--- title: "What Does the Bible Say About Rest? Rest for Your Souls, the Sabbath and a Rest That Remains" description: "The Bible speaks of rest in several ways: God's seventh day, the Sabbath, rest for your souls in Matthew 11 and a rest that remains. Where each comes from." url: "https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-rest" lang: "en" published: "2026-04-16" modified: "2026-04-16" author: "Cal Hewitt" tags: ["rest","sabbath","matthew 11","hebrews 4","psalm 131","tiredness"] image: "https://biblenudge.com/og/blog-what-does-the-bible-say-about-rest.jpg" alternates: es: "https://biblenudge.com/es/blog/que-dice-la-biblia-sobre-el-descanso.md" --- # What Does the Bible Say About Rest? Rest for Your Souls, the Sabbath and a Rest That Remains [Cal Hewitt](https://biblenudge.com/about/cal-hewitt)Published April 16, 2026 - rest - sabbath - matthew 11 - hebrews 4 - psalm 131 - tiredness ![What Does the Bible Say About Rest? Rest for Your Souls, the Sabbath and a Rest That Remains](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-rest/featured.jpg) People put the question in their own words. One person posted on Reddit's r/Christianity, ["I don’t know how or when I should rest."](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/1qudqdv/i_dont_know_how_or_when_i_should_rest/) Another posted on Reddit's r/TrueChristian, ["I want to feel God’s peace, but my mind won’t slow down."](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1s7u0j3/i_want_to_feel_gods_peace_but_my_mind_wont_slow/) A third, on Reddit's r/SeventhDayAdventism, asked, ["Anyone else stressed about keeping the sabbath?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeventhDayAdventism/comments/1lgbfsn/anyone_else_stressed_about_keeping_the_sabbath/) If wanting to rest has come to mean wanting your life to stop, please reach a person tonight: 988 in the United States, 9-8-8 in Canada, Samaritans on 116 123 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, and [Befrienders Worldwide](https://befrienders.org/) for everywhere else. The short answer is that the Bible speaks of rest in several ways, each in its own setting, and keeps them side by side. God "rested on the seventh day from all his work" (Genesis 2:2), and the Sabbath is commanded: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). Jesus offers "rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Israel is promised "rest from all your enemies around you" in the land (Deuteronomy 12:10), and later "Yahweh gave them rest all around" (Joshua 21:44). Psalms describe a soul at rest, and Hebrews says, "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). ## If you only have a minute ### Start here [Matthew 11:28-30](https://biblenudge.com/context/matthew-11-28-30), an invitation to come and learn, with rest for your souls. ### Tonight Read verse 28 once, slowly, and answer one question in a sentence. ### If your mind will not slow down Psalm 131, three verses long. ### The Sabbath Grounded in creation in Exodus 20 and in release from slavery in Deuteronomy 5. ### Which day Traditions answer differently; ask your pastor or priest. ## Where to start: rest for your souls The passage Bible Nudge offers for anxiety is [Matthew 11:28-30](https://biblenudge.com/context/matthew-11-28-30): > 28 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. It is an invitation to come and learn, open to you today, whatever your symptoms or circumstances are. [Bible verses for anxiety and overthinking](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-anxiety-and-overthinking) reads where it falls in Matthew 11. The phrase "rest for your souls" is older than Matthew. In Jeremiah 6:16, God tells Judah to "ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’" John Gill, in the [commentaries gathered on Bible Hub](https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/11-29.htm), calls Matthew 11:29 a reference to Jeremiah 6:16 and says the rest is "not a corporal, but a spiritual one." [Matthew Henry](https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/jeremiah/6.html) reads Jeremiah 6 as Judah refusing God's "old paths." ## Something to do with it tonight Read verse 28 once, slowly. Then answer this in a single sentence: "What burden are you trying to carry alone?" If your mind will not slow down, Psalm 131 is only three verses long, and its middle line reads, "Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother." Either takes about a minute, and either can be left there. ![A mug of tea going cold on a wooden side table beside a folded wool blanket, lit by a low lamp](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-rest/evening-table.jpg) *A minute is enough for one verse.