For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse links God's Sabbath rest after creation directly to the command for Israel to rest, implying that this rhythm isn't just a rule but a reflection of the very order God established in the universe. This connection suggests that observing the Sabbath is participating in God's original, perfect design for life.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse immediately follows the command to remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. It then provides the foundational reason for this command: God's own pattern of resting after completing His six days of creation. The observance of the Sabbath is thus presented as a direct echo of God's perfect work and His establishment of a rhythm of work and rest for all of creation.
Why did God take seven days to create the world? This wasn't just about getting the job done; it was about setting a rhythm for all of life.
Exodus 20:11 anchors the Sabbath command in the very act of creation. God worked for six days, bringing the heavens, earth, sea, and everything in them into existence. Then, on the seventh day, He rested. This wasn't a rest born of exhaustion (for God is infinite!), but a purposeful cessation, a declaration that the work was complete. This divine pattern isn't just a historical account; it's a blueprint.
God's Work, Our Pattern
This shows us that our weeks are meant to mirror this divine rhythm. Work and rest are not opposing forces but complementary parts of a life intentionally lived, mirroring our Creator's own pattern.
God didn't just rest; He actively and the seventh day. What does this divine action reveal about the Sabbath's true nature?
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The verse emphasizes that God's rest on the seventh day had a direct consequence: He 'blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.' This wasn't an accidental byproduct, but a deliberate act of consecration.
A Day Set Apart
This means the Sabbath is not just a day off, but a day for something sacred. It's a gift from God, designed to draw us closer to Him and to experience His unique blessing. It's a pause from the mundane to engage with the eternal.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenant name of God in the Old Testament, revealing His self-existence, faithfulness, and relationship with His people.
shabbath · Hebrew Noun
A period of rest and cessation from regular labor, instituted by God at creation and commanded in the Law, intended for reflection, worship, and physical/spiritual restoration.
qadash · Hebrew Verb
To set apart for a specific divine purpose, to consecrate, or to make clean and sacred. God makes something holy by His presence or by divine decree.
This passage is the foundational account of creation, directly referenced in Exodus 20:11, explaining the six days of work and the seventh day of rest that underpins the Sabbath commandment.
This passage offers a different motivation for observing the Sabbath – remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. It complements Exodus 20:11 by showing how God's redemptive acts also ground the call to rest.
Hebrews 4:4-11This New Testament passage speaks of a 'Sabbath rest' that remains for God's people, connecting the Old Testament Sabbath to a deeper, eternal rest in Christ, extending the concept beyond a weekly observance.
John 5:17Jesus' statement, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working,' clarifies that God's 'rest' after creation was not an cessation of all activity, but a completion of the creative act, and that His ongoing providential work doesn't negate the principle of Sabbath rest.
gillExodus 20:11: "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."
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, &c. And of which six days, and of the several things made in each of them, see the notes on the first chapter of Genesis: and resteth the seventh day: which does not suppose labour, attended with weariness and fatigue; for the Cre…
calvinExodus 20:8-11: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."
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 maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Dies autem septimus Sabbathum Jehovae Dei tui est. Non facies ullum opus, tu, et filius tuus, et filia tua, servus tuus, et ancilla tua, et inquilinus tuus qui est in portis tuis:
For in six days the L…
The verse links God's Sabbath rest after creation directly to the command for Israel to rest, implying that this rhythm isn't just a rule but a reflection of the very order God established in the universe. This connection suggests that observing the Sabbath is participating in God's original, perfect design for life.
This verse immediately follows the command to remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. It then provides the foundational reason for this command: God's own pattern of resting after completing His six days of creation. The observance of the Sabbath is thus presented as a direct echo of God's perfect work and His establishment of a rhythm of work and rest for all of creation.
This verse immediately follows the command to remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. It then provides the foundational reason for this command: God's own pattern of resting after completing His six days of creation. The observance of the Sabbath is thus presented as a direct echo of God's perfect work and His establishment of a rhythm of work and rest for all of creation.
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." — The verse links God's Sabbath rest after creation directly to the command for Israel to rest, implying that this rhythm isn't just a rule but a reflection of the very order God established in the uni…
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Last reviewed October 2026