WHEN DOES THE SABBATH DAY START AND END?

Today, we are going to seek to answer the question, when does the Sabbath start and end? Fortunately, this will be an easy task.

In reality, we have done many posts on when the Sabbath begins and a few about when it ends. Most have been taken from several books and chapters, but today we are going to take it simple and look in only one book in the bible to reveal the answer.

If you really want a detailed look into when the Sabbath begins, take a look at this post.

Anyway, let’s see how the book of Exodus 15 (in one chapter), answers the question: when does the Sabbath start and finish?

ON THE 15TH DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH

So let’s begin our look at when does the Sabbath start and end.

The fifteenth day of the second month is always a Sabbath based on the calendar. This is based on the Passover / Unleavened Bread feast of the month before (the month of Abib) and the sign of Jonah. This is, the Messiah being in the earth for 3 days and 3 nights (Mat 12:39-40).

Mat 12:39  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:

Mat 12:40  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. 

The Passover is on the 14th when HaMashiach was killed, which is a 4th day, and the 17th is a 7th day (Sabbath day).

Counting from the first month of 30 days (from the book of Enoch) means the 15th day of the second month is a Sabbath (four Sabbaths after the 17th of the 1st month).

So when we see this:

Exodus 16:1
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

This occurred on a Sabbath.

WHEN DOES THE SABBATH START AND END? MURMURING FOR BREAD

Now I suggest you read the whole chapter for yourself, but I am only going to use the verses in this article that has implications for time.

Well, the children of Yasharal complained about bread in the wilderness and the Most High heard their cry.

Exodus 16:2-5
[2]And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness

[3]And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to Aluah we had died by the hand of Yahuah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

[4]Then said YAHUAH unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

[5]And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

WHEN DOES THE SABBATH END?

But because it was the Sabbath, the Most High promised them bread after the Sabbath.

Exodus 16:6
And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that YAHUAH hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:

That simple promise with the words “at even,” given to the children of Israel to occur in the evening, humbly proves the Sabbath ends in the evening.

Why?

If the Sabbath continued past the evening, YAHUAH could not be telling them to work at even, because it would be the Sabbath. Of course, this is for those who agree that the Sabbath begins in the Morning, but say it is a 24 hour Sabbath that ends the following morning.

But there is even more to understand about when does the Sabbath start and end as the verse goes on.

THE PROMISE OF FLESH IN THE MORNING

But they were also promised flesh in the morning.

Exodus 16:7-8
And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of YAHUAH; for that he heareth your murmurings against YAHUAH: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

And Moses said, This shall be, when YAHUAH shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that YAHUAH heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against YAHUAH.

Exodus 16:13
And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

TOMORROW IS THE SABBATH

Next, we are told what happened during the week. Then, most importantly, we are told what happened from the preparation day into the Sabbath. This account is very profound, and tells us without a doubt, that the Sabbath begins in the morning.

Exodus 16:13,21-22
[13]And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

[21]And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

[22]And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

WHEN DOES THE SABBATH DAY START? TOMORROW MORNING IS THE SABBATH

Now it gets interesting. Here is the key verse where we are told that tomorrow morning is the rest of the holy Sabbath.

Exodus 16:23
And he said unto them, This is that which YAHUAH hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto YAHUAH: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

That’s it. In one chapter, we are told when the Sabbath ends and then when it begins. For more proof, check out these related posts.

Is Matthew 28:1 Telling Us Of a 24 Hour Sabbath? Conclusive Breakdown

Powerful! How the Messiah Proves a 12 Hour Sabbath that Begins at Morning

Biblical Proof Sabbath Begins in the Morning: Day of Atonement and Pentecost

When Does the Sabbath Begin (When Does a Day Begin)? Interesting Proof!

HISTORICAL REFERENCES

Eerdman’s Handbook to the Bible, “We know little about the old Israelite calendar, apart from the laws of the festivals. But the Mishnah (the collection of Jewish law made at the end of the 2nd century AD) fully describes the system which the Jews had worked out under Babylonian influence…”

What is a Jew, p. 108 “When the Jews returned to Palestine after their Babylonian exile (516 B.C.E.) they brought back with them the Babylonian astronomy and way of reckoning time…”

Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 591-597 “In order to fix the beginning and ending of the Sabbath-day and festivals and to determine the precise hour for certain religious observances it becomes necessary to know the exact times of the rising and setting of the sun. According to the strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, every day begins with sunrise and ends with sunset…”

Jack Finegan, The Handbook of Biblical Chronology, p. 7 & 8 “In the Old Testament, the earlier practice seems to have been to consider that the day began in the morning. In Genesis 19:34, for example, the ‘morrow’ or ‘next day’ clearly begins with the morning after the preceding night…”

Oxford Companion to the Bible, p. 744 “…In earlier tradition, a day apparently began at sunrise (e.g., Leviticus 7:15-17, Judges 19:4-19) …Later, its beginning was at sunset and its end at the following sunset… This system became normalized and is still observed in Jewish tradition, where, for example, the Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and ends at Saturday sunset.”