Matthew Poole and continuators on Exodus 20:10

10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work , thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid servant , nor thy cattle , nor thy stranger that is within thy gates :

Or, To the Lord, (i. e.) Consecrated to his use, honour, and service. Hence God calls them my Sabhaths Levit. 26. 2. Isa. 56. 4. because they are commended by his example and enjoyned by his command.

(i. e.) Any servile, laborious, common or worldly work, tending to thy own profit or pleasure. See Exod. 34. 21. Levit. 23. 7. Numb. 28. 18. Isa. 58. 13.

This clause is added, not as if children or servants were not immediately obliged by this command, or were excused by God for the breach of this [illegible: 1+ letters]aw at their masters commands, which were to obey God rather than men, contrary to St. Peters command and practice, Act. 5. 29. and which were to limit the foregoing word thou and the law of the Sabbath onely to those that have children and servants, which is an idle senceless and absurd as well as profane opinion, but to restrain hard-hearted and covetous or ungodly persons, that they should neither command nor suffer their children or servants to profane the fabbath, so far as they can hinder it. Which how far it concerns thousands of governours of families at this day, they shall do well seriously and in time to consider.

Partly to teach us to exercise mer[illegible: 1+ letters]; towards the br[illegible: 1+ letters]te creatures: compare Deut. 5. 14. partly because the use of cattel must have drawn along with it the attendance or employment of men, and partly that by observing the rest of the cattel they might be more minded and quickened to the observation of this sacred rest.

(i. e.) The Gentile that sojourneth with thee: lest their example should provoke the Israelites to imitate them; and lest the Gentiles should have opportunity of gaining at that time when, and by that thing whereby, the Israelites were losers, even by the religious observation of the Sabbath.

(i. e.) that dwells within thy cities which have walls and gates, or within thy villages or territories. So the word, gates, is oft taken, as Gen. 22. 17. and 24. 60. and 2 Sam. 10. 8. compared with 1 Chron. 19. 9.