Exodus 20:9
Exodus 20:9 in Multiple Translations
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
On six days do all your work:
You have six days to work and earn your living,
Sixe dayes shalt thou labour, and doe all thy worke,
six days thou dost labour, and hast done all thy work,
You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works.
There are six days each week for you to do all your work,
Berean Amplified Bible — Exodus 20:9
BAB
Word Study
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Exodus 20:9 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
שֵׁ֤שֶׁת
יָמִים֙
תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד
וְ/עָשִׂ֖יתָ
כָּל
מְלַאכְתֶּֽ/ךָ
שֵׁ֤שֶׁת
shêsh
H8337
six
Adj
יָמִים֙
yôwm
H3117
day
N-mp
תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד
ʻâbad
H5647
to serve
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms
וְ/עָשִׂ֖יתָ
ʻâsâh
H6213
to make
Conj | V-Qal-2ms
כָּל
kôl
H3605
all
N-ms
מְלַאכְתֶּֽ/ךָ
mᵉlâʼkâh
H4399
work
N-fs | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Exodus 20:9
שֵׁ֤שֶׁת
shêsh
H8337
"six"
Adj
This Hebrew word means the number six, and is often used in the Bible to describe measurements, like the six days of creation in Genesis 1.
Definition: 1) six 1a) six (cardinal number) 1b) sixth (ordinal number) 1c) in combination with other numbers Aramaic equivalent: shet (שֵׁת "six" H8353)
Usage: Occurs in 202 OT verses. KJV: six(-teen, -teenth), sixth. See also: Genesis 7:6; 1 Kings 6:6; Proverbs 6:16.
יָמִים֙
yôwm
H3117
"day"
N-mp
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Definition: : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow
Usage: Occurs in 1930 OT verses. KJV: age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger. See also: Genesis 1:5; Genesis 33:13; Exodus 23:15.
תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד
ʻâbad
H5647
"to serve"
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms
To serve or work is the meaning of this verb, which can also imply slavery or bondage, as seen in the story of the Israelites in Egypt. It is used to describe various types of work or service, including serving God or other people. The word has different forms and meanings in different contexts.
Definition: : serve[someone] 1) to work, serve 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to labour, work, do work 1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour 1a3) to serve as subjects 1a4) to serve (God) 1a5) to serve (with Levitical service) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land) 1b2) to make oneself a servant 1c) (Pual) to be worked 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to compel to labour or work, cause to labour, cause to serve 1d2) to cause to serve as subjects 1e) (Hophal) to be led or enticed to serve
Usage: Occurs in 262 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, [phrase] husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become) servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er), transgress (from margin), (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper, See also: Genesis 2:5; Deuteronomy 28:14; Psalms 2:11.
וְ/עָשִׂ֖יתָ
ʻâsâh
H6213
"to make"
Conj | V-Qal-2ms
This verb means to make or do something, and is used over 2,600 times in the Bible. It is first used in Genesis 1:7 to describe God's creation of the world and is also used in Exodus 31:5 to describe the work of skilled craftsmen.
Definition: : make(OBJECT) 1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to do, work, make, produce 1a1a) to do 1a1b) to work 1a1c) to deal (with) 1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect 1a2) to make 1a2a) to make 1a2b) to produce 1a2c) to prepare 1a2d) to make (an offering) 1a2e) to attend to, put in order 1a2f) to observe, celebrate 1a2g) to acquire (property) 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute 1a2i) to bring about 1a2j) to use 1a2k) to spend, pass 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be done 1b2) to be made 1b3) to be produced 1b4) to be offered 1b5) to be observed 1b6) to be used 1c) (Pual) to be made
Usage: Occurs in 2286 OT verses. KJV: accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, [phrase] feast, (fight-) ing man, [phrase] finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, [phrase] hinder, hold (a feast), [idiom] indeed, [phrase] be industrious, [phrase] journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, [phrase] officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, [idiom] sacrifice, serve, set, shew, [idiom] sin, spend, [idiom] surely, take, [idiom] thoroughly, trim, [idiom] very, [phrase] vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use. See also: Genesis 1:7; Genesis 34:19; Exodus 18:24.
כָּל
kôl
H3605
"all"
N-ms
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Definition: 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
Usage: Occurs in 4242 OT verses. KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever). See also: Genesis 1:21; Genesis 17:10; Genesis 41:40.
מְלַאכְתֶּֽ/ךָ
mᵉlâʼkâh
H4399
"work"
N-fs | Suff
Means work or employment, like a job or business, and is used to describe someone's occupation or the result of their labor, as seen in the Bible's description of various professions and industries.
Definition: 1) occupation, work, business 1a) occupation, business 1b) property 1c) work (something done or made) 1d) workmanship 1e) service, use 1f) public business 1f1) political 1f2) religious
Usage: Occurs in 149 OT verses. KJV: business, [phrase] cattle, [phrase] industrious, occupation, ([phrase] -pied), [phrase] officer, thing (made), use, (manner of) work((-man), -manship). See also: Genesis 2:2; 1 Chronicles 9:13; Psalms 73:28.
