John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 17:21

"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 (ASV)

Thus says the Lord, take heed to yourselves That you sin not against the Lord, by breaking the sabbath, and so bring wrath and ruin upon yourselves: or "to your souls" ^F1; meaning their inward state, that they be prepared for the work of that day, wholly engaged in it with all their powers and faculties, and not preoccupied with 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, interrupting spiritual exercises of religion;

so neither should any weight or burden be borne by the body, or carried from place to place; not by themselves, nor by their servants, nor by their cattle, nor in carts and wagons, nor by any instrument whatever; in short, all servile work was forbidden: nor bring [it] in by the gates of Jerusalem; to be unloaded and sold there, as wine, grapes, figs, and fish, were, in the times of Nehemiah, (Nehemiah 13:15Nehemiah 13:16Nehemiah 13:19) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F1: (Mkytwvpnb) "in animabus vestris", Calvin, Montanus, Schmidt.