Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Blessed (is) the man - Hebrew, 'enowsh (H582), 'a man in humble life,' in contradistinction to Hebrew, ish, 'one of high rank.' Even the humblest, as "the stranger" and "the eunuch" (Isaiah 56:4; Isaiah 56:6), are admissible to these privileges. (See Luke 12:43.)
The man (that) doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it - what follows: 'keeping the Sabbath,' etc. (Isaiah 58:13-14; Ezekiel 20:12). A proof that the Sabbath, in the spirit of its obligation, was to be binding under the Gospel (Isaiah 66:23). That Gospel times are referred to is plain from the blessing not being pronounced on the man who observed the sacrificial ritual of the Jewish law.
Layeth hold - image from one grasping firmly some precious object which he is afraid of having forcibly snatched from him. The "Sabbath" here includes all the ordinances of divine worship under the new Gospel law.
That keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil - the observance of the second table of the law; as the "Sabbath" referred to the first table. Together, they form the whole duty of man-the worship of God and a holy life.