Exodus 20:9 Study Bible: Six days you may labor, and do all your work,

◄ Exodus 20:9 ►

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Six days
The phrase "Six days" refers to the period of time that God has ordained for human labor. In the Hebrew context, the word for "days" is "yom," which can mean a literal 24-hour day. This aligns with the creation account in Genesis, where God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Historically, this sets a rhythm for human life, emphasizing the importance of work while also pointing to the necessity of rest. The six-day workweek is a divine pattern that reflects God's own creative activity, underscoring the dignity and purpose of human labor.

you shall labor
The command "you shall labor" is an imperative that highlights the expectation of work as a fundamental aspect of human existence. The Hebrew word for "labor" is "abad," which can also mean to serve or to work. This suggests that work is not merely a means of survival but a form of service and stewardship of God's creation. From a conservative Christian perspective, labor is seen as a God-given duty that allows individuals to contribute to society, provide for their families, and glorify God through their efforts.

and do all your work
The phrase "and do all your work" emphasizes the completion and fulfillment of one's responsibilities within the six-day period. The Hebrew word for "work" is "melakah," which encompasses all forms of labor, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. This comprehensive view of work suggests that every task, no matter how small, is significant and should be done with diligence and integrity. In the broader biblical context, this phrase encourages believers to be industrious and faithful in their vocations, reflecting God's character in their daily lives.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Moses
The prophet and leader of the Israelites who received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai.

2. Mount Sinai
The mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, including the commandment about labor and rest.

3. Israelites
The chosen people of God who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and given the Law to guide their covenant relationship with God.

Teaching Points

The Divine Pattern of Work and Rest
God established a rhythm of work and rest from the beginning of creation. This pattern is not only a command but a gift, allowing us to reflect God's order in our lives.

The Dignity of Labor
Work is not a curse but a calling. It is an opportunity to serve God and others, fulfilling our purpose and contributing to the common good.

Balancing Work and Rest
While work is important, rest is equally vital. Observing a day of rest helps us to recharge physically, mentally, and spiritually, and to refocus on our relationship with God.

Work as Worship
Our daily labor can be an act of worship when done with the right heart and attitude. By working diligently and ethically, we honor God and reflect His character.

Trusting God with Our Time
Observing a day of rest requires faith that God will provide for our needs. It is a reminder that our ultimate security and provision come from Him, not our efforts alone.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the command to work for six days and rest on the seventh reflect God's character and His creation order?

2. In what ways can you view your daily work as an act of worship to God?

3. How can the principle of Sabbath rest be applied in today's fast-paced world, and what challenges might you face in doing so?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of neglecting rest. How did it affect your relationship with God and others?

5. How can the teachings in Proverbs 6:6-11 about diligence and laziness inform your approach to work and rest?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Genesis 2:2-3
This passage describes God's creation work and His rest on the seventh day, establishing a pattern of work and rest.

Deuteronomy 5:13-14
Reiterates the commandment to work for six days and rest on the seventh, emphasizing the importance of the Sabbath.

Colossians 3:23
Encourages believers to work heartily as for the Lord, connecting the concept of labor to serving God.

Proverbs 6:6-11
Offers wisdom on the value of diligent work and the consequences of laziness.

Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites those who labor and are burdened to find rest in Him, providing a spiritual dimension to the concept of rest.

Sermons

The Moral Law - General Survey	J. Orr	Exodus 20:1-18
The Soul for God Only	J. Urquhart	Exodus 20:3-11
Benefit of Keeping the Sabbath		Exodus 20:8-11
Bible Law Recognized		Exodus 20:8-11
Grief At Profanation of the Sabbath	Watson, Thomas	Exodus 20:8-11
Heaven Seen on the Sabbath	P. B. Davis.	Exodus 20:8-11
Honouring the Sabbath		Exodus 20:8-11
Honouring the Sabbath		Exodus 20:8-11
Reason for Change of Day	Watson, Thomas	Exodus 20:8-11
Reasons for Observing the Sabbath	Barnes, Albert	Exodus 20:8-11
Result of a Weekly Rest		Exodus 20:8-11
Sabbath Breakers Reproved		Exodus 20:8-11
Sabbath Kept Under Difficulties	A. Barnes.	Exodus 20:8-11
Sabbath-Breaking is a Sin	F. S. Schenck.	Exodus 20:8-11
Some Blessings of the Rest Day	F. S. Schenck.	Exodus 20:8-11
Sunday and Suicide	Bp. H. M. Thompson.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Fourth Commandment	F. D. Maurice, M. A.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Fourth Commandment	H. Crosby	Exodus 20:8-11
The Fourth Commandment	G. D. Boardman.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Fourth Commandment: the Sacred Sabbath	D. Young	Exodus 20:8-11
The Holy Day	W. Senior, B. A.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Jewish Sabbath	R. W. Dale, D. D.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Manner of Keeping the Sabbath	H. Winslow.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Pearl of Days		Exodus 20:8-11
The Sabbath	G. Clayton.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Sabbath Appointed by God	Talmud.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Sabbath Cheerful and Holy	H. Crosby, D. D.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Sabbath Day	George Brooks.	Exodus 20:8-11
The Sabbath Under the Law of Moses	D. Wilson, M. A.	Exodus 20:8-11

