EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 2:3

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy, because on that day He stopped all the work He had been doing in creation.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes the phrase “which God created to make” (literally “created to do/make”), while the LXX reads simply “which God began to make.” The Hebrew construction suggests purpose or continuation in the creative act, whereas the Greek emphasizes the initiation of the work. The MT’s “to make” after “created” has been understood variously as indicating that God created things with the capacity for further development, or as an emphatic construction meaning “created by making.” DSS manuscript 4QGen-b preserves a portion of this verse and agrees substantially with the MT reading.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

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.

WEB (World English Bible):

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he ceased from all his works which God began to do.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And he blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And God blesses the seventh day and sanctifies it, for in it He has rested from all His work that God has created for doing.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And God gave his blessing to the seventh day and made it holy: because on that day he took his rest from all the work which he had made and done.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Genesis 2:3 – Commentary

The Sanctification of the Seventh Day

This verse establishes the foundational theology of sacred time within creation. God’s blessing and sanctification of the seventh day reveals that holiness is not merely a moral category but a cosmic reality woven into the very fabric of existence. The Hebrew qadash, rendered as “sanctified” or “made holy,” indicates a setting apart for divine purpose—the same term later applied to the Temple, the priesthood, and the people of Israel.

Christological Significance: The Church Fathers understood this primordial rest as pointing toward the ultimate Sabbath rest accomplished in Christ. Saint Basil the Great teaches that the seventh day prefigures the age to come, the eternal eighth day inaugurated by Christ’s Resurrection. Our Lord’s declaration that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8) reveals His divine authority over this sacred institution. Christ’s rest in the tomb on Holy Saturday fulfills the original Sabbath, as God who labored in creation now rests from the labor of redemption.

Patristic Interpretation: Saint Augustine saw in this rest not divine fatigue but the completion of perfect work. Saint Gregory of Nyssa emphasized that God’s rest invites humanity into participation in divine life—theosis itself being the true Sabbath rest. Saint John Chrysostom noted that God blessed this day for our sake, establishing a rhythm of work and worship that orders human life toward its Creator.

Liturgical Connections: The Orthodox Church preserves this theology in her weekly cycle. Saturday (Sabbaton) retains its character as a day commemorating both creation’s completion and Christ’s Sabbath rest in the tomb. The resurrection services move from Saturday evening into Sunday, the eighth day, demonstrating how the old Sabbath finds its fulfillment in Pascha. The Vespers hymns frequently reference God’s rest and the new creation accomplished in Christ.

Spiritual Application: For Orthodox spirituality, this verse grounds the ascetical rhythm of labor and rest, fasting and feasting. The Sabbath principle teaches that human activity finds its meaning not in endless production but in contemplative return to God. Saint Maximus the Confessor developed this into his understanding of the cosmic liturgy—all creation moving through its proper activity toward rest in God.

The cessation from work (shabat) also prefigures the eschatological rest promised to the faithful. The Epistle to the Hebrews (4:9-10) explicitly connects this Genesis rest to the salvation rest awaiting God’s people, urging believers to strive to enter that rest through faith and obedience.

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