Genesis 2:2
On the Seventh Day God Ended His Work
Where the Greek went wrongOne Greek word moves the end of creation back a day.
Side by Side
The Hebrew
The source text
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
The Greek
Septuagint, where it went wrong
And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made.
Your KJV reads: the Hebrew here. Elohim ends His work on the seventh day.
See what changed and why ↓What Your Bible Says
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Genesis 2:2 KJV
The seventh day is named twice in one verse. Elohim ended His work on it, and He rested on it. The finishing and the resting belong to the same day.
What the Greek Says
And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made.
Genesis 2:2, Septuagint
In the Greek, the work is finished on the sixth day. The seventh day is left only as the day He stopped.
What Changed
One number. Seventh became sixth.
It looks small, but it pulls apart what the Hebrew joins. In the Hebrew the work is completed by the rest itself. The finish line is the seventh day. The Greek moves the finish back into the six working days and leaves the seventh as an empty pause.
Which One Is Right?
The Hebrew text reads seventh.
The Greek Bible reads sixth.
The Samaritan Torah and the old Syriac Bible also read sixth.
The next verse ties the whole finished work to the seventh day: “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” (Genesis 2:3).
Hebrews 4:4 quotes the half of the verse both texts share: “And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.” It does not settle the number, but it keeps the eye on the seventh day.
Purpose of the Change
The change likely smooths a reading that troubled the translator. To him, “ended his work on the seventh day” sounded as if Elohim worked on the seventh day, so he moved the number back. The Hebrew needed no help. Ending the work by resting is the meaning of the seventh day.
The Bottom Line
Three old witnesses say sixth. The Hebrew says seventh, and the verses around it agree with the Hebrew.
The Creator who ended His work on the seventh day is the One the last message calls the whole earth to worship: “Fear God, and give glory to him … and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:7).
Dig Deeper The evidence, for anyone who wants it
Ended and Rested
The Hebrew word for “ended” means to complete or bring to a finish. The word for “rested” is shabath, to cease, the root of the word Sabbath. In the Hebrew both verbs land on the seventh day. The work is complete when the rest begins.
The Commandment Agrees
For in six days Yahuah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahuah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exodus 20:11 KJV
Six days of making, then the seventh day of rest and blessing. The commandment never moves the finish to the sixth day. It points to the seventh.
An Honest Note
This is not the Greek standing alone. The Samaritan Torah and the Syriac Bible also read “sixth,” so three old witnesses stand against the Hebrew. That is real, and it is said plainly here.
But all three make the same easy fix. Copyists tend to make a hard reading easier, not an easy reading harder. A scribe who found “sixth” would have no reason to write “seventh.” A scribe who found “seventh” and feared it meant work on the day of rest had every reason to write “sixth.” The harder reading is the older one, and the Hebrew keeps it.
Why It Still Matters
The Greek still says He ceased on the seventh day, so the Sabbath itself is not erased. What is lost is the bond between the finished work and the day Yahuah blessed. The Hebrew keeps them joined: the work was finished in the rest.