People

Moses

Places

Mount Sinai

Topics

Hast, Labor, Labour, Six

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Exodus 20:9

5629 work, ordained by God

Exodus 20:1-17

     1443   revelation, OT
     5036   mind, of God
     8412   decisions

Exodus 20:2-17

5377 law, Ten Commandments
6677 justification, necessity

Exodus 20:8-10

5386 leisure, nature of
8438 giving, of time

Exodus 20:8-11

     4921   day
     5404   masters
     8444   honouring God

Exodus 20:9-10

7447 slavery, in OT

Exodus 20:9-11

1653 numbers, 6-10

Library

The Decalogue: I --Man and God
'And God spake all these words, saying, 2. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Decalogue: ii. --Man and Man
'Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13. Thou shalt not kill. 14. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15. Thou shalt not steal. 16. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. 18. And all the people saw the thunderings and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

May the Third Other Gods!
"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." --EXODUS xx. 1-11. If we kept that commandment all the other commandments would be obeyed. If we secure this queen-bee we are given the swarm. To put nothing "before" God! What is left in the circle of obedience? God first, always and everywhere. Nothing allowed to usurp His throne for an hour! I was once allowed to sit on an earthly throne for a few seconds, but even that is not to be allowed with the throne of God. Nothing is to share His sovereignty, …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

The Mediator --The Interpreter
To us, that day at Horeb is a type of the action of the law in our nature: thus doth the law deal with our consciences and hearts. If you have ever felt the law spoken home to you by the Spirit of God, you have heard great thunderings within. You have been forced to cry with Habakkuk, "When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones." And God intended it to be so, that you might look to the flames which Moses saw, and abandon forever all hope of acceptance …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 35: 1889

Weighed in the Balances
In the fifth chapter of Daniel we read the history of King Belshazzar. One chapter tells us all we know about him. One short sight of his career is all we have. He bursts in upon the scene and then disappears. THE EASTERN FEAST. We are told that he made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before them. In those days a feast would sometimes last for six months in Eastern countries. How long this feast had been going on we are not told, but in the midst of it, he "commanded to bring …
Dwight L. Moody—Weighed and Wanting

Traditionalism, Its Origin, Character, and Literature - the Mishnah and Talmud - the Gospel of Christ - the Dawn of a New Day.
In trying to picture to ourselves New Testament scenes, the figure most prominent, next to those of the chief actors, is that of the Scribe ({hebrew}, grammates, literatus). He seems ubiquitous; we meet him in Jerusalem, in Judæa, and even in Galilee. [437] Indeed, he is indispensable, not only in Babylon, which may have been the birthplace of his order, but among the dispersion' also. [438] Everywhere he appears as the mouthpiece and representative of the people; he pushes to the front, the …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Covenanting Sanctioned by the Divine Example.
God's procedure when imitable forms a peculiar argument for duty. That is made known for many reasons; among which must stand this,--that it may be observed and followed as an example. That, being perfect, is a safe and necessary pattern to follow. The law of God proclaims what he wills men as well as angels to do. The purposes of God show what he has resolved to have accomplished. The constitutions of his moral subjects intimate that he has provided that his will shall be voluntarily accomplished …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Beam on us Brightly, Blessed Day,
"The Lord blessed the Seventh day and hallowed it." -- Exodus 20:11. Beam on us brightly, blessed day, Dawn softly for our Savior's sake; And waft thy sweetness o'er our way, To draw us heavenward when we wake. O holy life that shall not end, Light that will never cease to be -- May every Sabbath-day we spend, Add to our happiness in Thee. …
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

