John Gill Commentary Exodus 35

And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of
Israel together
According to Jarchi, on the morrow after the day of atonement; that is, the next day after his descent fromthe mount, being desirous of setting about the building of the tabernacle, and making all things appertainingto it as soon as possible; which had been retarded through the sin of the golden calf, and makingreconciliation for that:

and said unto them, these are the words which the Lord has
commanded, that you should do them ;
namely, the law of the sabbath, as it had a peculiar relation to the making of the tabernacle, and thefreewill offerings to be made on that account; for as for the commands, or other ordinances, whetherceremonial or judicial, the people had been made acquainted with them before.

Six days shall work be done
Or "may be done" ^F21 ; everyone might do what work he pleased, or the business of his calling, on the six days of the weeks; he had liberty granted him of God, and might make use of it for the advantage of himself and his family; unless this can be thought to have a peculiar respect, as this repetition and renewal of this law seems to have, to the building of the tabernacle; and so is an order for working at it closely and constantly all the six days of the week, and in things belonging to it, until the whole was finished:

but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day ;
or "holiness" ^F23 ; wholly holy, and be separated and devoted to holy service and religious duties, abstaining from all manner of work, even from the work of the tabernacle; for though that was designed for the worship of God, and required dispatch, yet the sabbath was not to be violated on account of it: and, as Jarchi observes, this admonition concerning the sabbath was given previous to the command of building the tabernacle; to show that that did not drive away the sabbath, or that the sabbath was not to give way to it, or to be broken for the sake of it, it being

a sabbath of rest to the Lord ; in which the Israelites were to rest from bodily labour, and spend the day in the service of God, and to his honour and glory:

whosoever doeth work therein : even though it might be in anything belonging to the tabernacle:

shall be put to death ; the Targum of Jonathan adds, by casting stones, stoning being the punishment of sabbath breakers, (Numbers 15:35Numbers 15:36) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F21: (hvet) "fiat", Piscator.
• F23: (vdq) "sanctitas", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius.

You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon
the sabbath day .

This law seems to be a temporary one, and not to be continued, nor is it said to be throughout their generations as elsewhere, where the law of the sabbath is given or repeated; it is to be restrained to the building of the tabernacle, and while that was about, to which it is prefaced; and it is designed to prevent all public or private working on the sabbath day, in anything belonging to that; having no fire to heat their tools or melt their metal, or do anything for which that was necessary.

For it can hardly be thought that this is to be taken in the strictest sense, as an entire prohibition of kindling a fire and the use of it on that day, which is so absolutely useful, and needful in various cases, and where acts of mercy and necessity require it; as in cold seasons of the year, for the warming and comforting of persons who otherwise would be unfit for religious exercises, and on the account of infants and aged persons, who could not subsist without it; and in cases of sickness, and various disorders which necessarily require it.

And even for the preparation of food, which must be had on that day as on others, the sabbath being not a fast, but rather a festival, as it is with the Jews; and yet this law is interpreted by them in the most rigorous sense: they put kindling a fire among the principal works forbidden on that day ^F24 , and that not only to bake bread and boil flesh, as Aben Ezra interprets it here, but to warm themselves with; nay, they think it unlawful to touch an hearth, or a coal of fire, or a firebrand, or anything that may give them any warmth in a cold season; and if, for the sake of infants or aged persons, there is need of a fire or heating a stove, they hire a Christian to do it, or so prepare and order matters the day before that it kindle of itself ^F25 ; and so Leo Modena ^F26 says,

``they do not meddle with any fire, nor touch any wood that is on fire, nor kindle any, nor put it out; nor do they so much as light a candle on the sabbath day: and if the place be cold where they dwell, except they have any stoves, or hot houses, or else have someone that is no Jew to kindle a fire for them; or had so ordered the matter beforehand that the fire should kindle of itself at such a time; they must even be content to sit in the cold all that day:''

but here they nicely distinguish and observe, that it is said,

throughout your habitations ;

their private dwellings, but not the habitation of the Lord, or the house of the sanctuary; and on this score they allow of kindling a fire in Beth Moked ^F1 , an apartment in the temple, where a fire was constantly kept for the priests that kept watch to warm themselves at.

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: Misn. Sabbat, c. 7. sect. 2.
• F25: Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. 16. p. 361.
• F26: History of the Rites of the Jews, par. 3. c. 1. sect. 3.
• F1: T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 20. 1.

And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children
of Israel
Continued his speech to them, being convened by him, after by way of preface he had repeated the law of the sabbath, with an additional circumstance to it, "pro tempore":

saying, this is the thing which the Lord commanded ;
ordered Moses to inform them of as his will, when he was with him upon the mount the first time; but through their idolatry, and time spent in making up matters between God and them, he had not had till now an opportunity of acquainting them with it:

saying ;
as follows.

Ver. 5-9. Take you from amongst you an offering unto the Lord
That is, they were to take a part of their substance, of what they were possessed of, every man according to his ability, out of what he had in his hand that was suitable, and present it as a freewill offering to the Lord, for the use of the tabernacle to be built, and the service of it:

whosoever is of a willing heart ;
that is, of a generous and liberal disposition:

let him bring it, an offering of the Lord ;
or an offering to him, otherwise not; if brought niggardly and grudgingly it would not be acceptable, for God loves a willing and cheerful giver:

gold, silver, and brass :
here and in the four following verses, the several things are particularly mentioned, which would be wanted in building the tabernacle, and in the service of it, and therefore would be acceptable; and they being exactly the same, and delivered in the same words and in the same order as in (Exodus 25:3–7) the reader is referred to the notes there. (See Gill on Exodus 25:3). (See Gill on Exodus 25:4). (See Gill on Exodus 25:5). (See Gill on Exodus 25:6). (See Gill on Exodus 25:7).