Exodus 31:15

15 Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is a Sabbath. You must rest on it. It is set apart for me. Those who work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

Exodus 31:15 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 31:15

Six days may work be done;
&c.] Allowed to be done by an Israelite, if he would; for this is not a command to work, but a permission or grant to do it; and therefore, seeing they had so many days granted them for their use, it could not be thought hard and unreasonable that God should claim one day in seven for his own use and service, and oblige them to refrain from work on it:

but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest;
from worldly labour, and was typical of spiritual rest here, and eternal rest hereafter:

holy to the Lord;
separated from other days, and entirely devoted to the worship and service of God, and to be kept holy to the Lord in all holy and religious exercises, as hearing and reading the word, praying, praising

whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, [he] shall surely be
put to death;
the Targum of Jonathan adds, by casting stones, and so we find that the first transgressor of this law we read of was stoned to death, ( Numbers 15:35 Numbers 15:36 ) .

Exodus 31:15 In-Context

13 He said, "Tell the people of Israel, 'You must always keep my Sabbath days. That will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and you for all time to come. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I make you holy.

14 " 'Keep the Sabbath day. It is holy to you. Those who misuse it must be put to death. Those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.

15 Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is a Sabbath. You must rest on it. It is set apart for me. Those who work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

16 " 'The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath. They must celebrate it for all time to come. It will be a covenant that lasts forever.

17 It will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and the people of Israel forever. " 'I made the heavens and the earth in six days. But on the seventh day I did not work. I rested.' "