Exodus 20:7

Bible in Basic English (1941)

You are not to make use of the name of the Lord your God for an evil purpose; whoever takes the Lord's name on his lips for an evil purpose will be judged a sinner by the Lord

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃

Transliteration

lōʾ ṯiśśāʾ ʾeṯ-shēm-YHWH ʾĕlōheḵā lash-shāwəʾ kî lōʾ yənaqeh YHWH ʾēṯ ʾăsher-yiśśāʾ ʾeṯ-shəmô lash-shāwəʾ

Grammar Details

• *lōʾ ṯiśśāʾ*: negative particle + qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you shall not lift/carry
• *ʾeṯ-shēm*: direct object marker + masculine singular construct - the name of
• *YHWH*: proper name - LORD/YHWH
• *ʾĕlōheḵā*: masculine plural noun construct with 2nd masculine singular suffix - your God
• *lash-shāwəʾ*: preposition + definite article + masculine singular noun - for falsehood/vanity
• *kî*: conjunction - for/because
• *lōʾ yənaqeh*: negative particle + piel imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - will not hold guiltless
• *ʾēṯ*: direct object marker
• *ʾăsher-yiśśāʾ*: relative pronoun + qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - who lifts/carries
• *ʾeṯ-shəmô*: direct object marker + masculine singular noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his name

Word Meanings

• *ṯiśśāʾ*: lift up/carry/bear/take/utter
• *shēm*: name/reputation/character
• *lash-shāwəʾ*: in vain/falsely/for emptiness/for no purpose
• *yənaqeh*: hold guiltless/leave unpunished/acquit

Referenced Verses

• Lev 19:12 : 12 And do not take an oath in my name falsely, putting shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.
• Jas 5:12 : 12 But most of all, my brothers, do not take oaths, not by the heaven, or by the earth, or by any other thing: but let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No: so that you may not be judged.
• Heb 6:16-17 : 16 For men at all times make their oaths by what is greater; and any argument is ended by the decision of the oath. 17 So that when it was God's desire to make it specially clear to those who by his word were to have the heritage, that his purpose was fixed, he made it more certain with an oath;
• Ps 50:14-16 : 14 Make an offering of praise to God; keep the agreements which you have made with the Most High; 15 Let your voice come up to me in the day of trouble; I will be your saviour, so that you may give glory to me. 16 But to the sinner, God says, What are you doing, talking of my laws, or taking the words of my agreement in your mouth?
• Prov 30:9 : 9 For fear that if I am full, I may be false to you and say, Who is the Lord? or if I am poor, I may become a thief, using the name of my God wrongly.
• Lev 24:11-16 : 11 And the son of the Israelite woman said evil against the holy Name, with curses; and they took him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they kept him shut up, till a decision might be given by the mouth of the Lord. 13 And the Lord said to Moses, 14 Take the curser outside the tent-circle; and let all in whose hearing the words were said put their hands on his head, and let him be stoned by all the people. 15 And say to the children of Israel, As for any man cursing God, his sin will be on his head. 16 And he who says evil against the name of the Lord will certainly be put to death; he will be stoned by all the people; the man who is not of your nation and one who is an Israelite by birth, whoever says evil against the holy Name is to be put to death.
• Deut 5:11 : 11 You are not to make use of the name of the Lord your God for an evil purpose; whoever takes the Lord's name on his lips for an evil purpose will be judged as a sinner by the Lord.
• Matt 23:16-22 : 16 A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible. 17 You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy? 18 And, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the offering which is on it, he is responsible. 19 You blind ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy? 20 He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it. 21 And he who takes an oath by the Temple, takes it by the Temple and by him whose house it is. 22 And he who takes an oath by heaven, takes it by the seat of God, and by him who is seated on it.
• Jer 4:2 : 2 And you will take your oath, By the living Lord, in good faith and wisdom and righteousness; and the nations will make use of you as a blessing, and in you will they take a pride.
• Matt 5:33-37 : 33 Again, you have knowledge that it was said in old times, Do not take false oaths, but give effect to your oaths to the Lord: 34 But I say to you, Take no oaths at all: not by the heaven, because it is the seat of God; 35 Or by the earth, because it is the resting-place for his foot; or by Jerusalem, because it is the town of the great King. 36 You may not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 But let your words be simply, Yes or No: and whatever is more than these is of the Evil One.
• Deut 10:20 : 20 Let the fear of the Lord your God be before you, give him worship and be true to him at all times, taking your oaths in his name.
• Josh 2:12 : 12 So now, will you give me your oath by the Lord, that, because I have been kind to you, you will be kind to my father's house,
• Josh 2:17 : 17 And the men said to her, We will only be responsible for this oath which you have made us take,
• Josh 9:20 : 20 This is what we will do to them: we will not put them to death, for fear that wrath may come on us because of our oath to them.
• 2 Sam 21:1-2 : 1 In the days of David they were short of food for three years, year after year; and David went before the Lord for directions. And the Lord said, On Saul and on his family there is blood, because he put the Gibeonites to death. 2 Then the king sent for the Gibeonites; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but were the last of the Amorites, to whom the children of Israel had given an oath; but Saul, in his passion for the children of Israel and Judah, had made an attempt on their lives:)
• 1 Kgs 2:9 : 9 But do not let him be free from punishment, for you are a wise man; and it will be clear to you what you have to do with him; see that his white head goes down to the underworld in blood.