Exodus 31:12-18

12 And the Lord spake to Moses, saying,

13 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, See ye that ye keep my sabbath, for it is a sign betwixt me and you in your generations; that ye know, that I am the Lord, which hallow[eth] you. (Speak thou to the Israelites, and thou shalt say to them, See ye that ye keep my sabbath, for it is a sign between me and you for all generations to come; so that ye know, that I am the Lord, who halloweth you.)

14 Keep ye my sabbath, for it is holy to you; he that defouleth it, shall die by death (he who defileth it, must be put to death); (yea,) the soul of him, that doeth work in the sabbath, shall perish from the midst of his people.

15 Six days ye shall do work; in the seventh day is sabbath, the holy rest to the Lord; each man that doeth work in this day shall die. (For six days ye shall do work; but on the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, which is holy to the Lord; any person who doeth work on this day must be put to death.)

16 The sons of Israel keep [the] sabbath, and hallow it in their generations; it is a covenant everlasting (The Israelites shall keep the sabbath, and make it holy in all their generations; it is an everlasting covenant)

17 betwixt me and the sons of Israel, and it is a sign everlasting; for in six days God made heaven and earth, and in the seventh day he ceased of work. (between me and the Israelites, and it is an everlasting sign; for in six days God made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he ceased from all his work.)

18 And when he had [ful]filled to speak to Moses, the Lord gave to Moses, in the hill of Sinai, two stone tables of witnessing, written with the finger of God. (And when he had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave Moses the two stone tablets of the Witnessing, that is, the Law, written with the 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.