New Living Translation
Genesis 2:3
3And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Genesis 2:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
- New International Version (NIV)Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Context of Genesis 2:3
1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. 4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil.
Read all of Genesis 2Genesis 2:3 word by word
וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- blessedבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
- the seventhשְׁבִיעִיshebîy‛îy shebi‛îy · seventhH7637
- dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- and sanctifiedקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: consecateH6942
- it: becauseכִּיkîy · forH3588
- that in it he had restedשָׁבַתshâbath · to ceaseH7673
- from all his workמְלָאכָהmelâ'kâh · workH4399
- createdבָּרָאbârâ' · to createH1254
- and madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Genesis 2:3
- Exodus 16:22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation.
- Exodus 20:8“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Exodus 23:12“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.
- Exodus 31:13“Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
- Exodus 34:21“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.
- Exodus 35:2You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death.
- Leviticus 23:3“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.
- Leviticus 25:2“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year.
- Deuteronomy 5:12“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.
- Nehemiah 9:14You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.
- Nehemiah 13:15In those days I saw men of Judah treading out their winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in grain, loading it on donkeys, and bringing their wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. So I rebuked them for selling their produce on that day.
- Proverbs 10:22The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
- Isaiah 56:2Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.
- Isaiah 58:13“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
- Jeremiah 17:21This is what the Lord says: Listen to my warning! Stop carrying on your trade at Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath day.
- Ezekiel 20:12And I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I am the Lord, who had set them apart to be holy.
Commentaries on Genesis 2:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And God blessed the seventh day - The original word ברך barach, which is generally rendered to bless, has a very extensive meaning. It is frequently used in Scripture in the sense of speaking good of or to a person; and hence literally and properly rendered by the Septuagint , from , good or well, and , I speak. So God has spoken well of the Sabbath, and good to them who conscientiously observe it. Blessing is applied both to God and man: when God is said…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-3Verses 1-3 - The Seventh Day 1. צבא tsābā' “a host in marching order,” a company of persons or things in the order of their nature and the progressive discharge of their functions. Hence, it is applied to the starry host Deuteronomy 4:19, to the angelic host 1 Kings 22:19, to the host of Israel Exodus 12:41, and to the ministering Levites Numbers 4:23. ́ kosmos חשׁביעי chashebı̂y‛ı̂y Here השׁשׁי hashshı̂y is read by the Samaritan Pentateuch, the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3During the first six days of creation, God separated light from darkness, day from night, and water from dry land. The final act of creation separated the ordinary from the holy. This was the basis for Israel’s worship. It also anticipated a future time of rest (Hebrews 4:1–11; 12:2; 13:14). The lack of the usual "evening … morning" phrase shows the creator's desire for endless fellowship with humans.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. blessed and sanctified the seventh day--a peculiar distinction put upon it above the other six days, and showing it was devoted to sacred purposes. The institution of the Sabbath is as old as creation, giving rise to that weekly division of time which prevailed in the earliest ages. It is a wise and beneficent law, affording that regular interval of rest which the physical nature of man and the animals employed in his service requires, and the neglect…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 2:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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