Exodus 31-vs-13-17
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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Verses 13 to 17..
With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
There is powerful Sabbath teachings in Shemot - Exodus Chapter 31, verses 13 to 17! This chapter deals with resting from our labours on the 7th day being a sign between אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and His people the Israelites!
The five verses below reveals that ‘Sabbath observance’ is the ‘covenantal sign’, and prescribes its seriousness while rooting it in Creation and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s sanctifying work!
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Below is chapter 31, verses 13 to 17 in Hebrew followed by the English translation directly below.
וְאַתָּה
דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר,
אַךְ אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתַי,
תִּשְׁמֹרוּ: כִּי
אוֹת הִוא
בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם, לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת,
כִּי אֲנִי
יְהוָה
מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם,
אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת,
כִּי קֹדֶשׁ
הִוא, לָכֶם; מְחַלְלֶיהָ,
מוֹת יוּמָת-כִּי
כָּל-הָעֹשֶׂה
בָהּ
מְלָאכָה, וְנִכְרְתָה
הַנֶּפֶשׁ
הַהִוא
מִקֶּרֶב עַמֶּיהָ
שֵׁשֶׁת
יָמִים, יֵעָשֶׂה
מְלָאכָה, וּבַיּוֹם
הַשְּׁבִיעִי
שַׁבַּת
שַׁבָּתוֹן
קֹדֶשׁ, לַיהוָה;
כָּל-הָעֹשֶׂה
מְלָאכָה
בְּיוֹם
הַשַּׁבָּת, מוֹת
יוּמָת
וְשָׁמְרוּ
בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל,
אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת,
לַעֲשׂוֹת
אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת
לְדֹרֹתָם, בְּרִית
עוֹלָם
בֵּינִי,
וּבֵין בְּנֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל-אוֹת
הִוא, לְעֹלָם:
כִּי-שֵׁשֶׁת
יָמִים, עָשָׂה
יְהוָה אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם
וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ,
וּבַיּוֹם
הַשְּׁבִיעִי,
שָׁבַת
וַיִּנָּפַשׁ
The English version is below:
13. ‘Speak thou also unto the
children of
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Below is my ‘verse by verse’ Commentary:
Verse 13: This verse establishes Shabbat as a Divine institution, not merely a cultural practice. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim instructs Moses to tell Israel that Shabbat are His Sabbaths, meaning it originates from אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s will, not ‘human invention’. The phrase “Verily My Sabbaths” emphasizes ‘Ownership’ and ‘Sanctity’.
Verse 14: This verse states the legal
consequence for profaning the Sabbath in the wilderness covenant context. The
severity underscores that Sabbath-keeping is not optional ritual but the covenantal
badge of
Verse 15: This verse gives the practical rhythm: six days of labour, one day of consecrated rest. The Sabbath is described as “holy to יְהוָה - the LORD” belongs to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and is set apart for Divine purposes. The command frames work and rest as complementary: productive labour is legitimate and ordained, but it must be bounded by a sanctified cessation. The wording also anticipates later legal distinctions about permitted work (‘necessity’, ‘mercy’, ‘cultic service’).
Verse 16: This verse makes Sabbath
observance ‘intergenerational’ and ‘perpetual’. It is not a temporary rule for
the desert but a lasting covenantal sign. The term “perpetual covenant” links
Sabbath to
Verse 17: The theological foundation is explicit: The ‘Sabbath commemorates Creation’. By tying the command to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s rest on the seventh day, the text grounds Israel’s rest in Divine action, for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim ‘sanctifies’ and ‘refreshes’ the people through this remembrance. The phrase “a sign forever” reiterates permanence and Divine ownership; ‘Sabbath’ is both ‘memorial’ and a ‘covenantal seal’.
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My Closing Message:
May my brief, verse‑by‑verse commentary help you to understand how Exodus 31:14–17 binds ‘law’, ‘identity’, and ‘theology’: for the ‘Sabbath is a blessed Divine gift’, a ‘communal sign’, and a ‘perpetual covenant rooted in Creation and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s sanctifying work’!
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