Deuteronomy 5:15
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This verse gives a second foundational reason for the Sabbath, beyond creation: remembering your own history as a slave. The command to rest isn't just about God's work stopping, but about you not imposing the harshness you experienced on others, mirroring God's powerful rescue.
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse appears within Moses' repetition of the Ten Commandments to the new generation of Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. Unlike the initial giving of the law in Exodus, here Moses emphasizes the why behind the commands, connecting them to Israel's identity and God's redemptive work. The commandment to keep the Sabbath is presented not just as a holy day for rest, but as a direct reminder of their harsh enslavement in Egypt and God's powerful rescue, which extended rest to all, even servants.
You might think the Sabbath is just about remembering creation. But this verse gives us a powerful, different reason rooted in history.
Moses links the command to keep the Sabbath directly to Israel's experience in Egypt. The Sabbath isn't just a reminder of God's rest after creation; it's a profound memorial of their deliverance from slavery.
What does true freedom feel like? This verse suggests the Sabbath is designed to give us a preview of it.
The command to observe the Sabbath, rooted in their Egyptian bondage, is about more than just not working. It's about experiencing a different reality.
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Understand the original words
zakar · Hebrew Verb
To call to mind, keep in conscious awareness, or act in accordance with an event; in Scripture, this leads to active reflection and covenant faithfulness.
yad chazaqah uzroa netuyah · Hebrew Noun Phrase
A descriptive term for God's intervention in history, signifying His sovereign power and ability to deliver His people from overwhelming bondage or enemies.
This passage presents the creation account as the reason for the Sabbath, highlighting God's rest after His work. Deuteronomy 5 shifts the focus to Israel's redemption from slavery, showing how God's actions shape His commands.
Exodus 16:23This passage describes God providing manna on the sixth day and instructing the people to rest on the seventh, linking Sabbath observance to their wilderness experience. It connects the command to remember God's provision and deliverance with the Sabbath.
Nehemiah 9:14This prayer recalls God's provision of the Sabbath, connecting it to His guidance and commands given to Israel. It emphasizes the Sabbath as a gift from God that He made known to His people.
Luke 6:5Jesus declares Himself 'Lord of the Sabbath,' emphasizing His authority over its observance. This passage invites reflection on how the Sabbath's purpose, as highlighted in Deuteronomy, finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's redemptive work.
Hebrews 4:9-10This passage speaks of a 'Sabbath rest' that remains for God's people, linking it to the rest God entered into after creation and to the rest found in Christ. It echoes Deuteronomy's theme of rest as a gift flowing from God's powerful deliverance.
calvinDeuteronomy 5:12-15: "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee."
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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Non facies ullum opus tu, et filius tuns, et asinus tuus, qu…
clarkeDeuteronomy 5:15: "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
And remember that thou wast a servant - In this and the latter clause of the preceding verse Moses adds another reason why one day in seven should be sanctified, viz., that the servants might rest, and this is urged upon them on the consideration of th…
This verse gives a second foundational reason for the Sabbath, beyond creation: remembering your own history as a slave. The command to rest isn't just about God's work stopping, but about you not imposing the harshness you experienced on others, mirroring God's powerful rescue.
This verse appears within Moses' repetition of the Ten Commandments to the new generation of Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. Unlike the initial giving of the law in Exodus, here Moses emphasizes the why behind the commands, connecting them to Israel's identity and God's redemptive work. The commandment to keep the Sabbath is presented not just as a holy day for rest, but as a direct reminder of their harsh enslavement in Egypt and God's powerful rescue, which extended rest to all, even servants.
This verse appears within Moses' repetition of the Ten Commandments to the new generation of Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. Unlike the initial giving of the law in Exodus, here Moses emphasizes the why behind the commands, connecting them to Israel's identity and God's redemptive work. The commandment to keep the Sabbath is presented not just as a holy day for rest, but as a direct reminder of their harsh enslavement in Egypt and God's powerful rescue, which extended rest to all, even servants.
"You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day." — This verse gives a second foundational reason for the Sabbath, beyond creation: remembering your own history as a slave. The command to rest isn't just about God's work stopping, but about you no…
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Last reviewed October 2026
