Exodus 31:16-17 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 31:12-18

Here is, I. A strict command for the sanctification of the sabbath day, Exod. 31:13-17. The law of the sabbath had been given them before any other law, by was of preparation (Exod. 16:23); it had been inserted in the body of the moral law, in the fourth commandment; it had been annexed to the judicial law (Exod. 23:12); and here it is added to the first part of the ceremonial law, because the observance of the sabbath is indeed the hem and hedge of the whole law; where no conscience is made... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 31:16

Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath ,.... On whom the sabbath of the seventh day was only enjoined, as well as that of the seventh and of the fiftieth years, being all ceremonial and shadowy: to observe the sabbath throughout their generations ; so long as the Mosaic dispensation lasted, and their civil polity and church state continued, even until the Messiah came, when all those Jewish shadows, rites, and ceremonies, fled away and disappeared: for a perpetual... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 31:17

It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever ,.... In like sense as the land of Canaan was given them for an everlasting possession; and the covenant of circumcision, and the ordinance of the passover, and the fast on the day of atonement, were for ever; that is, unto the end of the Jewish world and state, at the coming of Christ, when a new world and state of things began, see Genesis 17:8 . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 31:16

A perpetual covenant - Because it is a sign of this future rest and blessedness, therefore the religious observance of it must be perpetually kept up. The type must continue in force till the antitype come. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 31:17

Rested, and was refreshed - God, in condescension to human weakness, applies to himself here what belongs to man. If a man religiously rests on the Sabbath, both his body and soul shall be refreshed; he shall acquire new light and life. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:12-18

The Sabbath. If this prohibition to work upon the Sabbath is introduced, as probably it is, lest the people, in their zeal for the service of the sanctuary, should be tempted to infringe upon the holy day, it has certain obvious sides of instruction turned towards ourselves. We cannot but see in it the high honour which God puts upon his Sabbath . 1. It is the one command of the Decalogue to which reference is made in the conclusion of this series of instructions. This implies its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:13-17

1. That the sabbath was to be a sign between God and Israel, a "distinguishing badge," a "sacramental bond" (Cook); and 2. That its desecration was to be punished with death ( Exodus 31:15 ). These were supplementary points of so much importance as to furnish ample reason against their announcement being delayed. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:13-17

Covenant signs. To each covenant which he has made with man, God has attached some special sign or signs. And each sign has been significant, has set before the mind of those to whom it was given some great religious truth. I. THE FIRST COVENANT SIGN WAS THE RAINBOW . God had destroyed by a deluge the whole human race, except eight persons. It pleased him, after this, to enter into a covenant with Noah and his sons ( Genesis 9:8 , Genesis 9:9 ), and through them with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:16

For a perpetual covenant . The sabbath is itself a covenant— i.e; a part of the covenant between God and Israel ( Exodus 24:4 )—and it is, also, a sign of covenant— i.e; a perceptible indication that the nation has entered into a special agreement with God, and undertaken the observance of special laws. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:17

It is a sign . See above, Exodus 31:13 . For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth . See the comment on Exodus 20:11 . And was refreshed . Literally," and took breath." The metaphor is a bold one, but not bolder than others which occur in holy scripture ( Psalms 44:23 ; Psalms 78:65 ). It does but carry out a little further the idea implied in God's "resting." We cannot speak of any of God's acts or attributes without anthropomorphisms. read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 31:12-18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 31:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 31:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 31:16

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 31:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:12-18

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:13-17

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:13-17

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 31:17

Group of Brands