A noun meaning yoke — the wooden frame joining two animals for plowing — and also a pair of scales or balance for weighing. In its literal sense it represents the labor of agriculture. Metaphorically it represents either oppressive servitude (the yoke of slavery) or willing submission to a master's discipline (the yoke of Christ or Torah).
The yoke is one of Jesus's most profound metaphors. In Matthew 11:28-30, he invites the weary to take his yoke: 'my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' This was a direct engagement with rabbinic tradition, which spoke of 'taking on the yoke of Torah.' Jesus offers an alternative yoke — learning from him, the gentle and humble one. The contrast is between the crushing burden of earning God's favor through law-keeping and the life-giving discipline of following a gracious Teacher. Paul uses the yoke image to warn against returning to slavery — do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).