Exodus 31:12-18

The Sabbath

12 And the LORD said to Moses,

13 "You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.

14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. ¹Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15 ²Six days shall work be done, but ³the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. ⁴Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.

17 ⁵It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that ⁶in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and ⁷on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"

18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the ⁸two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with ⁹the finger of God.

Exodus 31:12-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 31

In this chapter an account is given of the persons whom God had chosen, and qualified for the work of building the tabernacle, and all things relating to it, and for the direction and oversight thereof, Ex 31:1-6 and an enumeration is made of the several things that were to be wrought, some in one way, some in another, Ex 31:7-11 the law of the sabbath is repeated, and the violation of it made death, Ex 31:12-17 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that at the close of the above orders, two tables of stone, with the law written upon them by the finger of God, were given to Moses, Ex 31:18.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 35:2; [Jeremiah 17:27]; See Numbers 15:32-36
• 2. See Exodus 20:9
• 3. Exodus 16:23; Exodus 20:10; Genesis 2:2
• 4. [See ver. 14 above]
• 5. ver. 13
• 6. Genesis 1:31
• 7. Genesis 2:2; Hebrews 4:4, 10
• 8. Exodus 24:12; Exodus 32:15, 16; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 5:22; Deuteronomy 9:10, 11; [2 Corinthians 3:3]
• 9. See Exodus 8:19