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Jeremiah 17:21

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 17:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Thus saith Jehovah, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Thus saith Jehovah, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
Jeremiah 17:21 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
18Let them be put to shame that persecute me, but let not me be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
19Thus said Jehovah unto me: Go, and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
20and say unto them, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
21Thus saith Jehovah, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
22neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work: but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
23But they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.
24And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith Jehovah, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
← Jeremiah 17:20Jeremiah 17:22 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Thus saith the Lord, take heed to yourselves, etc.] That ye sin not against the Lord, by breaking the sabbath, and so bring wrath and ruin upon yourselves: or “to your souls”f363; to the inward frame of them, that they be in disposition for the work of that day; and that they be wholly engaged therein, even all the powers and faculties of them; and that they be not taken up in thoughts and cares about other things: and bear no burden on the sabbath day; as no worldly thoughts and cares should, cumber the mind, and lie heavy thereon, to the interruption of spiritual exercises of religion; so neither should any weight or burden be borne by the body, or carried from place to place; as not by…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Take heed to yourselves--literally, "to your souls." MAURER explains, "as ye love your lives"; a phrase used here to give the greater weight to the command. sabbath--The non-observance of it was a chief cause of the captivity, the number of years of the latter, seventy, being exactly made to agree with the number of Sabbaths which elapsed during the four hundred ninety years of their possession of Canaan from Saul to their removal (Lev 26:34-35; Ch2 36:21). On the restoration, therefore, stress was especially laid on Sabbath observance (Neh 13:19). Jerusalem--It would have been scandalous anywhere; but in the capital, Jerusalem, it was an open insult to God. Sabbath-hallowing is intended as…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“This prophecy on the observance of the Sabbath, is the first of a series of short predictions. arranged probably in chronological order among themselves, but in other respects independent of one another. Its tone is mild, and dissuasive rather of future neglect than condemnatory of past misconduct; and it may be assigned to the commencement of Jehoiakim’s reign. Its similarity to the prophecy contained in Jeremiah 22:1-5 makes it probable that they were contemporaneous. Jeremiah 17:19 The gate of the children of the people - Perhaps the principal entrance of the outer court of the temple. Very probably there was traffic there, as in our Lord’s time, in doves and other requisites for…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“17:21-22 Trading on the Sabbath was wrong and had to be stopped. The Sabbath was not a time to buy and sell, but was established in the Sinai covenant as a holy day (Exod 29:8-11; 31:12-17) when the people of Israel were to rest and honor the Lord.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Take: Deu 4:9, Deu 4:15, Deu 4:23, Deu 11:16; Jos 23:11; Pro 4:23; Mar 4:24; Luk 8:18; Act 20:28; Heb 2:1-3, Heb 12:15, Heb 12:16 bear: Jer 17:22-27; Num 15:32-36; Neh 13:15-21; Joh 5:9-12 Jeremiah 17:22”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 17 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification