Originally, Sabbath-breakers were officially to be cut off from the assembly or potentially killed (). Observance in the Hebrew Bible was universally from sixth-day sundown to seventh-day sundown (, cf. ), on a seven-day week. Consultations with prophets (II Kings iv. 23) were sought on the Sabbath. Sabbath corporate worship was not prescribed for the community at large, and the Sabbath activities at the shrines were originally a convocation of priests for the purpose of offering divine sacrifices, with family worship and rest being centered in homes.