One of the primary arguments Seventh-day Adventists use to advocate for mandatory Sabbath observance is based on passages in Exodus that describe the Sabbath as a perpetual and everlasting commandment. Exodus 31:13 (NASB2020) states that the Sabbath is to be observed “throughout your generations.” Exodus 31:16 (NASB2020) calls it a “perpetual covenant,” and Exodus 31:17 (NASB2020) declares that it is “a sign between God and Israel forever.” Advocates of Sabbath-keeping argue that these terms indicate that the Sabbath command remains in effect, even though other aspects of the Mosaic Law—such as the sacrificial system and Levitical priesthood—are no longer observed.

However, while the English translations of these terms suggest eternal duration, the Hebrew words used do not necessarily carry the meaning of eternity in the absolute sense. Classical Hebrew lacked a word that explicitly meant forever in the way we understand it in modern English. The Hebrew term olam (עוֹלָם), often translated as “forever,” primarily means “long duration,” “antiquity,” or “futurity.” ^[1]  The actual meaning of olam is determined by context, and in biblical usage, it frequently refers to a set period of time rather than eternity.

Several biblical examples illustrate this principle. In Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17, the term forever describes a servant’s commitment to his master.

“then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever (olam) .” (Exodus 21:6, ESV)

“then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever (olam).” (Deuteronomy 15:17, ESV)

Yet, rather than signifying eternal servitude, the phrase means ‘for the duration of the servant’s lifetime.’ Similarly, 1 Samuel 1:22 describes Hannah dedicating her son Samuel to serve in the temple “forever.”

“But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever (olam).”” (1 Samuel 1:22, ESV)

Yet, this does not mean Samuel would serve eternally—it simply means for the rest of his life. Likewise, in 1 Chronicles 28:4, David states that God chose him to be king of Israel “forever.”

“Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me from all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever (olam).” (1 Chronicles 28:4, ESV)

Clearly, David did not rule for eternity but only for the duration of his reign.

A particularly relevant example comes from 1 Kings 9:3, where God declares that He has set His name in the Solomonic Temple “forever.”

“And the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever (olam). My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.” (1 Kings 9:3, ESV)

However, we know from Ezekiel’s account that the glory of God eventually departed from the temple (Ezek. 10:18–19), demonstrating that olam here referred to a specific period of time rather than unending eternity.

Another explicit limitation appears in Deuteronomy 23:3, which states that Ammonites and Moabites are forbidden from entering the assembly of the Lord “forever.”

“No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever (olam)…” (Deuteronomy 23:3, ESV)

Yet the passage itself limits this restriction to ten generations. Context ALWAYS determines the meaning of the word!

More importantly, the same terminology that describes the Sabbath as forever is also used for other aspects of the Mosaic Law that Sabbath-keepers acknowledge as having ended. For example, the lighting of the Tabernacle lampstands (Exod. 27:21; Lev. 24:3), the ceremony of the showbread (Lev. 24:8–9), the service of the brazen laver (Exod. 30:21), and the Levitical priesthood (Exod. 28:43; 40:15; Lev. 10:9) are all described with the same exact word – olam. Additionally, the sacrificial system—including offerings and atonements—was given the same language of perpetuity (Exod. 29:28; Lev. 7:34–36; 10:15; Num. 15:15; 18:8, 11, 19). The Yom Kippur sacrifice, in particular, was called an “everlasting statute” (Lev. 16:34), yet it is widely acknowledged that Christ’s atoning work brought an end to the sacrificial system (Heb. 9:11–14; 10:1–18).

If one insists that the Sabbath is still mandatory based on the Hebrew term olam, then consistency would require maintaining the rest of the Mosaic system, including the Levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices. However, most Sabbath proponents reject these elements, demonstrating an inconsistent approach to biblical interpretation. The term perpetual covenant (Exod. 31:16) is also used for the showbread ceremony (Lev. 24:9), yet no one argues that this ceremony must still be observed today. Similarly, the phrase throughout your generations (Exod. 31:13) is applied to other temporary laws, such as the priesthood (Exod. 40:15; Lev. 10:9) and the sacrificial system (Lev. 7:36; Num. 15:15), proving that it does not imply eternal obligation.

Ultimately, it is inconsistent exegesis to claim that the Sabbath remains binding based on these Hebrew terms while simultaneously acknowledging that the rest of the Mosaic Law has been set aside. If olam truly meant eternal in every case, then sacrifices, temple service, and priestly garments would still be required. Since the New Testament explicitly teaches that the Mosaic Law has been rendered inoperative (Rom. 6:14; Gal. 3:24–25; Heb. 7:11–18), it is evident that the Sabbath command—like the rest of the Mosaic Covenant—was never intended to last beyond its appointed period. The biblical usage of forever, perpetual covenant, and throughout your generations demonstrates that these terms refer to a specific time frame rather than eternal continuity, making it clear that the Sabbath law is no longer binding under the New Covenant.

In Christian Love,

^[1] Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 761.