And hallow my sabbaths: The children were to set aside the Sabbath as a special day. Hallow renders the same Hebrew verb translated “sanctify” in verse 12 (see the comments there). This clause may be rendered “and honor me on the day of rest I have given you.”

That they may be a sign between me and you: See verse 12. By keeping the Sabbath as a holy day, it would be a sign or reminder of the agreement that God had made with his people.

That you may know that I the LORD am your God: The children were also to keep the Sabbath holy so that they would recognize Yahweh as their God. A model for this clause is “so that you will recognize that I, Yahweh, am your God [or, the God you worship].”

A model for verses 18-20 is:

• 18 Then I warned their children in the desert, “Do not live by the laws and regulations your ancestors made. Do not make yourselves unacceptable to me by worshiping their idols. 19 I am Yahweh your God. Live according to my laws and make sure you follow my commandments, 20 and honor me on the day of rest that I have given you, which will remind you of the agreement we have, so that you will recognize that I am Yahweh your God.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .