Deuteronomy 5:11
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,

God’s name reveals His holy character, sovereign authority, and covenant faithfulness to Israel. At Sinai, the people were called to honor the God who had redeemed them from Egypt and made them His own. His name was not to be used carelessly in speech, falsely in oaths, or hypocritically in worship. Reverence for the LORD belongs not only in public worship but also in every word and deed of those who bear His name. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Hallowed be Your name,” placing the honor of God at the center of faithful life.

Exo 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…
Lev 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My name…
Mat 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients,…

for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished

God Himself guards the honor of His name because His holiness cannot be treated as insignificant. In Israel, vows and oaths invoked the LORD as witness, making deceitful use of His name a direct offense against Him. Leviticus 19:12 forbids swearing falsely by God’s name, and James 5:12 calls believers to truthful speech without manipulative oaths. God’s warning establishes that every person remains accountable before the righteous Judge.

Exo 34:7 maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations,…
Nam 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power;…
Jer 30:11 For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD.…

who takes His name in vain.

God’s people can dishonor His name through conduct as well as speech when their lives contradict the character of the God they profess to serve. Israel was called to holiness because the LORD is holy, and believers are likewise called to represent Christ faithfully before the world. Jesus perfectly honored the Father in all things, and God exalted Him so that every knee will bow at His name. Those who belong to Christ should bear His name with truthfulness, reverence, and obedience.

Lev 24:11-16 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name…
Mal 1:6 A son honors his father, and a servant his master.…
Jas 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The prophet and leader of the Israelites who delivered God's commandments to the people.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, receiving the Law as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

3. Mount Sinai
The place where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, including the commandment in Deuteronomy 5:11.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and self-existent nature.

5. The Promised Land
The land promised by God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Teaching Points
Reverence for God's Name
God's name is holy and should be treated with the utmost respect. This commandment calls us to honor God in our speech and actions.

Integrity in Speech
Avoid using God's name carelessly or in false oaths. Our words should reflect our commitment to truth and integrity.

Awareness of God's Presence
Recognizing that God is always present should influence how we speak and act, ensuring that we do not misuse His name.

Reflecting God's Character
As bearers of God's name, Christians are called to live in a way that reflects His holiness and love.

Consequences of Disobedience
The warning of punishment for taking God's name in vain serves as a reminder of the seriousness of this commandment.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the original Hebrew word for "vain" (shav) deepen our understanding of this commandment?

2. In what ways can we ensure that we are honoring God's name in our daily conversations and actions?

3. How does the teaching of Jesus in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9) relate to the commandment in Deuteronomy 5:11?

4. What are some modern examples of taking God's name in vain, and how can we avoid them?

5. How can reflecting on the consequences mentioned in Deuteronomy 5:11 motivate us to live with greater reverence for God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 20:7
This verse is a parallel to Deuteronomy 5:11, as it is part of the original giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

Leviticus 19:12
This verse warns against swearing falsely by God's name, which is another form of taking His name in vain.

Matthew 6:9
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to hallow God's name, emphasizing the reverence due to it.

James 5:12
James advises believers to avoid swearing oaths, which can relate to the misuse of God's name.

Philippians 2:9-11
This passage highlights the exaltation of Jesus' name, underscoring the importance of honoring God's name.
Against SwearingG. Haggitt, M. A.Deuteronomy 5:11
Connection of This Commandment with What PrecedesJames Matthew, B. D.Deuteronomy 5:11
Hallowed be Thy NameJames Owen.Deuteronomy 5:11
On Taking God's Name in VainDean Farrar.Deuteronomy 5:11
ProfanityM. C. Peters.Deuteronomy 5:11
Profanity a Mean ViceJ. Chapin.Deuteronomy 5:11
Profanity a Silly ViceJ. Chapin.Deuteronomy 5:11
Swearing a Costly HabitDeuteronomy 5:11
The Law of ReverenceJ. P. Newman, D. D.Deuteronomy 5:11
The Sin of Profane SwearingR. Wardlaw, D. D.Deuteronomy 5:11
The Third CommandmentThomas Ridglet, D. D.Deuteronomy 5:11
The Third CommandmentS. Walker, B. A.Deuteronomy 5:11
The Third CommandmentT. Dwight, D. D.Deuteronomy 5:11
The Third CommandmentR. Wardlaw, D. D.Deuteronomy 5:11
The Third CommandmentEdwards, JonathanDeuteronomy 5:11
Thou Shalt not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in VainK. H. Caspari.Deuteronomy 5:11
The DecalogueR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 5:1-21
Reminiscences of HorebJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:1-33
The Divine Plan for the Conduct of Our Life on EarthD. Davies Deuteronomy 5:6-21
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Horeb
Topics
Acquit, Anyone, Evil, Guiltless, Hold, Idly, Judged, Leave, Lips, Lord's, Misuses, Purpose, Sinner, Takes, Taketh, Unpunished, Utter, Uttereth, Vain
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 5:11

     1235   God, the LORD
     5042   name of God, significance
     5430   oaths, human
     5550   speech, negative
     5800   blasphemy
     8470   respect, for God
     8807   profanity

Deuteronomy 5:6-21

     1443   revelation, OT
     7263   theocracy
     8412   decisions

Deuteronomy 5:11-12

     8242   ethics, personal

Library
Prayer and Obedience
"An obedience discovered itself in Fletcher of Madeley, which I wish I could describe or imitate. It produced in him a ready mind to embrace every cross with alacrity and pleasure. He had a singular love for the lambs of the flock, and applied himself with the greatest diligence to their instruction, for which he had a peculiar gift. . . . All his intercourse with me was so mingled with prayer and praise, that every employment, and every meal was, as it were, perfumed therewith." -- JOHN WESLEY.
Edward M. Bounds—The Necessity of Prayer

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
Scribes Reproach Him for Disregarding Tradition. (Galilee, Probably Capernaum, Spring a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 1-20; ^B Mark VII. 1-23; ^D John VII. 1. ^d 1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him. [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at John v. 18.] ^a 1 Then there
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.--Ex. 20:1-17. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible I, 194-198. Prin. of Politics, Chap. II. Lowell, Essay on "Democracy." Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Deuteronomy 5:11 NIV
Deuteronomy 5:11 NLT
Deuteronomy 5:11 ESV
Deuteronomy 5:11 NASB
Deuteronomy 5:11 KJV

Deuteronomy 5:11 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Deuteronomy 5:10
Top of Page
Top of Page