* ## The next scene in Matthew is about rest too Matthew 12 opens "At that time," and the scene is the Sabbath: "Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat." The Pharisees object. In the synagogue that follows there is a man with a withered hand, and Jesus says, "Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day" (Matthew 12:12), then heals him. That is the order Matthew gives: the invitation to rest, then two disputes over the Sabbath. Mark tells the same two scenes (Mark 2:23 to 3:6), and there Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." The [Catholic Catechism](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7O.HTM) (2173) says that in these words Jesus "gave the Sabbath its authentic and authoritative interpretation." ## Where the Sabbath comes from It is grounded in two places. Exodus 20 ties it to God's rest after creation, and Deuteronomy 5 to Israel's release from slavery in Egypt, "that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you." [What the Bible says about burnout](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-burnout) gives both. ## Which day, and what keeping it asks Churches answer this differently. The [Seventh-day Adventist Church](https://adventist.org/beliefs/official/the-sabbath) teaches that "The seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord," kept "from evening to evening, sunset to sunset." The [Catholic Catechism](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7O.HTM) (2175) says Sunday "fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath." The [Orthodox Church in America](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-divine-liturgy/the-divine-liturgy) celebrates the Divine Liturgy on the Lord's Day, Sunday, "the 'day after Sabbath'". The Reformed [Westminster Confession](https://catechisms.uk/wcf/21) (21.7-8) keeps one day in seven as "the Christian Sabbath." Readers land on different sides as well. One member of Reddit's r/SeventhDayAdventism wrote of the Sabbath, ["It’s a weekly appointment that I spend with him in thanksgiving."](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeventhDayAdventism/comments/1lgbfsn/anyone_else_stressed_about_keeping_the_sabbath/) On Reddit's r/Reformed, another wrote, ["I rejected the notion of sabbath keeping for Christian’s seeing Jesus as our fulfillment of our sabbath rest."](https://www.reddit.com/r/Reformed/comments/1awrb1v/lords_day_observance/) For the detail of your own church's practice, your pastor or priest is the person to ask. ## When rest becomes one more thing to get right A former Adventist, posting on Reddit's r/exAdventist, described the rules they grew up with as ["no internet, forums, chats, texting, TV, newspaper, no ANY pleasure, etc, just stay home and 100% rest."](https://www.reddit.com/r/exAdventist/comments/f1s2qa/anxiety_surrounding_sabbath/) That is one person's account, not a church's rule. Beside it stands Mark 2:27: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Rest is not only sleep. The Rest Test, a 2016 online survey of more than 18,000 self-selected respondents in 134 countries, found that [68% wanted more rest](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-world-largest-survey-rest-well-being.html). Its authors, [Hammond and Lewis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK453237/), note that rest "remains subjective, and is vaguely defined and often confused with sleep, limiting its utility for research and practice." The respondents chose to take part, so the figure describes them. ## A soul at rest, from somewhere hard These lines were not written in easy hours. Psalm 62 opens, "My soul rests in God alone," from David while he is being pushed "Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence." In Isaiah 30:15, God tells Judah, "You will be saved in returning and rest. Your strength will be in quietness and in confidence." The next words are "You refused," as they plan to "flee on horses." ![A pair of worn walking boots drying on a doormat beside a closed back door](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-rest/boots-by-the-door.jpg) *Rest offered in the middle of the trouble, not after it.* ## A rest that remains Hebrews 3:7 to 4:11 is the passage behind that phrase. It is an exhortation built on Psalm 95 and the wilderness generation, of whom God said, "They will not enter into my rest," and then it says, "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (4:9). [John Calvin](https://ccel.org/ccel/c/calvin/calcom44/cache/calcom44.pdf) calls it "that perpetual Sabbath" and "clearly the rest in heaven." [Bishop Youssef's Coptic Orthodox commentary](https://stjohnmiami.org/sites/default/files/book/475/st-pauls-epistle-hebrews-hg-bishop-youssef.pdf) treats it as the promised rest to come rather than the seventh day alone. The [USCCB note](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/4) traces it through creation, the wilderness, Joshua and "another day." They agree it is more than a day off, and differ on how to describe it. ## Rest in peace Many people meet the word at a funeral. Revelation 14:13 is often the verse behind "rest in peace": "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors." It comes in a vision given to John, and [Lee's 2019 study](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0142064X18821547) reads it as drawing on Jewish traditions of "rest from work" and "rest from enemies." If words like these sound different to you tonight, because you want life to stop, please talk to someone now: 988 in the United States, 9-8-8 in Canada, Samaritans on 116 123 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or [Befrienders Worldwide](https://befrienders.org/) anywhere else. ## When the restlessness is in your body One person posted on Reddit's r/Christian, ["For the past few days when I pray or read my Bible I get restless, and I feel like I have to move or stretch my body to make it stop."](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christian/comments/137lwf5/are_you_supposed_to_feel_restlessjittery_during/) The [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/restless-legs-syndrome/) describes restless legs syndrome as "a condition where you have a strong urge to move your legs, usually when resting at night," and says to see a GP, a family doctor, if it is "stopping you sleep" or "affecting your mental health." For [tiredness](https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/tiredness-and-fatigue/) it says, "See a GP if you’re worried." For worry that will not switch off, the [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder-gad/) describes generalized anxiety as "feelings of stress or worry that affect your daily life and are difficult to control." That is a description, not a diagnosis. See also [Bible verses for anxiety and overthinking](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-anxiety-and-overthinking), [Bible verses for being tired](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-being-tired) and [Bible verses for sleepless nights](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-sleepless-nights). ## Questions people ask **Is resting lazy?** Exodus 20 commands rest for the whole household, servants and livestock included, and grounds it in God's own rest on the seventh day. **Does Hebrews 4 mean I must keep a weekly Sabbath?** Readers differ. Calvin reads it as the rest in heaven, while Adventist and Reformed readers also connect it to a weekly day. **Is Mark 6:31 about rest?** Yes. Jesus tells his disciples, "You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile," because so many were coming and going that they had no time even to eat. ## Where to go next Tonight, read [Matthew 11:28-30 with the verses around it](https://biblenudge.com/context/matthew-11-28-30), and verse 28 once more before you sleep. If you are thinking about ending your life, reach a person tonight: 988 in the United States, 9-8-8 in Canada, Samaritans on 116 123 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, and [Befrienders Worldwide](https://befrienders.org/) for everywhere else. If what you are carrying is not quite this, [Bible Nudge](https://biblenudge.com/) can take a line about it in your own words and come back with one passage and what surrounds it. [Find a passage](https://biblenudge.com/nudge). ## Words that come up here Tap a term to see what it means. **Sabbath.** The seventh day of rest commanded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. **Yoke.** A wooden beam that joins working animals to a load; in [Matthew 11](https://biblenudge.com/context/matthew-11-28-30) it goes with learning from Jesus. **Lord's Day.** Sunday, as many churches name it. ## Share this page If somebody you know is carrying this, the link goes straight to the passage and what surrounds it. Nothing here asks them to sign up for anything. [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbiblenudge.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat-does-the-bible-say-about-rest)[Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbiblenudge.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat-does-the-bible-say-about-rest&media=https%3A%2F%2Fbiblenudge.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat-does-the-bible-say-about-rest%2Ffeatured.jpg&description=What%20Does%20the%20Bible%20Say%20About%20Rest%3F%20Rest%20for%20Your%20Souls%2C%20the%20Sabbath%20and%20a%20Rest%20That%20Remains) ## Related Articles - [What Does the Bible Say About Burnout? Moses, Elijah and a Day of Rest](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-burnout): What the Bible says about burnout: Moses told the load is too heavy, Elijah fed and left to sleep, the Sabbath, and what Christian traditions teach about rest. - [Bible Verses for Anxiety and Overthinking: An Invitation to Rest](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-anxiety-and-overthinking): Matthew 11:28-30 is an invitation to people carrying too much, and it asks nothing of a busy mind first. The passage, its setting, and when to get help. - [Is It a Sin to Not Go to Church? What Hebrews 10:25 Says in Its Setting, What Traditions Teach, and Matthew 11:28-30 for the Guilt](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-not-go-to-church): Worried about missing church? You are not condemned here. Hebrews 10:25 in its setting, what traditions teach, and Matthew 11:28-30.