What Does it Mean to “Take God’s Name in Vain”?
As recorded in Exodus 20:7, one of God’s ten commandments instructs me not to take his name in vain. But what does that mean? In order to follow a command, I need to understand it first.
In order to better understand this commandment let’s start by taking a look at exactly what it says:
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain.” —Exodus 20:7 NASB
(Deuteronomy 5:11 offers another account of the 10 commandments, and it says the exact same thing word-for-word.)
The popular interpretation
The most popular way I’ve heard people interpret this commandment is basically not to use the names “God” or “Jesus” as expletives. That would include saying the phrase “Oh my God” when I’m not praying or singing to God.
While I think it’s a great practice to not take God’s name lightly and use it flippantly, I think this commandment means more than just that.
What it really means
Defining “take”
When the commandment says not to “take” God’s name in vain, that word “take” in the original Hebrew language is “nasa” which means
“to lift, bear up, carry, or take”
So when it says not to “take” his name in vain, that could also mean that I shouldn’t “bear or carry” his name in vain.
This “carrying” of someone else’s name makes me think of the olden days where explorers would claim new lands “in the name” of their country or king. Something else it makes me think of is membership of a group: when I am part of a group, I become an affiliate of that group, and people associate me with that group.
Defining “name”
When the commandment says not to take God’s “name” in vain, that word “name” in the original Hebrew language is “sem” which means
“name, reputation, fame, or glory”
So when it says not take his “name” in vain, that could also mean that I shouldn’t carry his “reputation” in vain.
If I am going to be a Christian, then I am choosing to affiliate myself with God. Everyone who knows that I’m a Christian will now start affiliating MY actions with GOD. If I love people well, then I am doing good things for God’s reputation, but if I don’t treat people right, then I am doing bad things for God’s reputation.
Defining “vain”
When the commandment says not to take God’s name in “vain”, that word “vain” in the original Hebrew language is “sawe” which means
“emptiness, vanity, falsehood, or worthlessness”
So when it says not to take his name “in vain”, that could also mean that if I choose to carry his reputation, I shouldn’t do it in a way that is “empty, false, or worthless”.
In other words, I need to take God’s reputation seriously and represent him well. If I choose to affiliate myself with God, I shouldn’t do things that would make people think less of God. Instead, I should live my life in a way that causes people to think more highly of God.