Taking the Name of the LORD in Vain

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain” (Ex. 20:7).

What does it mean to take the name of the LORD in vain?

Many Sacred Name believers think this commandment forbids saying “the LORD” instead of “Yahweh,” or “Yahveh,” or “Yehovah,” or whichever one of the few dozen possible pronunciations they believe is the correct one. While it is true that God has a four-letter Hebrew name, the proper pronunciation of God’s nomenclature is not what this commandment is about.

Many Christians think it just means to not say “God” or “Jesus Christ” as swear words. While it is certainly wrong to say “God” or “Jesus Christ” as swear words, that is not the primary thing that this particular commandment forbids.

Christians who think this commandment just forbids saying “God” or “Jesus Christ” as swear words, and Sacred Name believers who think this commandment forbids saying “the LORD” instead of some Hebrew or pseudo-Hebrew/quasi-Hebrew pronunciation, are both mistaken.

Why can I make such a bold statement? Because of the Hebrew word nasa, translated “take” in this verse. A look at this verb nasa shows that this commandment is primarily about not misrepresenting God by our behavior rather than about saying or not saying His name.

You do not even need to know Hebrew to see this; you just need to know how to look up the Hebrew word in a lexicon. When I was a young disciple, I often looked up Hebrew and Greek words in the lexicon of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. I had been following the Lord only about two or three years when I looked up the Hebrew word for “take” in Exodus 20:7. I discovered that taking God’s name in vain is far more than saying “God” or “Jesus Christ” as swear words.

According to Strong’s, the general meaning of nasa, the word translated “take” in this verse, is “to lift in a great variety of applications.” The word is translated with many different English words in the KJV. As you look through this list, you will see that nasa is never once translated as “speak” or “say” or “utter.” That fact alone tells us that this commandment is not just about saying or not saying God’s name.

Here are just a few ways that nasa is translated in the KJV: bear, exalt, extol, lift up, magnify, receive, take, wear.

Let’s consider some implications of these aspects of “taking” God’s name in vain.

BEAR & WEAR

If you believe in the God of the Bible, you are bearing and wearing His name. In other words, you are labeled as a person who belongs to God. If you behave contrary to God’s will, you misrepresent God, and bring shame upon His name, that is, on His reputation. You are bearing and wearing His name in vain. Your claim of faith in God counts for nothing, because you are taking His name in vain.

EXALT, EXTOL, LIFT UP & MAGNIFY

If you exalt and extol and lift up and magnify God’s name in your singing, in your praise, and in your testimony, but live contrary to God’s will, you are taking His name in vain. Your worship and praise of God counts for nothing.

TAKE & RECEIVE

If you receive God’s name and take it upon yourself, you become an ambassador. You represent God to the world. If you live contrary to God’s will, you are misrepresenting Him to others. You are thereby taking God’s name in vain. Your role as an ambassador counts for nothing.

From these few examples we can see that taking God’s name in vain is not just about saying “God” or “Jesus Christ” as swear words, nor is it about knowing the correct Hebrew pronunciation of God’s nomenclature. Although it is wrong to say “God” or “Jesus Christ” as swear words, and although God does have a four-letter Hebrew name, this commandment is primarily about God’s people not misrepresenting God by engaging in behavior that is contrary to God’s will.

In other words, if you claim to be a follower of the Lord, live the way a follower of the Lord is supposed to live.

If you have a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, look up nasa and see all the other ways this word is translated in the KJV. Go through the list of words (there are about 50 of them) and consider how some of these words might pertain to “taking” God’s name in vain. And if you discover you have been taking His name in vain by some of your behavior, stop taking His name in vain, “for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”

| DB

Image: Psalm 109 by Daniel Botkin from his Psurrealistic Psalms art gallery. See all the Psalms he has painted along with his art pieces on his art website, DanielBotkin.com.