‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Parallel translations
- WEB “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain: for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
- KJV 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.
- BSB You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
- NASB ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.
- NLT “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must not take God's name in vain, for God will hold the offender guilty. The third commandment guards the honor of God's name.
Overview
This commandment forbids using God's name emptily, falsely, or irreverently, in oaths, speech, or worship. God's name represents his character and reputation, which his people must honor. Jesus teaches reverence for God's name, and the gospel calls us to glorify the name above every name (Matthew 6:9, Philippians 2:9-11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Exod 20:7“You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
- Deut 6:13You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.
- Lev 19:12“‘You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.
- Matt 5:33–34“Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’
- Jas 5:12But above all things, my brothers, don’t swear — not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”; so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.
- Ps 139:20For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.
- Jer 4:2and you shall swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 5:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.