‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’ ”
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Exodus 35:2-3 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, “These are the words which Yahweh has commanded, that you should do them. ‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’ ”
Parallel Translations
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‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.
You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’ ”
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Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Show all 3 translations
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Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD; whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put to death.
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.'
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (15)
- Exodus 16:23 (v3) He said to them, “This is that which Yahweh has spoken, ‘Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh. Bake that which you want to…
- Leviticus 23:3 (v2) “ ‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no kind of work. It is…
- Luke 13:14-15 (v2) The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which…
- Numbers 15:32-36 (vv2–3) While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering…
- Exodus 12:16 (v3) In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no kind of work shall be done in…
Show all 14 cross-references
- Exodus 20:9-10 (v2) You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you,…
- Exodus 34:21 (v2) “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
- Exodus 23:12 (v2) “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your…
- Exodus 31:13-16 (v2) “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Most certainly you shall keep my Sabbaths; for it is a sign between me and you throughout…
- Isaiah 58:13 (v3) “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of…
- Hebrews 10:28-29 (v2) A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he…
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (v2) “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. You shall labor six days, and do all your work; but the…
- John 5:16 (v2) For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath.
- Hebrews 2:2-3 (v2) For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we…
14 distinct cross-references across this passage (15 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v2 Wherein ye shall rest from all bodily work.
Wherein ye shall rest from all bodily work.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Exo 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but…
Exo 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Ver. 2. Six days shall work be done.] This duty is so oft inculcated, to show the necessity, excellency, difficulty of well doing it.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2–3 This command of the sabbath is repeated here, as…
This command of the sabbath is repeated here, as also Exo 31:13, together with the instructions for the building of the tabernacle, and its utensils, to show that they were made for no other use than the service of God, which was to be performed, as every day, so in an eminent and peculiar manner upon the sabbath day, and to teach them the absolute necessity of minding that precept in and above all their ceremonial observations.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Six days shall work be done,.... Or "may be…
Six days shall work be done,.... Or "may be done" (u); everyone might do what work he pleased, or the business of his calling, on the six days of the weeks; he had liberty granted him of God, and might make use of it for the advantage of himself and his family; unless this can be thought to have a peculiar respect, as this repetition and renewal of this law seems to have, to the building of the tabernacle; and so is an order for working at it closely and constantly all the six days of the week, and in things belonging to it, until the whole was finished:
but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day; or "holiness" (w); wholly holy, and be separated and devoted to holy service and religious duties, abstaining from all manner of work, even from the work of the tabernacle; for though that was designed for the worship of God, and required dispatch, yet the sabbath was not to be violated on account of it: and, as Jarchi observes, this admonition concerning the sabbath was given previous to the command of building the tabernacle; to show that that did not drive away the sabbath, or that the sabbath was not to give way to it, or to be broken for the sake of it, it being
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a sabbath of rest to the Lord; in which the Israelites were to rest from bodily labour, and spend the day in the service of God, and to his honour and glory:
whosoever doeth work therein: even though it might be in anything belonging to the tabernacle:
shall be put to death; the Targum of Jonathan adds, by casting stones, stoning being the punishment of sabbath breakers, Num 15:35.
(u) "fiat", Piscator. (w) "sanctitas", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Six days shall work be done - Work for…
Six days shall work be done - Work for the tabernacle, but on the seventh day - You must not strike a stroke, no not at the tabernacle-work; the honour of the sabbath was above that of the sanctuary.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v3 Verse 3. Ye shall kindle no fire] The Jews…
Verse 3. Ye shall kindle no fire] The Jews understand this precept as forbidding the kindling of fire only for the purpose of doing work or dressing victuals; but to give them light and heat, they judge it lawful to light a fire on the Sabbath day, though themselves rarely kindle it - they get Christians to do this work for them.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Exo 35:2. Six days shall work be done —…
Exo 35:2. Six days shall work be done — Work for the tabernacle, but on the seventh day they must not strike a stroke, no, not at the tabernacle work; the honour of the sabbath was above that of the sanctuary.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv2–3 See Exo 31:12.
