Leviticus 19:12

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And do not take an oath in my name falsely, putting shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְלֹֽא־תִשָּׁבְע֥וּ בִשְׁמִ֖י לַשָּׁ֑קֶר וְחִלַּלְתָּ֛ אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה

Transliteration

wə-lōʾ-ṯiššāḇəʿû ḇišmî laššāqer wə-ḥillaltā ʾeṯ-šēm ʾĕlōhêḵā ʾănî YHWH

Grammar Details

• *wə-lōʾ*: conjunction + negative particle - and not
• *ṯiššāḇəʿû*: Niphal imperfect, 2nd masculine plural - you shall swear
• *ḇišmî*: preposition + noun, masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix - by my name
• *laššāqer*: preposition + definite article + noun, masculine singular - to the falsehood/falsely
• *wə-ḥillaltā*: conjunction + Piel perfect, 2nd masculine singular - and you have profaned
• *ʾeṯ*: direct object marker
• *šēm*: noun, masculine singular construct - name of
• *ʾĕlōhêḵā*: noun, masculine plural construct + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your God
• *ʾănî*: 1st person singular independent pronoun - I
• *YHWH*: proper noun - the LORD

Word Meanings

• *ṯiššāḇəʿû*: swear/take an oath
• *laššāqer*: falsely/deceitfully/dishonestly
• *ḥillaltā*: profane/defile/desecrate/treat as common

Referenced Verses

• Exod 20:7 : 7 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
• Lev 18:21 : 21 And you may not make any of your children go through the fire as an offering to Molech, and you may not put shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.
• Lev 6:3 : 3 And the priest is to put on his linen robes and his linen trousers, and take up what is over of the offering after it has been burned on the altar, and put it by the side of the altar.
• 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 5:33-34 : 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;
• 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.
• Ps 15:4 : 4 Who gives honour to those who have the fear of the Lord, turning away from him who has not the Lord's approval. He who takes an oath against himself, and makes no change.
• 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.
• Jer 7:9 : 9 Will you take the goods of others, put men to death, and be untrue to your wives, and take false oaths, and have perfumes burned to the Baal, and go after other gods which are strange to you;
• Ezek 36:20-23 : 20 And when they came among the nations, wherever they went, they made my holy name unclean, when it was said of them, These are the people of the Lord who have gone out from his land. 21 But I had pity for my holy name which the children of Israel had made unclean wherever they went. 22 For this cause say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: I am doing this, not because of you, O children of Israel, but because of my holy name, which you have made unclean among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will make holy my great name which has been made unclean among the nations, which you have made unclean among them; and it will be clear to the nations that I am the Lord, says the Lord, when I make myself holy in you before their eyes.
• Zech 5:4 : 4 And I will send it out, says the Lord of armies, and it will go into the house of the thief and into the house of him who takes a false oath by my name: and it will be in his house, causing its complete destruction, with its woodwork and its stones.
• Mal 3:5 : 5 And I will come near to you for judging; I will quickly be a witness against the wonder-workers, against those who have been untrue in married life, against those who take false oaths; against those who keep back from the servant his payment, and who are hard on the widow and the child without a father, who do not give his rights to the man from a strange country, and have no fear of me, says the Lord of armies.
• Lev 24:11 : 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.
• Lev 24:15-16 : 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.