Question:
In the American Revised Version, it says that God finished His work on the seventh day (see Gen. 2:2). Does that not imply labor in finishing a thing? Is not “ended” or “ceased” better?
Answer:
The word “finished” is a proper rendering of the Hebrew word in Genesis 2:2. In fact, the same word is translated “finish” or “finished” in other places, such as Exodus 40:33, Ruth 3:18, 1 Kings 6:9, 14, 38, and Ezra 6:14.
That being said, the word “ended,” as the KJV puts it, is easier for some to understand, because “finished” can sound as though God was still doing creative labor on the seventh day. But that is not the thought. God completed His work of creation in the six days, and then He rested on the seventh day.
Still, the seventh day was not an empty addition to the week. God used a full week—seven days—in making the earth a home for man. The world itself was made in six days, but the week was not complete, man’s cycle of time was not complete, and God’s appointed memorial was not complete until the seventh day was set apart.
In that sense, God “finished” His work on the seventh day, not by creating more material things, but by resting, blessing, and sanctifying the day. Genesis 2:2-3 explains how this was done. The Sabbath itself was part of God’s finished work for man, because Christ said, “The sabbath was made for man.” Mark 2:27.
So, “finished” does not imply that God continued the labor of creation on the seventh day. It means His work was brought to its complete purpose when the Sabbath was established as the memorial of His creative power and as the sign of His rest.
