WEEKS

A period of seven days, under the usual name of a week, שבעה, is
mentioned as far back as the time of the deluge, Gen. vii, 4, 10; viii,
10, 12; xxix, 27, 28. It must, therefore, be considered a very ancient
division of time, especially as the various nations among whom it has
been noticed, for instance, the Nigri in Africa, appear to have received
it from the sons of Noah. The enumeration of the days of the week
commenced at Sunday. Saturday was the last or seventh, and was the
Hebrew Sabbath, or day of rest. The Egyptians gave to the days of the
week the same names that they assigned to the planets. From the
circumstance that the Sabbath was the principal day of the week, the
whole period of seven days was likewise called שפת, in Syriac שבתא, in
the New Testament σάϐϐατον and σάϐϐατα. The Jews, accordingly, in
designating the successive days of the week, were accustomed to say, the
first day of the Sabbath, that is, of the week; the second day of the
Sabbath, that is, Sunday, Monday, &c, Mark xvi, 2, 9; Luke xxiv, 1; John
xx, i, 19. In addition to the week of days, the Jews had three other
seasons, denominated weeks, Lev. xxv, 1–17; Deut. xvi, 9–10: 1. The week
of weeks. It was a period of seven weeks or forty-nine days, which was
succeeded on the fiftieth day by the feast of pentecost, ϖεντηκοσὴ,
“fifty,” Deut. xvi, 9, 10. 2. The week of years. This was a period of
seven years, during the last of which the land remained untilled, and
the people enjoyed a Sabbath or season of rest. 3. The week of seven
sabbatical years. It was a period of forty-nine years, and was succeeded
by the year of jubilee, Lev. xxv, 1–22; xxvi, 34. See YEAR.