You asked

how did the practice of regular, mandated rest for all compare with other ane legal codes and social norms?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

““‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. You shall labor six days, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.’”

This passage is part of Moses' address to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the promised land. He is reminding them of the covenant laws given at Mount Sinai, re-articulating the Ten Commandments with some additional emphasis, particularly on the 'why' behind the Sabbath.

What does a mandated rhythm of rest, grounded in shared history and social equity, ask of our own individual and communal practices today?

Then — the setting

This passage from Deuteronomy dates to the 7th or 6th century BCE, though it reflects earlier traditions. It was addressed to the Israelite community on the cusp of settling in Canaan. Unlike many surrounding cultures that often had specific days for cultic activity or market closures, the Israelite Sabbath mandated a complete cessation of labor for *everyone* – including slaves, foreigners, and even animals – every seventh day. This was distinct from other Ancient Near Eastern legal codes (like the Code of Hammurabi) which focused on regulating economic transactions or labor conditions but did not enforce a universal, regular day of rest for all societal strata.

Across the Testaments

The main passage is in the Old Testament, presenting the Sabbath as a foundational covenant law and a memorial of liberation from Egyptian slavery. In the New Testament, Jesus frequently engages with Sabbath observance. While he upholds the principle of rest and its benefits, he challenges overly rigid interpretations that prioritized human-made rules over compassion and human need (e.g., healing on the Sabbath). The early Christian community, particularly Gentile converts, also grappled with the extent to which they should observe the Jewish Sabbath, leading to the eventual practice of gathering for worship on the first day of the week (Sunday), commemorating Christ's resurrection, without necessarily abandoning the principle of rest.

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Read alongside it

Exodus 20:8-11
The parallel account of the Sabbath commandment, grounding it in God's creation rest.
Leviticus 25:1-7
Extends the principle of rest to the land itself every seven years (Sabbatical year).
Mark 2:27
Jesus states, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,' highlighting its purpose for human good.

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