This verse seems to be directed to the people, so Moses is evidently telling them what Yahweh has told him. The Hebrew for See is literally “you [plural] see” in the imperative form, so it has the meaning of “Look” (New Jerusalem Bible), “Listen” (Jerusalem Bible), “Take note” (New American Bible), “Mark” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and “Remember” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The LORD has given you the sabbath uses the verb that may mean either to give or to place. So Jerusalem Bible has “Yahweh has laid down the sabbath for you.” The idea is that the sabbath is a gift from Yahweh. Note that Good News Translation changes the third person verb to first person, “Remember that I, the LORD, have given.” Contemporary English Version has no reference to the LORD or Yahweh, because it is clear from the previous context who is speaking: “Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath.”
If it is too difficult to retain the shift to third person speech (The LORD has given you) from the first person pronoun in verse 28 (“my commandments and my laws”), the translator has two options: a) change to the first person in verse 29 as Good News Translation has done, or b) make it explicit that Moses repeated these words to the people. If option b) is followed, one may begin this verse with “Moses told this to the people and continued, ‘See! The LORD has given you….’ ”
Therefore, literally “over thus that,” means “for that reason,” or “that is why” (Good News Translation). On the sixth day he gives you bread still uses the word for bread rather than “food” (see the comment at verse 4). For two days is literally “days,” but the dual form is used, meaning two. Contemporary English Version translates “That’s why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days.”
Remain means to dwell, sit, or stay put. Every man of you in his place is literally “a man underneath him.” New Revised Standard Version has improved over Revised Standard Version: “each of you stay where you are.” Let no man go out of his place, literally “a man shall not go out from his place,” is a strong prohibition. This applies only to the seventh day. So Good News Translation has “Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day and not leave his home.” Contemporary English Version has “Everyone is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath.” One may also say “Everyone is to stay home and do no work on the Sabbath.”
Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .