"... Scholarly attention has focused on the paradoxical use of the terms "yoke" (ζυγός) and "burden" (φορτίον), which are unexpectedly described as "easy" (χρηστὸς) and "light" (ἐλαφρόν) to carry. This raises the question: how can a yoke be "easy" and a burden "light"? The issue may partly stem from our Western presuppositions and interpretations of terms that may not have sounded entirely negative to ancient Jewish readers. Indeed, while words like "yoke" and "burden" often have a negative connotation even in ancient Jewish literature, the term "yoke" (Hebrew: לוע; Aramaic: רינ; Greek: ζυγός) is seen in a positive light in various Jewish texts. In the Book of Jeremiah (2:20, 5:5), Israel is criticized for abandoning God's Law and "breaking the yoke." The author presumably suggests that staying under God's yoke would lead to a better outcome for Israel. The Book of Lamentations, attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, positively asserts that "it is good for one to bear the yoke in youth" (3:27). In Psalms of Solomon 7:9, the people of Israel willingly choose to remain under God's yoke. Lastly, Sirach 51:26, in many ways similar to Matthew 11:29, advises its audience to place their neck under the yoke of wisdom, echoing Sirach 6:30 and Solomon 3:8; 9:6 ..."