Exodus 20:9
New International Version
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

New Living Translation
You have six days each week for your ordinary work,

English Standard Version
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

Berean Standard Bible
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

King James Bible
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

New King James Version
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

New American Standard Bible
For six days you shall labor and do all your work,

NASB 1995
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

NASB 1977
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Legacy Standard Bible
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Amplified Bible
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Christian Standard Bible
You are to labor six days and do all your work,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are to labor six days and do all your work,

American Standard Version
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;

Contemporary English Version
You have six days when you can do your work,

English Revised Version
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You have six days to do all your work.

Good News Translation
You have six days in which to do your work,

International Standard Version
Yu are to labor and do all your work during six days,

Majority Standard Bible
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

NET Bible
For six days you may labor and do all your work,

New Heart English Bible
Six days you may labor, and do all your work,

Webster's Bible Translation
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:

World English Bible
You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
six days you labor and have done all your work,

Young's Literal Translation
six days thou dost labour, and hast done all thy work,

Smith's Literal Translation
Six days thou shalt work and do all thy service:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For six days, you will work and accomplish all your tasks.

New American Bible
Six days you may labor and do all your work,

New Revised Standard Version
Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Six days shall you labor and do all your work;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Six days you shall serve and you shall do all your work:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all thy work.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Ten Commandments
8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.…

Cross References
Genesis 2:2-3
And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. / Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Deuteronomy 5:13-14
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.

Leviticus 23:3
For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

Exodus 23:12
For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

Exodus 31:15
For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.

Exodus 35:2
For six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to death.

Nehemiah 13:15-22
In 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. / Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. / Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? ...

Isaiah 58:13-14
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, / then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Jeremiah 17:21-27
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. / You 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. / Yet they would not listen or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and would not listen or receive My discipline. ...

Ezekiel 20:12
I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Matthew 12:8
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:27-28
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. / Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:5
Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Hebrews 4:4-10
For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.” / And again, as He says in the passage above: “They shall never enter My rest.” / Since, then, it remains for some to enter His rest, and since those who formerly heard the good news did not enter because of their disobedience, ...

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.


Treasury of Scripture

Six days shall you labor, and do all your work:

Exodus 23:12
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Luke 13:14
And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

Jump to Previous
Labor Six Work
Jump to Next
Labor Six Work
Exodus 20
1. The ten commandments are spoken by Jehovah
18. The people are afraid, but Moses comforts them
21. Idolatry is forbidden
23. Of what sort the altar should be














Six days
The phrase "Six days" refers to the period of time that God has ordained for human labor. In the Hebrew context, the word for "days" is "yom," which can mean a literal 24-hour day. This aligns with the creation account in Genesis, where God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Historically, this sets a rhythm for human life, emphasizing the importance of work while also pointing to the necessity of rest. The six-day workweek is a divine pattern that reflects God's own creative activity, underscoring the dignity and purpose of human labor.

you shall labor
The command "you shall labor" is an imperative that highlights the expectation of work as a fundamental aspect of human existence. The Hebrew word for "labor" is "abad," which can also mean to serve or to work. This suggests that work is not merely a means of survival but a form of service and stewardship of God's creation. From a conservative Christian perspective, labor is seen as a God-given duty that allows individuals to contribute to society, provide for their families, and glorify God through their efforts.

and do all your work
The phrase "and do all your work" emphasizes the completion and fulfillment of one's responsibilities within the six-day period. The Hebrew word for "work" is "melakah," which encompasses all forms of labor, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. This comprehensive view of work suggests that every task, no matter how small, is significant and should be done with diligence and integrity. In the broader biblical context, this phrase encourages believers to be industrious and faithful in their vocations, reflecting God's character in their daily lives.

(9) Six days shalt thou labour.--The form is certainly imperative; and it has been held that the fourth commandment is "not limited to a mere enactment respecting one day, but prescribes the due distribution of a week, and enforces the six days' work as much as the seventh day's rest" (Garden in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, vol. iii., p. 1068). But the work on the six days is really rather assumed as what will be than required as what must be; and the intention of the clause is prohibitory rather than mandatory--"thou shalt not work more than six days out of the seven."

Verse 9. - Six days shalt thou labour. This is not so much a command as a prohibition" Thou shaft not labor more than six (consecutive) clays." In them thou shelf do all thy necessary work, so as to have the Sabbath free for the worship and service of God.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Six
שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת (šê·šeṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8337: Six (a cardinal number)

days
יָמִ֣ים֙ (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

you shall labor
תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ (ta·‘ă·ḇōḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave

and do
וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ (wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

your work,
מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒‪‬ (mə·laḵ·te·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4399: Deputyship, ministry, employment, work, property


Links
Exodus 20:9 NIV
Exodus 20:9 NLT
Exodus 20:9 ESV
Exodus 20:9 NASB
Exodus 20:9 KJV

Exodus 20:9 BibleApps.com
Exodus 20:9 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 20:9 Chinese Bible
Exodus 20:9 French Bible
Exodus 20:9 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 20:9 You shall labor six days and do (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 20:8
Top of Page
Top of Page