Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

EXODUS 31:13KJV
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Exodus 31:13 (KJV)

What does Exodus 31:13 mean?

Exodus 31:13 records God telling Moses to instruct the Israelites to keep the Sabbath as a sign between God and them for all generations, showing that it is God who sets them apart as holy. The verse highlights the Sabbath as a visible marker of the special relationship between God and the people of Israel.

In this verse, God is speaking directly to Moses, who is to relay this message to the Israelites while they are at Mount Sinai. The Sabbath is described not just as a day of rest, but as an ongoing sign ("sign" meaning a visible reminder or symbol) that God is the one who "sanctifies"—that is, makes the people holy or distinct. This sets the Sabbath apart as more than a rule; it is a continual reminder of their unique connection to God.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 31:13

  • "Sabbaths" (שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, shabbatotai): This word is plural, emphasizing not just a single Sabbath but the ongoing, repeated observance. It underlines the idea of a continual sign, not a one-time event.
  • "Sign" (אוֹת, ot): This Hebrew word means a mark, signal, or distinguishing feature. Here, it stresses that the Sabbath is meant to be a visible, outward symbol of the relationship between God and Israel.
  • "Sanctify" (קָדַשׁ, qadash): This verb means to set apart or make holy. The verse points out that it is God who does the sanctifying, not the people's own actions, highlighting God's role in making Israel distinct.

Why Exodus 31:13 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Sabbath is not just a legal requirement but a sign of a deeper relationship, marking Israel as God's special people.
  • The emphasis on God as the one who sanctifies helps correct the idea that holiness comes from human effort alone; it is God who makes people holy.
  • By calling the Sabbath a sign "throughout your generations," the verse connects the command to the ongoing identity and memory of the people, linking past, present, and future generations in their relationship with God.

Where else these words appear

“Verily” Hebrew H389 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Exodus 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
  • Judges 7:19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

“sign” Hebrew H226 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
  • Deuteronomy 4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
  • Psalms 65:8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

“sabbaths” 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.

“generations” Hebrew H1755 · used in 127 verses

  • Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
  • Numbers 15:23 Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations;
  • Psalms 85:5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?