Bible Strands
Exodus 35:3
Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the whole congregation of Israel immediately after declaring the seventh day a holy Sabbath with a death penalty for work. He delivers this command as the opening directive of a new divine instruction cycle.
The words — The Hebrew phrase תְבַעֲר֣וּ אֵ֔שׁ (te.va.'a.Ru 'Esh) literally commands "you must kindle fire." This prohibition is anchored by לֹא־ (lo'-), establishing an absolute negative.
The thread — This restriction on Sabbath labor appears alongside other rest mandates, including the preparation instructions in Exodus 16:23, the sacred assembly commands in Exodus 12:16, and the execution of a wood-gatherer in Numbers 15:32. The text consistently ties Sabbath observance to strict cessation of work.
Why it lands — The verse requires readers to recognize fire-lighting as prohibited work that must cease within private residences on the designated day. It establishes a boundary for Sabbath rest that extends from public assembly to domestic space.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Cross-references
- Exodus 16:23 He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’”
- Exodus 12:16 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.
- Numbers 15:32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.
- Isaiah 58:13 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,