The Greek word sabbaton can mean the Sabbath (the seventh day of the week), or a week (seven days).  For example, in Matthew 12:8 sabbaton means Sabbath.

Mat 12:8  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath [sabbaton].

And in Mark 16:9 sabbaton means week.

Mar 16:9  Now when He rose early on the first day of the week [sabbaton], He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

There are a number of verses in the New Testament where in the Greek text sabbaton appears in the plural form, but most English translations have the singular form, “Sabbath” rather than “Sabbaths”, or “week” rather than “weeks”.  In most verses nothing is lost in translation.  However, there are a few verses where meaning is lost.  This is the subject of this short study.

First some background information.  When examining sabbaton in various verses, its Robinson morphological analysis code is shown, such as “N-GSN”, or “N-DPN”.  The first letter indicates the part of speech, which for sabbaton is always “N” for noun.  The last three letters indicate the case, number, and gender.  The word sabbaton is neuter gender so the last letter is always the same, “N”, for neuter.  The third letter, the number, is what we are interested in, and this can be singular “S” or plural “P”.  For the curious, the second letter indicating the case can be any of the following.

A – Accusative (direct object; motion toward; time: “how long”)
D – Dative (indirect object, “to”; also location “in”, “at”; instrument, “with”)
G – Genative (possession “of”; also origin or separation “from”)
N – Nominative (subject; predicate nominative)

We are now in a position to look at those verses where sabbaton is in plural form in the Greek. 

Where no meaning is lost

We first look at verses where no meaning is lost by having “Sabbath” rather than “Sabbaths”.

Mat 12:5  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath [N-DPN] the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath [N-ASN], and are blameless?

Mat 12:10  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath [N-DPN]?”—that they might accuse Him.
Mat 12:11  Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath [N-DPN], will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
Mat 12:12  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath [N-DPN].”

Luk 6:1  Now it happened on the second Sabbath [N-DSN] after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.
Luk 6:2  And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath [N-DPN]?”
Luk 6:3  But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
Luk 6:4  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?”
Luk 6:5  And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath [N-GSN].”
Luk 6:6  Now it happened on another Sabbath [N-DSN], also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered.
Luk 6:7  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath [N-DSN], that they might find an accusation against Him.
Luk 6:8  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood.
Luk 6:9  Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath [N-DPN] to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

For completeness we include Acts 17:2 and Colossians 2:16.  Most translations have the correct “Sabbaths”.

Act 17:2  Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths [N-APN] reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Col 2:16  So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths [N-GPN],

Where a little meaning is lost

Next, we look at verses where a little meaning is lost by having “Sabbath” rather than “Sabbaths”.  The plural, “Sabbaths”, shows that the event, whether it was walking through the grainfields, teaching in the synagogues, or healing the sick, happened more than once.  It was in fact Jesus’ custom to teach in the synagogues and heal people on the Sabbath. 

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath [N-DPN]. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

Mar 1:21  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath [N-DPN] He entered the synagogue and taught.

Mar 2:23  Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath [N-DPN]; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
Mar 2:24  And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath [N-DPN]?”

Mar 3:2  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath [N-DPN], so that they might accuse Him.
Mar 3:3  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”
Mar 3:4  Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath [N-DPN] to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

Luk 4:16  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day [N-GPN], and stood up to read.

Luk 4:31  Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths [N-DPN].

Luk 13:10  Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath [N-DPN].

Act 13:14  But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day [N-GPN] and sat down.

Act 16:13  And on the Sabbath day [N-GPN] we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.

Where some meaning is lost

Finally, we look at verses where some meaning is lost, perhaps a lot, by having “week” rather than “weeks”.

Mat 28:1  Now after the Sabbath [N-GPN], as the first day of the week [N-GPN] began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

Mar 16:1  Now when the Sabbath [N-GSN] was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
Mar 16:2  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week [N-GPN], they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

Luk 24:1  Now on the first day of the week [N-GPN], very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

Joh 20:1  Now the first day of the week [N-GPN] Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Joh 20:19  Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week [N-GPN], when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Both occurrences of “sabbaton” in Mat 28:1 are plural.  The first, “after the Sabbaths” refers to both the annual sabbath of the Last day of Unleavened (which was on a Thursday the year of Christ’s crucifixion) and the weekly Sabbath. 

In all these verses, the phrase “first day of the week”, should be translated “first of weeks” or “first of sabbaths”, because “sabbaton” is plural.  This is significant because the phrase “first of the Sabbaths” or “first of the weeks” indicates the start of counting seven weeks to the to the “Feast of Weeks”, also known as Pentecost.  The counting always started with the wave sheaf offering on the day after the weekly Sabbath as soon as the spring barley crop was harvested. 

Lev 23:10 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring the premier sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
Lev 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

Lev 23:15  ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
Lev 23:16  Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.

These verses in the gospels tell the reader that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven on the day of the wave sheaf offering.  The wave sheaf offering of Lev 23:10-11 pictures the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven.

There are two final verses of interest, Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor 16:2.

Act 20:7  Now on the first day of the week [N-GPN], when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

1Co 16:2  On the first day of the week [N-GPN] let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Do these verses refer to the day of the wave sheaf offering?  In Acts 20:7 that seems quite possible as Paul’s departure was a once off event.  However, in 1 Cor 16:2, it seems more likely that the instruction is to set aside something each week rather than just on the day of the wave sheaf offering.