This is what the LORD says: Take heed for yourselves; do not carry a load or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh says, “Be careful, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
- KJV Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
- NKJV Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
- NASB This is what the Lord says: “Take care for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.
- NLT This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God warns the people to carry no burdens on the Sabbath. Honoring the day was a visible sign of covenant faithfulness.
Overview
The Lord commands that no commercial loads be carried through Jerusalem's gates on the Sabbath, treating Sabbath rest as a covenant marker. Keeping it set Israel apart and expressed trust that God, not endless labor, provides. The Sabbath ultimately points to the rest believers find in Christ, who is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 11:28, 12:8).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Neh 13:15–21In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
- Num 15:32–36While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.
- John 5:9–12Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
- Deut 4:23Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you.
- Deut 4:15So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful
- Deut 11:16But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods,
- Deut 4:9Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
- Mark 4:24He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.
- Josh 23:11Therefore watch yourselves carefully, that you love the LORD your God.
- Heb 12:15–16See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
- Jer 17:22–27You must not carry a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day, but you must keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your forefathers.
- Heb 2:1–3We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
- Luke 8:18Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
- Prov 4:23Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
- Acts 20:28Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 17:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.