Sunday - The First Day of the Week

 

Sunday is the first day of the week

The Romans call the first day of the week Sunday, but the Bible calls it “the first day of the week,” or in Hebrew, “Yom Rishon.”  (רִאשׁוֹן יוֹם). “Yom” means “day,” while “Rishon” literally means “first.” The Hebrew week begins on Sunday.

Except for Shabbat, the Hebrew weekdays are named after their order. Rishon literally means “first”, Sheni means “second”, Shlishi means “third” and so on. However, the Hebrew word שבת (Shabbat) means “stopped working” or “rested”. (Jerusalem Post Ivrit).

What happened in the Bible on the first day (Sunday) of the week?

The first mention of first day (Sunday) is the following,

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." - Genesis 1:3-5 KJV

We see in the New Testament that Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week. (Sunday).

"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." - Mark 16:9 KJV

We see also that the disciples assembled on the first day of the week. (Sunday). (Assembled referring to meeting for church. See: Hebrews 10:25).

"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." - John 20:19 KJV (John 20:26).

We see Paul preaching to the local believers in Troas on the first day of the week (Sunday).

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples [local believers] came together to break bread [Lord’s Supper], Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." - Acts 20:7 KJV [NLT]

We see on the first day of the week (Sunday) Paul tells the church to take up an offering for the saints in Jerusalem,

"Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." - 1 Corinthians 16:2 KJV