Leviticus 19:12
in Leviticus 19You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.
KJV
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
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This verse in Leviticus 19
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
You must not steal
on Leviticus 19:11-12
The commands run in the order a fraud happens. A man steals, lies and deceives to cover it, and by verse 12 swears falsely by the name of God. The false oath is the one act here said to "profane the name of your God".
This site's exposition
swear falsely by My name
John Gill ties the oath to the frauds of verse 11. A man swears he holds no deposit of another's, or that a debt is owed when it is not. Matthew Henry adds that the name is also profaned when it is used for trifles.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely,.... Or "to a falsehood" (x), to any of the above cases; as that a man has not the deposit of another's in his hands, when he has; or that such a man owes him so much money, when he does not, or any other false thing.
To a lie: You shall not swear falsely. It is bad to tell a lie, but it is much worse to swear it. To a trifle, and every impertinence: Neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God, by alienating it to any other purpose than that for which it is to be religiously used.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Ye shall not steal--A variety of social duties are inculcated in this passage, chiefly in reference to common and little-thought-of vices to which mankind are exceedingly prone; such as committing petty frauds, or not scrupling to violate truth in transactions of business, ridiculing bodily infirmities, or circulating stories to the prejudice of others.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“Why is this stated [when it has already been mentioned in the Ten Commandments]? Since it is said, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Eternal thy G-d in vain, 37 Ibid., Verse.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
לא תגנבו YE SHALL NOT STEAL — This is a warning addressed to him who steals money (the property of his fellow-man), but the law “Thou shalt not steal" which is contained in the Ten Commandments is a warning addressed to him who steals a human being.
לא תעשק THOU SHALT NOT WRONG [THY FELLOW-MAN] — This refers to one who withholds the wages of a hired servant (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 2; Bava Metzia 61a).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִשָּׁבְע֥וּ | tishaveu | you will swear an oath | H7650 → | 186 times |
| בִשְׁמִ֖י | vishmi | by name my | H8034 → | 864 times |
| לַשָּׁ֑קֶר | lashaker | to <the> falsehood | H8267 → | 113 times |
| וְחִלַּלְתָּ֛ | vechilalta | and you will profane | H2490 → | 143 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שֵׁ֥ם | shem | [the] name of | H8034 → | 864 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲנִ֥י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | [am] Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִשָּׁבְע֥וּyou will swear an oath
tishaveuH7650 →186 times
בִשְׁמִ֖יby name my
vishmiH8034 →864 times
לַשָּׁ֑קֶרto <the> falsehood
lashakerH8267 →113 times
וְחִלַּלְתָּ֛and you will profane
vechilaltaH2490 →143 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שֵׁ֥ם[the] name of
shemH8034 →864 times
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
אֲנִ֥יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
יְהוָֽה׃[am] Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 5:12Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under…
it leads to
- Matthew 5:33–37
Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 23:16–22
Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
- Matthew 5:33–37
Through
Exodus 20:7You 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.
it leads to
- James 5:12
Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 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.
- Psalms 50:14–16
Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
- Jeremiah 4:2
and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
- James 5:12
Through
Deuteronomy 5:11You 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.
it leads to
- Exodus 20:7
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.
- Exodus 20:7
Through
Leviticus 18:21You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 12:31
You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as…
- Deuteronomy 12:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies24
On this verse
On this chapter
- Gleaning and the corner of the field
- Overcome Evil with Good
- Be Holy, Because I Am Holy
- Hospitality in Israel and the Early Church
- The Words Philoxenia and Ger
- How Scripture Shapes Christian Ethics
Show the next 6 titles
About Leviticus
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.