Study Notes — Exodus 20:9
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Exodus 20:9 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Exodus 20:9
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 20:9
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
- Trapp's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
- Ellicott's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
- Cambridge Bible on Exodus 20:9
- Whedon's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
- Sermons on Exodus 20:9
Context — The Ten Commandments
7You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. 11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke 13:14 | But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.” |
| 2 | Exodus 34:21 | Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and harvesting, you must rest. |
| 3 | Exodus 23:12 | For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident. |
| 4 | Leviticus 23:3 | For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD. |
| 5 | Exodus 35:2 | For six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to death. |
Exodus 20:9 Summary
[This verse reminds us that God wants us to work hard for six days to provide for ourselves and our families, but also to remember to rest on the seventh day, just like He did after creating the world, as seen in Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 2:2-3. By working and resting in this way, we can trust in God's provision and prioritize our relationship with Him. This principle is still relevant today, as seen in Matthew 6:33, and can help us find balance and rest in our busy lives.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the six days of labor mentioned in Exodus 20:9?
The six days of labor are a reminder that God is our provider and that we should work hard to provide for ourselves and our families, as seen in Proverbs 10:4, but also remember to rest on the seventh day as commanded in Exodus 20:10.
Does Exodus 20:9 imply that we should work non-stop for six days without any breaks?
No, Exodus 20:9 does not imply that we should work non-stop for six days, but rather that we should use the six days to complete our work and then rest on the seventh day, as God Himself did after creating the world, as seen in Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 2:2-3.
How does this verse relate to our modern concept of a workweek?
The principle of working for six days and resting on the seventh day is still relevant today, as it reminds us to prioritize rest and worship in our busy lives, and to trust in God's provision, as seen in Matthew 6:33 and Hebrews 4:9-10.
Is the command to labor for six days only for the Israelites, or is it for all people?
While the command was initially given to the Israelites, the principle of working and resting is universal and applies to all people, as seen in the creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:3, which shows that God Himself worked and rested, setting an example for humanity.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways I can prioritize my work and tasks to ensure I am completing them within the six days, so I can truly rest on the seventh day?
- How can I balance my desire to work hard and provide for my family with the need to rest and trust in God's provision?
- What are some things I can do on the seventh day to make it a true Sabbath, a day of rest and worship, and how can I prioritize my relationship with God on this day?
- In what ways can I apply the principle of working and resting in my daily life, even if I do not have a traditional Monday-to-Friday workweek?
Gill's Exposition on Exodus 20:9
Six days shalt thou labour,.... This is not to be taken for a precept, but a permission; not as a command enjoining men to work and labour with their hands, to provide for themselves and families
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 20:9
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
This may be either, 1. A command to employ those days in our worldly occasions, yet so as God and religion be not neglected on those days, as many scriptures teach us. Or, 2. A permission to do so; which I prefer, 1. Because so it is a proper argument to enforce the observation of the sabbath: q.d. Grudge not me one day, when I allow you six for it. 2. Because the command of diligence in our callings would seem improperly placed here, as being of a quite different nature, and belonging to the second table, and being provided for in a distinct command, as we shall see.
Trapp's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
Exodus 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:Ver. 9. Six days shalt thou labour.] God hath reserved but one day in seven, as he reserved the tree of knowledge of good and evil; yet wretched men must needs clip the Lord’ s coin. In many places God’ s Sabbaths are made the voider and dunghill for all refuse businesses. The Sabbath of the Lord, the sanctified day of his rest, saith one, is shamelessly troubled and disquieted. The world is now grown perfectly profane, saith another, and can play on the Lord’ s day without concern. Bishop King, On John, lect. vii.
Ellicott's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
(9) Six days shalt thou labour.—The form is certainly imperative; and it has been held that the fourth commandment is “not limited to a mere enactment respecting one day, but prescribes the due distribution of a week, and enforces the six days’ work as much as the seventh day’s rest” (Garden in Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, vol. iii., p. 1068). But the work on the six days is really rather assumed as what will be than required as what must be; and the intention of the clause is prohibitory rather than mandatory—“thou shalt not work more than six days out of the seven.”
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
Verse 9. Six days shalt thou labour] Therefore he who idles away time on any of the six days, is as guilty before God as he who works on the Sabbath. No work should be done on the Sabbath that can be done on the preceding days, or can be deferred to the succeeding ones. Works of absolute necessity and mercy are alone excepted. He who works by his servants or cattle is equally guilty as if he worked himself. Hiring out horses, &c., for pleasure or business, going on journeys, paying worldly visits, or taking jaunts on the Lord's day, are breaches of this law. The whole of it should be devoted to the rest of the body and the improvement of the mind. God says he has hallowed it - he has made it sacred and set it apart for the above purposes. It is therefore the most proper day for public religious worship.
Cambridge Bible on Exodus 20:9
8–11. The fourth commandment. The observance of the Sabbath.
Whedon's Commentary on Exodus 20:9
9. Six days shalt thou labour — Here is a positive commandment, as explicit as that which enjoins the sabbath rest.
Sermons on Exodus 20:9
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
True Treasure by William MacDonald | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of putting God's work above our own desires and needs. He highlights the biblical teaching of working hard for our current ne |
|
Jesus Interprets the Law by Paul Bramsen | Paul Bramsen preaches about the wisdom of interpreting daily experiences, making personal rules for living, considering others' experiences, and ultimately obeying the words of God |
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Our Lord Teaching Regarding the Sabbath Mark 2:23 to 3:6 by R.A. Torrey | R.A. Torrey emphasizes that the Sabbath was created for the benefit of humanity, not as a burden, and that the needs of people take precedence over rigid ceremonial laws. He illust |
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Bristol Conference 1975-14 Nehemiah by Stan Ford | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and contribution to the fellowship of believers. He uses the analogy of selling fish, even though |