (Preparation Day, when Jesus died) and before “the first day of the week” (when Jesus rose). (Luke 24:1, 6)

The Day of the Resurrection

The Gospels unanimously record that Jesus rose “early on the first day of the week”— known today as Sunday.

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene…” — Mark 16:9

“Matthew 28:1 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.”
(KJV)

Thus, the sequence is:

Friday (Preparation Day) — Jesus dies.

Saturday (the Sabbath, seventh day) — Jesus rests in the tomb.

Sunday (first day of the week) — Jesus rises.

From Thursday night/Friday (crucifixion), to Saturday (rest in tomb), to Sunday (resurrection), we see the Sabbath is the day between Jesus’ death and resurrection: Saturday, the seventh day.

Sabbath in the Early Church

Even after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus’ followers continued to observe the Sabbath:

“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures…”
Acts 17:2 (KJV)

Nowhere is there command or evidence of changing the Sabbath to Sunday in the New Testament.

The First Day: Significance in Christianity?

While the resurrection took place on the first day, leading to its later commemoration as “the Lord’s Day” in Christian tradition, this is distinct from the biblical seventh day.

And Jesus Christ established baptism in memorial of His death and resurrection, not Sunday worship. (Romans 6:3-4)

The early church gathered on the first day and other days (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2), but this was not presented as a Sabbath replacement.

Calendar Consistency

Some wonder if calendar shifts have changed the Sabbath.

However, the seven-day cycle is well-attested from ancient times through to the present, and Jewish practice has kept track of the Sabbath (Saturday) consistently across millennia.

Conclusion: Sabbath is the Seventh Day—Biblical and Historical Certainty

Biblical narratives, the chain of events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection, and continuous tradition all affirm: The seventh day of the biblical week is Saturday, the Sabbath.

Creation: God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3).

Commandments: Seventh-day Sabbath enjoined (Exodus 20:8-11).

Jesus’ burial: Sabbath between crucifixion (Friday) and resurrection (Sunday).

Early church: Continued Sabbath observance (Acts 17:2).

If you want to know the biblical answer, look to the sequence set at creation, reaffirmed by the Ten Commandments, and sealed in the events of Jesus’ last days: Saturday is the seventh day, the biblical Sabbath.

My Letter To A Sunday Keeper – Sabbath Documentary