For, Concerning False Witness, which is Set Down in the Ten Commands of The...
36. For, concerning false witness, which is set down in the ten commands of the Law, it can indeed in no wise be contended that love of truth may at heart be preserved, and false witness brought forth to him unto whom the witness is borne. For, when it is said to God only, then it is only in the heart that the truth is to be embraced: but when it is said to man, then must we with the mouth also of the body bring forth truth, because man is not an inspector of the heart. But then, touching the witness …
St. Augustine—On Lying

On the Other Hand, those who Say that we must Never Lie...
6. On the other hand, those who say that we must never lie, plead much more strongly, using first the Divine authority, because in the very Decalogue it is written "Thou shall not bear false witness;" [2306] under which general term it comprises all lying: for whoso utters any thing bears witness to his own mind. But lest any should contend that not every lie is to be called false witness, what will he say to that which is written, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul:" [2307] and lest any should …
St. Augustine—On Lying

What Then, if a Homicide Seek Refuge with a Christian...
22. What then, if a homicide seek refuge with a Christian, or if he see where the homicide have taken refuge, and be questioned of this matter by him who seeks, in order to bring to punishment a man, the slayer of man? Is he to tell a lie? For how does he not hide a sin by lying, when he for whom he lies has been guilty of a heinous sin? Or is it because he is not questioned concerning his sin, but about the place where he is concealed? So then to lie in order to hide a person's sin is evil; but …
St. Augustine—On Lying

Thus Has the Question Been on Both Sides Considered and Treated...
12. Thus has the question been on both sides considered and treated; and still it is not easy to pass sentence: but we must further lend diligent hearing to those who say, that no deed is so evil, but that in avoidance of a worse it ought to be done; moreover that the deeds of men include not only what they do, but whatever they consent to be done unto them. Wherefore, if cause have arisen that a Christian man should choose to burn incense to idols, that he might not consent to bodily defilement …
St. Augustine—On Lying

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

The Preface to the Commandments
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God,' &c. Exod 20: 1, 2. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments? The preface to the Ten Commandments is, I am the Lord thy God.' The preface to the preface is, God spake all these words, saying,' &c. This is like the sounding of a trumpet before a solemn proclamation. Other parts of the Bible are said to be uttered by the mouth of the holy prophets (Luke 1: 70), but here God spake in his own person. How are we to understand that, God spake, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Right Understanding of the Law
Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Before I come to the commandments, I shall answer questions, and lay down rules respecting the moral law. What is the difference between the moral laud and the gospel? (1) The law requires that we worship God as our Creator; the gospel, that we worship him in and through Christ. God in Christ is propitious; out of him we may see God's power, justice, and holiness: in him we see his mercy displayed. (2) The moral law requires obedience, but gives …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The First Commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Why is the commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God say, You shall have no other gods? Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duties from ourselves to others; therefore the commandment is in the second person, Thou and Thou, that every one may know that it is spoken to him, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Second Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am o jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of then that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.' Exod 20: 4-6. I. Thou shalt not …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Third Commandment
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.' Exod 20: 7. This commandment has two parts: 1. A negative expressed, that we must not take God's name in vain; that is, cast any reflections and dishonour on his name. 2. An affirmative implied. That we should take care to reverence and honour his name. Of this latter I shall speak more fully, under the first petition in the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy name.' I shall …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Fourth Commandment
Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. 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. Exod 20: 8-11. This …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Fifth Commandment
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' Exod 20: 12. Having done with the first table, I am next to speak of the duties of the second table. The commandments may be likened to Jacob's ladder: the first table respects God, and is the top of the ladder that reaches to heaven; the second respects superiors and inferiors, and is the foot of the ladder that rests on the earth. By the first table, we walk religiously towards God; by …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Sixth Commandment
Thou shalt not kill.' Exod 20: 13. In this commandment is a sin forbidden, which is murder, Thou shalt not kill,' and a duty implied, which is, to preserve our own life, and the life of others. The sin forbidden is murder: Thou shalt not kill.' Here two things are to be understood, the not injuring another, nor ourselves. I. The not injuring another. [1] We must not injure another in his name. A good name is a precious balsam.' It is a great cruelty to murder a man in his name. We injure others in …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Seventh Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Exod 20: 14. God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

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