Exodus 31:14

Exo 31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it [is] holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth [any] work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Ver. 14:. For it is holy unto you.] Hence the Hebrews gather, but falsely, that only Israel was charged with the Sabbath day, and not the nations of the world: but the Sabbath was kept before Israel was born.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Exo 31:14-16. It is holy unto you — That is, it is designed for your benefit as well as for God’s honour; it shall be accounted holy by you. It is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord — It is separated from common use to the service of God; and by the observance of it we are taught to rest from worldly pursuits, and devote ourselves, and all we are, have, and can do, to God’s glory. It was to be observed throughout their generations, in every age, for a perpetual covenant — This was to be one of the most lasting tokens of the covenant between God and Israel.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

31:14-15 It is absolutely important to learn that we can find life in God only by coming to him in his way. This is underlined by the death sentence for disobedience (see also Num 15:32-36). This is not to say that followers of God must always punish those who commit these offenses in this way; but here at the outset, it was vital to make this truth clear (see Acts 5:1-11). If the spiritual truth of this lesson has not been learned, mere ritual obedience will be of no value (see Col 2:16-19).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

God repeateth this point because the whole keeping of the law standeth in the true use of the Sabbath, which is to cease from our works, and to obey the will of God.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 14. Every one that defileth it] By any kind of idolatrous or profane worship.

Shall surely be put to death] The magistrates shall examine into the business, and if the accused be found guilty, he shall be stoned to death.

Shall be cut off] Because that person who could so far contemn the Sabbath, which was a sign to them of the rest which remained for the people of God, was of course an infidel, and should be cut off from all the privileges and expectations of an Israelite.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(14) Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death.—This is a new enactment, and must be regarded in conjunction with the new dignity attached to Sabbath observance by its having become the special covenant sign between God and His people. The Sabbath-breaker now threw himself out of covenant with God, and not only so, but did what in him lay to throw the whole people out of covenant. His guilt was therefore great, and the assignment to it of the death-penalty is in no way surprising; rather, it is in accordance with the general spirit of the code (see Exo_21:16-17; Exo_21:29; Exo_22:18-20, &c.). When the occasion arose, there was no hesitation in carrying the law out (Num_15:32-35).

Cut off.—Or, separated, set apart from. His act at once cast him out from the number of God’s people, made him an outlaw, ipso facto excommunicated him.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. holy] cf. Exo_16:23 (P), Exo_20:8 (E), Isa_58:13, Eze_20:20, &c.

profaneth] To ‘profane’ is characteristic—like its opposite, to ‘sanctify’—of H, Lev_18:21; Lev_19:8; Lev_19:12; Lev_19:29; Lev_20:3; Lev_21:4; Lev_21:6; Lev_21:9 (twice), Lev_21:12; Lev_21:15; Lev_21:23, Lev_22:2; Lev_22:9; Lev_22:15; Lev_22:32, and Ezek. (about 30 times,—6 times, as here, of the sabbath, viz. Eze_20:13; Eze_20:16; Eze_20:21; Eze_20:24, Eze_22:8, Eze_23:38 : so Isa_56:2, Neh_13:18). In P only once (Num_18:32).

shall surely be put to death] cf., in the Book of the Covenant, Exo_21:12; Exo_21:14-17, Exo_22:19; and in H, for various moral and religious offences, Lev_20:2; Lev_20:9-13; Lev_20:15-16; Lev_20:27; Lev_24:16-17 (for murder). In Num_15:32-36 (P) this penalty for sabbath-breaking is said to have been inflicted.

that soul, &c.] See on Exo_12:15, and Exo_30:33.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore,.... Strictly observe it, according to the rules given concerning it:

for it is holy unto you; a day that was set apart of God for holy exercises, peculiarly on their account:

everyone that defileth it; by doing any servile work upon it, or not observing it in a religious way:

shall surely be put to death; by the hand of the civil magistrate; if the law of the Jewish sabbath is now in force, the sanction continues, and the violation of it ought to be punished by a judge with death:

for whosoever doeth any work therein; so much as to kindle a fire, and dress any food, by boiling or roasting, or any other way:

that soul shall be cut off from among his people; that is, shall die by the hand of the civil magistrate, it being but another phrase for being put to death; though the Jewish writers, particularly Jarchi, understand the former phrase, "put to death", as to be done by a civil magistrate, when there are witnesses and full proof of the case; but this of "cutting off" by the hand of God, by immediate punishment from heaven, when it was done secretly, and there was no proof to be made of it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Shall surely be put to death; of which see an example, Num 15:32, &c. i.e. Servile work, as it is explained. Lev 23:7, &c.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. Surely be put to death — It is to be noted that all the commandments of the first table have the death penalty attached to their violation, and so it is taught that the wilful breaking of any of these laws was to be treated as a capital crime. None of them are so regarded under the Gospel. Idolatry, image-worship, blasphemy, sabbath-breaking, and dishonouring of parents are nowhere under a Christian civilization punishable with death. Has God therefore changed? No, but man has changed, and under the discipline of a dispensation “written and engraven in stones,” (2Co_3:7,)

“the ministration of death” has accomplished its work, and elevated the moral sense of man to a higher plane. With the higher and clearer revelations of divine truth the lower forms of the ancient moral discipline have been superseded. So, too, the avenger of blood is no longer tolerated, and the lex talionis is abolished by the light and methods of a higher civilization. But it would be in the highest degree absurd to argue, that because the ancient penalty of the sabbath law is no more in force, therefore the sabbath itself is no longer binding. Equally absurd is the notion of some modern critics that, because the sabbath law is variously repeated in the Pentateuch, with reasons and penalties in one place which are not found in another, therefore, these laws are of diverse authorship, and contradictory. A legislature may modify, change, or supplement its own action in the progress of a single session; much more may we suppose that the legislation through Moses would have received many supplements under his own immediate direction. Thus every new association or event which could be made to enhance in the people’s minds the sanctity and worth of the sabbath would and should have been utilized for such a worthy end.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death. To defile the sabbath was to do any unnecessary servile work upon it. Works of mercy, works of necessity, and works connected with religious observance were not prohibited. (see Mat_12:1-7, Mat_12:10-12) The penalty of death for breaking the sabbath seems to moderns over-severe; but the erection of sabbath-observance into the special sacramental sign that Israel was in covenant with God made non-observance an offence of the gravest character. The man who broke the sabbath destroyed, so far as in him lay, the entire covenant between God and his people not only broke it, but annulled it, and threw Israel out of covenant. Hence, when the sin was committed, no hesitation was felt in carrying out the law. (see Num_15:32-36)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

It is holy unto you - That is, it is designed for your benefit as well as for God's honour; it shall be accounted holy by you.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

מות יומת SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH by the judges if there are witnesses testifying to the desecration and if the warning required by law had been given to the culprit immediately before he committed the offence.

ונכרתה SHALL BE CUT OFF [FROM AMONG HIS PEOPLE] by God, if no such warning had been given (Mekhilta).

מחלליה means, whosoever treats it as חול, ordinary, in so far as its sanctity is concerned.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.