You shall keep the Sabbath therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
World English Bible
Exodus 31:14
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (4)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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To kill or not to kill
Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 command 'thou shalt not kill,' and Jesus reaffirms it in Mark 10:19 and Luke 18:20. The same Torah then mandates capital punishment for witches, adulterers, gay men, non-virgin brides, blasphemers, sabbath breakers, and disobedient children.
Critical scholarship: Genuinely disputed among scholars.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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How should Sabbath-breakers be punished?
Exodus 31:14 says the Sabbath-breaker "shall be cut off from among his people" — the karet penalty. The same verse and Exodus 31:15, 35:2, and Numbers 15:32-36 all prescribe "put to death."
Critical scholarship: Usually considered reconciled.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Is it necessary to keep the Sabbath?
The Torah and the prophets repeatedly insist the Sabbath is a perpetual sign of the covenant — Exodus 31:13-16 calls it an everlasting obligation and Isaiah 56:2 blesses anyone who keeps it. But Isaiah 1:13 has YHWH calling new moons and sabbath assemblies "iniquity" he can't stand.
Critical scholarship: Usually considered reconciled.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Does the Bible approve of capital punishment?
The Pentateuchal legal codes prescribe death by stoning, burning, or general execution for an enormous range of offenses: murder (Gen 9:6; Num 35:30), striking or cursing a parent (Exod 21:15, 17), witchcraft (Exod 22:18), bestiality (Exod 22:19), idolatry (Exod 22:20), Sabbath-breaking (Exod 31:14-15; 35:2), adultery (Lev 20:10), incest (Lev 20:11-14), male homosexuality (Lev 20:13), blasphemy (Lev 24:16), kidnapping (Exod 21:16), loss of virginity before marriage (Deut 22:13-21), and rape victims who didn't cry out loudly enough (Deut 22:23-24). Genesis 4:15 has God explicitly *prevent* the execution of Cain — the first murderer — by placing a protective mark on him.
Critical scholarship: Usually considered reconciled.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
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Cite this page
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"Exodus 31:14 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/exodus/31/14?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).