Exodus 20:7
For years I thought this verse meant: “Don’t yell out God’s Name when you’re mad or smash your thumb with a hammer.” That’s how most of us were taught, right? “Don’t say ‘Oh my God’ or you’re breaking one of the Ten Commandments.” Well, that’s not really what the Hebrew says. And once you see it, once you get it, you can’t unsee it.
Here’s the verse the way we usually hear it:
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
Now, take a breath. Let’s slow it down and look at it the way it was actually written. The Hebrew says: lo tissa et shem YHWH eloheicha lashav.
Let’s walk through that one piece at a time because it matters:
- lo – means “not.” Simple enough.
- tissa – from nasa’, which doesn’t mean “say,” it means lift, carry, bear. Like carrying a load on your back or lifting something up publicly.
- shem – means “name,” but in Hebrew, a name isn’t just a word. It means reputation, authority, identity. So when you carry His Name, you’re not just saying it, you’re representing it.
- YHWH Eloheicha – that’s YHWH your God. Not “Lord,” not a title, His actual covenant Name. The One who brought Israel out of Egypt. The One who made heaven and earth. The One who says “I AM WHO I AM.”
- lashav – that’s the kicker. It means worthlessly, falsely, emptily, even deceitfully. So not “angrily,” not “harshly”, worthlessly. Like hollow, fake, with no weight behind it.
So what’s God really saying here?
Not: “Don’t say My Name when you’re mad.”
But: “Don’t carry My Name like a lie.”
You hear the difference?
It’s not about tone of voice. It’s about misrepresenting the Most High. It’s when somebody claims to belong to Him, or speak for Him, or serve Him—but they live like the world, talk like the world, cheat like the world. That’s bearing His Name lashav, worthlessly.
This hits a whole lot harder than just swearing, doesn’t it?
This is when someone stands behind a pulpit with “Rev.” on their name tag, but they twist His Word for money or politics.
It’s when someone says “God told me,” but He didn’t.
It’s when we say we’re His people, but we lie, slander, steal, manipulate, tear each other down… and then go post a Bible verse on Facebook or Tic-Toc like a band-aid.
That is taking His Name in vain. That’s lifting it up like a fake banner.
God’s not playing around here either. That verse ends with a warning that He will not hold anyone guiltless who does this. In other words: “I see you. I hear you. And I will deal with you.”
And you know what? That’s actually merciful. Because when we wear His Name falsely, we drag His reputation through the mud. We make Him look weak or hypocritical to people who don’t know Him yet. And that’s not just about “us.” That’s about His Name in the eyes of the world.
Read Ezekiel 36. God told Israel straight up:
“You profaned My holy Name among the nations, where you went.”
Not because they were saying bad words. But because they claimed to be His people while living like the devil. And then the nations looked at that and said, “That’s what your God is like?”
So He says, “I’m going to sanctify My Name again. Not for your sake, but for Mine.”
You see it now?
This is why He told us “Don’t bear My Name falsely.” Because we are image bearers, name carriers, walking billboards for YHWH whether we like it or not.
So here’s the thing. If you’re gonna wear His Name, live like it matters.
If you’re gonna call yourself by His Name, carry it like something heavy and precious, not like a sticker you slap on your life.
Because once you say you’re His, the whole world is watching. And when we screw up—and we will, how we respond to that is part of how we carry His Name too.
Repentance. Humility. Integrity. Mercy. That’s how we bear His Name rightly. That’s how we show who He really is.
And no, this doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. But it does mean we have to be honest. Because lying about who God is—especially while wearing His Name—that’s what He calls “vain.”
And you better believe He doesn’t take that lightly.
Carry His Name rightly.
Live to match His holiness.
So the world may know what He is really like:
Not because we’re perfect,
But because we’re faithful,
And because we don’t treat His Name like a toy.
In the name of Yeshua, who bore His Holy Father’s Name perfectly,
Amen.
image done by AI at my direction