“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Exodus 20:7
Many folks - believers and non-believers alike - are taught the 3rd commandment is a prohibition against cussing, especially any angry outburst using the words “God” or “Jesus Christ”.
This might leave you wondering: Why did this command make God’s Top Ten list, right alongside murder and adultery?
It turns out there is a major problem with this assumed interpretation:
The Hebrew word translated as “take” has nothing to do with speech.
It means to bear or to carry.
So it seems the commandment’s concept of “taking God’s name” is more like what we mean when we say a woman has “taken” her new husband’s name: She has chosen to identify herself with him in a very public and long-term way.
Some reflection, then, as to what God means when He warns of taking His name in vain, might make it clear why it’s worthy of the Top Ten!
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