'Yoke' in the Bible
You will live by your sword,and you will serve your brother.But when you rebel,you will break his yoke from your neck.
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.
you will serve your enemies the Lord will send against you, in famine, thirst, nakedness, and a lack of everything. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
“Your father made our yoke difficult. You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
Then the young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins!
Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’”
and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.”
So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.
“Your father made our yoke difficult. Therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
He asked them, “What message do you advise we send back to these people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
Then the young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should say to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.
Now therefore, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.’”
and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.”
His estate included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east.
So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
For You have shattered their oppressive yokeand the rod on their shoulders,the staff of their oppressor,just as You did on the day of Midian.
On that dayhis burden will fall from your shoulders,and his yoke from your neck.The yoke will be broken because of fatness.
I will break Assyria in My land;I will tread him down on My mountain.Then his yoke will be taken from them,and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.
I was angry with My people;I profaned My possession,and I placed them under your control.You showed them no mercy;you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly.
Isn’t the fast I choose:To break the chains of wickedness,to untie the ropes of the yoke,to set the oppressed free,and to tear off every yoke?
At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer;when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’If you get rid of the yoke among you,the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,
For long ago I broke your yoke;I tore off your chains.You insisted, “I will not serve!”On every high hilland under every green treeyou lie down like a prostitute.
I will go to the powerfuland speak to them.Surely they know the way of the Lord,the justice of their God.However, these also had broken the yokeand torn off the chains.
“This is what the Lord said to me: Make chains and yoke bars for yourself and put them on your neck.
“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“until through him I have destroyed it.
But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate it and reside in it.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live!
“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
And I will restore to this place Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke bar from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.
In the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Jeremiah the prophet then went on his way.
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke bar from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet:
“Go say to Hananiah: This is what the Lord says, ‘You broke a wooden yoke bar, but in its place you will make an iron yoke bar.’
For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations that they might serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have also put the wild animals under him.’”
“On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“I will break his yoke from your neck and tear off your chains so strangers will never again enslave him.
נ NunMy transgressions have been formed into a yoke,fastened together by His hand;they have been placed on my neck,and the Lord has broken my strength.He has handed me overto those I cannot withstand.
It is good for a man to bear the yokewhile he is still young.
They put a wooden yoke on him with hooksand led him away to the king of Babylon.They brought him into the fortressesso his roar could no longer be heardon the mountains of Israel.
The day will be dark in Tehaphnehes,when I break the yoke of Egypt thereand its proud strengthcomes to an end in the city.A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes,and its villages will go into captivity.
The trees of the field will give their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am Yahweh when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslave them.
Ephraim is a well-trained calfthat loves to thresh,but I will place a yoke on her fine neck.I will harness Ephraim;Judah will plow;Jacob will do the final plowing.
I led them with human cords,with ropes of love.To them I was like onewho eases the yoke from their jaws;I bent down to give them food.
For I will now break off his yoke from youand tear off your shackles.
All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.
“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’
Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
All who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters to be worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and His teaching will not be blasphemed.