<P> The Hebrew לא תשא לשוא is translated as "thou shalt not take in vain". The word here translated as "in vain" is שוא shav' "emptiness, vanity; emptiness of speech, lying", while "take" is נשא nasa' "to lift, carry, bear, take, take away" (appearing in the second person as תשא). The expression "to take in vain" is also translated less literally as "to misuse" or variants . Some have interpreted the commandment to be against perjury, since invoking God's name in an oath was considered a guarantee of the truth of a statement or promise . Other scholars believe the original intent was to prohibit using the name in the magical practice of conjuration . </P> <P> Hebrew Bible passages also refer to God's name being profaned by hypocritical behavior of people and false representation of God's words or character . Many scholars also believe the commandment applies to the casual use of God's name in interjections and curses (blasphemy). </P> <P> The object of the command "thou shalt not take in vain" is את ־ שם ־ יהוה אלהיך at - shem - YHWH elohik "this - same name of YHWH, thy elohim", making explicit that the commandment is against the misuse of the proper name Yahweh specifically . </P> <P> In the Hebrew Bible, as well as in the Ancient Near East and throughout classical antiquity more generally, an oath is a conditional self - curse invoking deities that are asked to inflict punishment on the oath - breaker . There are numerous examples in the Book of Samuel of people strengthening their statements or promises with the phrase, "As surely as Yahweh lives ..." and such statements are referred to in Jeremiah as well . The value of invoking punishment from God was based on the belief that God cannot be deceived or evaded . For example, a narrative in the Book of Numbers describes how such an oath is to be administered by a priest to a woman suspected of adultery, with the expectation that the accompanying curse will have no effect on an innocent person . </P>

You shall not take the lords name in vain