Bible researchers have good reason to suspect that God's rest day was only added later to the creation story of Genesis. In the oldest versions of Genesis, God would have taken seven days to complete His creation (see elsewhere on this site).

When it comes to the origin and meaning of the sabbath day, the bible contradicts itself. According to Exodus 20:11 and 31:17, the sabbath day is there to commemorate the creation. It is a holy, God-given day.

But according to Exodus 23, the rest day has no special meaning. It is just there “so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed” (Ex 23:12)

Then, in Deuteronomy 5, the Lord gives yet another, totally different reason to respect the sabbath day. It is there to commemorate the stay in Egypt:

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deut 5:15)

The historical origin of the sabbath day is not entirely clear. Scholars have pointed out that the sabbath day seems related to the older, Babylonian ‘day of the appeasement of the Gods’.

On at least one clay tablet, this day is called ‘shabattu’. On it, the Babylonians observed all kinds of rules and regulations to please their gods.

Anthropologists have pointed out that many societies have certain days of ‘ritual abstinence’ from all kinds of activities. There may be various, down-to-earth reasons for this. Priests would ‘claim’ a day for themselves, or slaves would be given a day off to ensure that they aren’t worn down.

Well, whatever the reason – to us, having a rest day every now and then isn’t a bad idea!