For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

EXODUS 20:11KJV
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Exodus 20:11 (KJV)

What does Exodus 20:11 mean?

Exodus 20:11 explains that God created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days, then rested on the seventh day, which is why God blessed and set apart the Sabbath day as special. This verse gives the reason behind the command to observe the Sabbath, connecting it to God’s own pattern of work and rest.

In Exodus 20:11, Moses is speaking to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, delivering God’s commandments. The verse ties the Sabbath commandment directly to the creation story, showing that the rhythm of six days of work and one day of rest is rooted in God’s own actions. This connection gives the Sabbath a foundation that goes beyond just a rule—it is patterned after God’s example.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 20:11

  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing that it is Israel’s covenant God who created and set apart the Sabbath.
  • "Rested" (נ֫וּחַ, nuach): This word means to settle down or cease from work, not because of tiredness, but to mark completion and satisfaction with what was made.
  • "Blessed" (בָּרַךְ, barakh): To bless in this context means to make something special or full of benefit; God’s blessing on the Sabbath means it is a day with a unique, positive purpose.
  • "Hallowed" (קָדַשׁ, qadash): This means to set apart as holy or special; God made the Sabbath distinct from other days, marking it as sacred time.

Why Exodus 20:11 matters

  • Exodus 20:11 clarifies that the Sabbath is not just a human tradition but is grounded in the very pattern God set at creation, giving it deep significance.
  • The verse emphasizes that rest is not a sign of weakness or laziness, but a deliberate act of completion and setting apart, mirroring God’s own actions.
  • By linking the Sabbath to creation, Exodus 20:11 connects the commandment to the larger story of God’s relationship with the world and with humanity, showing that rest is woven into the fabric of life itself.

Where else these words appear

“rested” Hebrew H5117 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
  • 2 Samuel 21:10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
  • Isaiah 7:19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

“sabbath” Hebrew H7676 · used in 89 verses

  • Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
  • Leviticus 26:43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
  • Nehemiah 13:22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

“seventh” Hebrew H7637 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
  • 1 Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.