See Exo 31:12.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Sabbath. The frequent repetition of this precept, cannot escape…
Sabbath. The frequent repetition of this precept, cannot escape the notice of the attentive reader. The sabbath was a distinctive mark of the Jews, and was generally observed by them with the utmost care, and even with scrupulosity. (Haydock) --- They were not allowed to do on it any thing that had the appearance of servility, if it could be avoided without serious inconveniences. But in any urgent necessity of the sick, &c., they might provide meat, and do other work, that could not be done before. They might also repel an enemy, water cattle, &c. Though a mere rest be positively ordered, the design of it shewed that the day was to be spent in religious duties, reading the Bible, &c. Josephus assures us, many were so diligent herein, as to know almost the whole law by heart. (Tirinus)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2–3 2. The seventh day… a sabbath of rest —…
2. The seventh day… a sabbath of rest — The purpose of this repetition of the sabbath law was probably to prevent any attempt to carry forward the work of the tabernacle on the holy day. See note on Exo_31:13.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–3 2. an holy day] Heb. holiness (without ‘day’). Probably…
2. an holy day] Heb. holiness (without ‘day’). Probably ḳôdesh has been accidentally transposed; and we should read, as in Exo_31:15, a sabbath of entire rest, holy to Jehovah. For ‘entire rest,’ see on Exo_16:23.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Verse 2 is almost a repetition of Exo_31:15.
Verse 2 is almost a repetition of Exo_31:15.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v3 Ye shall kindle no fire.
Exo_35:3
Ye shall kindle no fire.
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The unkindled fire
In the old time it was a law that each night, at a prescribed hour, a bell should be rung, on hearing which the people were to put out their fires. This a law not about putting fires out each day, but against lighting a fire on one particular day. Why this law?
I. To show that on the Sabbath, especially, men should attend to the interests of the soul rather than to the comports of the body.
II. To remove frivolous excuses for non-attendance on religious worship.
III. To guard the time of females or servants from unrighteous invasion; and teach men that women had religious rights and duties equally with themselves.
IV. To inculcate in all the duty of self-sacrifice in matters relating to the soul and God. (Biblical Museum.)
The rest of plants
All creation seems to possess the instinct of rest. We well know how eagerly the human heart sighs for rest. But it is not so well known that even plants sleep. Their strange sleep, says Figuier, vaguely recalls to us the sleep of animals. In its sleep the leaf seems by its disposition to approach the age of infancy. It folds itself up, nearly as it lay folded in the bud before it opened, when it slept the lethargic sleep of winter, sheltered under the robust and hardy scales, or shut up in its warm down. We may say that the plant seeks every night to resume the position which it occupied in its early days, just as the animal rolls itself up, lying as if it lay in its mothers bosom. All the world seems to express the sentiment contained in the words uttered by one of old, who desired the wings of a dove in order to seek and obtain rest. (Scientific Illustrations.)
Sabbath breaking condemned
Dr. Beecher was seen one Monday morning leaving his house with a basket in his hand which he was carrying to the fish-market, and in which he intended to carry home a fish for the family table. Unknown to him, a young man of undecided religious principles was following and watching him. The minister soon came to the fish-market. Here Dr. Beecher picked up a fine-looking fish, and asked the fisherman if it was fresh and sweet. Certainly, replied the man, for I caught it myself yesterday, which was the Sabbath. Dr. Beecher at once dropped the fish, saying, Then I dont want it, and went on without another word. We are not informed whether the preacher obtained his fish, but when the young man who was following him that morning related his experience some time afterwards on his admission to the Christian Church, he stated that Dr. Beechers consistency evinced in the fish-market had been the turning-point in his career. It convinced him of the power of religion in life, had induced him to attend the ministry of the man who had won his respect, and he was converted.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.