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Third Commandment
Text – Exodus 20:7
Hebrew:
לא תשׂא את־שׁם־יהוה אלהיך לשׁוא כי לא ינקה יהוה את אשׁר־ישׂא את־שׁמו לשׁוא׃
Literal
translation:
You shall not bear the name of YHVH
your God in vain,
for YHVH will not hold him guiltless who bears his name in vain.
Literal and grammatical analysis
·
לֹא תִשָּׂא (lo tissá):
“You shall not carry” or “you shall not lift up” – The verb נשׂא (nasá)
can mean to carry, to bear, to load, even to pronounce
aloud .
– The idea here is to use God’s name with the mouth or with behavior .
·
שֵׁם־יְהוָה (shem YHVH):
The “name of YHVH” is not just a word, but the identity,
authority, and reputation of God .
·
לַשָּׁוְא (la-shav):
“in vain” = uselessly, falsely, empty, without purpose. – It can imply:
o
Falsehood (as in false oaths)
o
Frivolity (talking about God without reverence)
o
Hypocrisy (using His name but not honoring Him with
actions)
·
לֹא יְנַקֶּה (lo yenaké):
“He will not acquit / will not hold innocent” – God will not overlook
this sin. It is a very serious matter in His eyes.
⚖ ️
Literal sense
This
commandment doesn't just refer to swearing or
"swearing in the name of God," although that is a way of violating
it. Its scope is broader:
1.
Do not use God's name to lie or manipulate, as in
a false oath.
Example: "I swear to God that..." knowing it is a lie (Leviticus
19:12).
2.
Do not invoke God in trivial, mocking, or irreverent
matters.
For example, mentioning God superficially, in jokes, mockery, or without a
sacred purpose.
3.
Don't be hypocritical about bearing God's name.
– Anyone who calls himself "son of God" or "Christian" yet
acts unjustly bears the name in vain.
– Cf. Romans 2:24: "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you."
Spiritual interpretation
·
God's name represents his character and holiness.
To misuse it is to violate his very nature.
·
Jesus and the apostles also kept this reverence :
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name …” – Matthew 6:9
·
The believer represents God. If we
claim to be “God’s people” but live in sin, we take His name
in vain with our behavior.
易
Modern application
·
Don't use phrases like "Oh my God!" or
"Jesus!" as empty or surprised expressions.
·
Do not manipulate others by using God's name to impose
authority: "God told me that you should do..."
·
Do not preach falsely using God's name as a backup
(Jeremiah 23:25-32).
·
Do not bear the name "Christian" with a life
that dishonors Christ.
✨ Final reflection
This commandment invites us to honor the name of God with our tongue,
our thoughts, and above all, with our lives.
Whoever invokes the name of YHVH must do so with reverent fear,
truth and holiness.
GOING DEEPER
1. The third commandment does not prohibit pronouncing the Name, but
rather misusing it.
It is quite likely that the scribes and Pharisees, for fear of
violating this commandment, went beyond their original
intention, falling into a form of preventive legalism.
·
Instead of taking it “in vain” (i.e., falsely or
without reverence), they stopped saying it altogether.
·
They changed the name YHVH ( יהוה ) to Adonai ("the
Lord") in public reading, a tradition continued by the Masoretes by
inserting the vowels of "Adonai" above the Tetragrammaton, giving
rise to the hybrid form Jehovah .
This
practice, although born from a desire for reverence, removes from the
text its direct and relational identity with the people.
2. Ancient Hebrew understood the Name as “The Eternal One”
The divine name YHVH derives
from the verb היה
(hayah), which means “to be,” “to exist,” or “to happen.”
When
God introduces himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14, he says:
אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה – Ehyeh Asher
Ehyeh
“I will be who I will be” or “I am who I am”
This
reveals:
·
That God exists by himself (self-existent,
eternal).
·
That is immutable, always the same.
·
That will be what is manifested to be,
according to its purpose.
Thus, a Hebrew understood the Name as “He who is and will
always be,” that is: The Eternal One.
3. Translating the Name with its meaning is not wrong
It
is not a profanation or a betrayal of the original to say:
·
Eternal in Spanish,
·
The Eternal in English,
·
L'Éternel in French, …as long as
the theological and profound meaning of the name is
respected.
It is preferable to translate with
meaning, than to transliterate without understanding.
For
example:
·
Elohim → God (plural
of majesty, power).
·
YHVH → The Eternal or He Who Is.
·
Adonai → Lord.
·
El Shaddai → Almighty God.
·
El Elyon → God Almighty.
The problem is not in translating the name, but in stripping it of
its revealed character, or using it in an empty, manipulative or
superstitious way.
✨ Final Conclusion
The
above reflection reestablishes a healthy relationship with the divine Name:
·
God revealed His Name to be known, invoked, and worshiped in
truth, not to be silenced out of fear.
·
The important thing is not the exact form (Yahweh,
Jehovah, The Eternal…), but the deep meaning, the reverence and the
fair and truthful use.
·
Prohibiting its pronunciation may end up being a
distortion of the commandment, just as using its name in a false or
hypocritical way.
