What Is The 3rd Commandment?

What is the 3^rd Commandment?  What does it mean that we shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain?  Is this commandment still relevant today and for all people?

The 3^rd Commandment

Exodus 20:7 “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.”

Israel’s Treatment of God’s Name

The Jews were so terrified of mispronouncing God’s Holy Name that they didn’t even say it out loud.  Today, even some non-orthodox Jews spell God’s name as “G_d” out of reverence and respect.  They often just spelled in YHVW or YHWH and today, we really don’t know how God’s name was pronounced.  We don’t know because the original pronunciation was lost thousands of years ago for two reasons; the Jews were afraid to mispronounce it so they rarely, if ever spoke it aloud and they usually substituted Adonai for it and also since the Hebrew language doesn’t contain any vowels, we don’t really know what sounds were produced by the name YHVW or YHWH so the way His name was pronounced has been lost long ago.   Most scholars believe it is pronounced “YAY- WAY.”  Most mistranslate the name into Jehovah by inserting vowels that they are only guessing belonged there.  This was done only in order that they might know how it sounded but we honestly don’t know.  It is almost certain that Jehovah is not really God’s name. In fact God has many names but in this article we are focusing on taking God’s Holy Name in vain.

What does Taking it in Vain Mean?

The word used for vain is empty, without purpose.  The Hebrew word used for “vain” is “shav’” and means with “emptiness, vanity, falsehood, worthless, nothingness” so taking God’s name in vain is using it flippantly, needlessly, without thought or without giving it any regard and treating it as…really, nothing or using it without any real purpose.  That is still sin, regardless if there is no swear words attached to it.  To use God’s Holy Name without regard, respect for it, as in a vain saying, and in a worthless manner is sin, no matter how a person tries to justify their use of it.

As a Swear Word

The most obvious way that most people use God’s name in vain today is by attributing something horrible or something bad that has happened and even something extremely good that has happened and then expressing it as vulgar or profane language.  Many use “damn” as God’s last name, if you know what I mean, but God will not hold them guiltless who profane His Holy Name as He says  “the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Ex 20:7b).   God’s Word says “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Duet 5:11). The Psalmist says to God “your adversaries misuse your name” (Psalm 139:20). There is a time coming when this will no longer happen as He declares in Ezekiel 39:7 “I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel.”  These disgusting uses include saying with disgust and even joy “Jesus Christ!” but also abbreviations that I won’t even spell out because they are so profane: OMG, OMFG, JFC, and other such ones that I will not even put into print because they are so outrageous to me.

Euphemisms

What is a euphemism? A euphemism is a word or expression used in place of another word that might be found offensive or even suggest something unpleasant and is used to mask a rude or offensive word or concept.  It might be masking or cloaking something that is vulgar or profane like the use of God’s name.  Some examples are “Jeez” which is a euphemism for Jesus or even a simple “Gosh” which substitutes for God’s name.  Even “darn it” is a euphemism for “damn it” but sometimes people even use “gosh damn it” which you can easily determine what that is a substitute for.  I believe it is using God’s name in vain when we say “Oh my God.”  This is nothing short of taking God’s Holy Name in a useless, careless, vain or worthless manner which is breaking the 3rd Commandment.  Some will even go so far to say (and I am abbreviating here because I find it so offensive that I won’t even spell it out) “OMFG.”  These are so popular that I have even heard Christians use them.  There is no doubt that the ancient Jews would have never dared be so flippant about using God’s Holy Name in this way but today, most people don’t even give it a second thought, despite the fact that God says that He will not hold those who do such things guiltless (Ex 20:7b; Duet 5:11).

Conclusion

We must watch our mouth for we can much too easily use God’s Holy Name in a vain manner.  What if someone used your mother or your father’s name as a curse or swear word. Would you still not care?  How much more so should we regard God’s name as the name that is above every name and refrain from using it or even any euphemisms as forms of an expression of disgust, anger, rage, or even some joyful experience.  This is so common today that most people will don’t even think about it but God does and He will not forget those who use, misuse or abuse His Holy Name.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon