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Exodus

About this book
Chapter 31

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,⁠ 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God⁠ in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,⁠ 4 to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, 5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, that they may make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base, 10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, 11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you.” 12 The Lord said to Moses, 13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”⁠

The Tablets and the Golden Calf

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

Texts in conversation

Compare Genesis 2:2 and Exodus 31:17

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Genesis describes God finishing creation on the seventh day, resting, and making the day special. Exodus 31 echoes this, describing God resting and following the seven-day pattern himself as the reason the Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel.

Passages

Genesis 2:2

Hebrew Bible
1 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them. 2 By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the Lord God made the earth and heavens.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

Exodus 31:17

Hebrew Bible
16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” 18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

References

... In Exodus 31:12–17, in the context of the construction of the Tabernacle, the Sabbath command is reiterated. This associates the Sabbath with the central place for Israelite worship and communion with God. This location of the command does two things. It shows that the Sabbath is regarded as more important than the building of the Tabernacle because the Israelites were to keep the Sabbath even during its construction, and it shows that the regular worship of God and his presence among them will be grounded in the Sabbath. There are many similarities between this Sabbath legislation and other Sabbath legislation in the Old Testament. There is the obvious emphasis on abstention from work. The last verse cited above echoes the passage in the Decalogue, giving God’s rest on the seventh day as the reason for the Sabbath command. ...
Michael H. Burer, Divine Sabbath Work, BBRSup 5 (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2012), 36.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Genesis 2:2 and Exodus 31:17

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