The wooden bar that linked two (or more) draft animals so they could work together (Numbers 19:2; 1 Kings 19:19; Job 1:3). Besides its literal use, the Bible often uses the term metaphorically. It refers to work or bondage (Leviticus 26:13). Israel's own kings, not just foreign oppressors, applied the yoke of bondage (1 Kings 12:4–14; 2 Chronicles 10:4–14). In prophetic writings, the yoke of bondage was linked to divine judgment (Lamentations 1:14). So, deliverance was seen as God breaking the yoke that had enslaved Israel (Isaiah 9:4; 10:27; 14:25; 58:6; Jeremiah 2:20; 5:5). Jeremiah's dispute with Hananiah's prophecy was about the yoke of bondage. Hananiah claimed that Judah would soon be freed from Babylonian captivity (Jeremiah 27:8–11; 28:1–17).
In the New Testament, Jesus makes "yoke" a positive term. He asks people to take up his yoke, which is not burdensome. He will give them rest for their souls (Matthew 11:29–30).