προσάββατον
prosábbaton
G4315 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The day immediately preceding the Sabbath; specifically, the period or day before the weekly Sabbath, often Friday in Judean or Israelite calendar reckoning. While its primary sense denotes the time leading up to the Sabbath's commencement at sunset, it can also refer more generally to late Friday, the Sabbath eve.
Semantic Range
the day before the Sabbath (Friday), the eve of the Sabbath, the period immediately preceding the Sabbath
Root / Etymology
Formed from the preposition πρό ('before') and σάββατον ('Sabbath'). The term is a compound created to denote 'the day before the Sabbath.' Modeled on common Hellenistic methods of creating days by reference to other festival or weekly days. Not of Semitic origin but based on the Greek borrowing of the Hebrew/Aramaic 'shabbat' as σάββατον.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term προσάββατον is rare in extant Greek literature, appearing notably in Mark 15:42 to denote 'the day before the Sabbath.' Its usage aligns with Judean calendrical reckoning, where days were marked from sunset to sunset. In Hellenistic context, προσάββατον served to communicate the Israelite (or, contextually, Judean) week to readers unfamiliar with such reckoning. It is closely related in usage to παρασκευή ('Preparation [Day]'), the more common term for Friday among Judeans, but προσάββατον makes the connection explicit by reference to the Sabbath. Standard English translations render it 'the day before the Sabbath' or 'Sabbath eve,' but this may obscure cultural nuances regarding day commencement and preparation practices. It does not carry the religious meaning of the Sabbath itself, but marks the temporal proximity. Differs from σάββατον, which designates the Sabbath, and from παρασκευή, which became the conventional term for Friday or the day of preparation before Sabbath. Attested in Koine and Hellenistic Jewish contexts but not significantly in classical Greek sources.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from πρό and σάββατον; a fore-sabbath, i.e. the Sabbath-eve:--day before the sabbath. Compare παρασκευή.
Root Family
προσάββατον (prosabbaton) — Sabbath, before
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4315-01 |
προσάββατον | prosabbaton | N NOM N SG |
the day before the Sabbath | Sabbath-eve day | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4315-01 |
Mark 15:42 | προσάββατον | prosabbaton | N NOM N SG |
the day before the Sabbath | Sabbath-eve day |