Deuteronomy 5:15
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)
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This verse shifts the Sabbath's reason from creation's rest to remembering God's freeing act. It highlights that rest isn't just a break, but a response to God's powerful rescue, teaching us to extend mercy because we ourselves have received it.
This verse appears within the context of the Ten Commandments being restated by Moses to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. While the commandment itself is about observing the Sabbath day, Moses adds a unique reason here, rooted in their recent history. He reminds them that their rest is not just about creation but also a direct result of God's powerful deliverance from brutal slavery in Egypt, urging them to extend that same mercy to others in their care.
We often hear the Sabbath is about God resting on the seventh day. But here, Moses gives a different, powerful reason tied directly to Israel's story. What's the big deal?
In Deuteronomy, the Sabbath command is explicitly linked to Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt. This isn't just a day of rest; it's a profound reminder:
The Sabbath wasn't just for the free Israelites; it included specific people who might otherwise be overlooked. Who are they, and why does it matter?
This passage emphasizes a crucial aspect of the Sabbath: it's a day designed for everyone under your care to rest. The command to remember their own enslavement directly translates into compassion for others:
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, from the more commonly known Ten Commandments, grounds the Sabbath in God's creation rest, offering a foundational reason for its observance that complements Deuteronomy's focus on deliverance.
Exodus 16:23This text links the Sabbath directly to the miraculous provision of manna in the wilderness, showing how the observance became tied to Israel's liberation from Egypt and God's continued provision.
Nehemiah 9:14This prayer recounts God's faithfulness in providing the Sabbath, explicitly connecting it to His provision of manna, echoing the theme of remembering God's acts of deliverance and sustenance.
Matthew 12:11-12Jesus expands on the Sabbath's purpose, emphasizing compassion and the value of human life over rigid adherence, aligning with Deuteronomy's concern for the rest of servants.
Hebrews 4:9-10This passage speaks of a spiritual Sabbath rest that believers enter through Christ, drawing a parallel between God's rest after creation and the ultimate rest found in Him, which echoes the deeper spiritual implications hinted at in Deuteronomy.
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 shifts the Sabbath's reason from creation's rest to remembering God's freeing act. It highlights that rest isn't just a break, but a response to God's powerful rescue, teaching us to extend mercy because we ourselves have received it.
This verse appears within the context of the Ten Commandments being restated by Moses to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. While the commandment itself is about observing the Sabbath day, Moses adds a unique reason here, rooted in their recent history. He reminds them that their rest is not just about creation but also a direct result of God's powerful deliverance from brutal slavery in Egypt, urging them to extend that same mercy to others in their care.
This verse appears within the context of the Ten Commandments being restated by Moses to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. While the commandment itself is about observing the Sabbath day, Moses adds a unique reason here, rooted in their recent history. He reminds them that their rest is not just about creation but also a direct result of God's powerful deliverance from brutal slavery in Egypt, urging them to extend that same mercy to others in their care.
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"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 shifts the Sabbath's reason from creation's rest to remembering God's freeing act. It highlights that rest isn't just a break, but a response to God's powerful rescue, teaching us to ext…
