20:7 “You shall not take 1 the name of the Lord your God in vain, 2 for the Lord will not hold guiltless 3 anyone who takes his name in vain.
1 tn Or “use” (NCV, TEV); NIV, CEV, NLT “misuse”; NRSV “make wrongful use of.”
2 tn שָׁוְא (shav’, “vain”) describes “unreality.” The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 196). This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God.
3 tn Or “leave unpunished.”