The Ten Commandments Part 4

We saw today that the Hebrew original doesn’t say “Do not take”; it says “Do not carry.” The Hebrew reads, “Do not carry the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The NIV uses the word “misuse” rather than the word “take”: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” The challenge we are then presented with is to represent God well. We shouldn’t use God’s name in vain because we are his ambassadors. Taking the Lord’s name in vain happens when we misrepresent him to those around us.