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Chapter 1: What does it mean when Shakespeare asks, 'What's in a name?'
Hey everyone, this is Tyler from Bible Project, and we're excited you're joining us in our Ten Commandments series here on the podcast. We wanted to make sure you know that we're also releasing weekly videos where we dive into each of these commands. These ancient words may sound familiar to many of us, but when we look deeper, we're often surprised at what we discover.
To help you and your community explore more, we've created study resources and behind the scenes content. You can find the new videos weekly and all of our resources at 10commandments.bibleproject.com. Now for today's episode.
In the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare poses the question, what's in a name? Well, a lot, actually. A name is more than just a label or a sound people use to get your attention. A name represents your whole identity and reputation. It's the story of who you are.
Here's an example of a proverb. A good name is more desirable than great wealth.
And when it comes to the God of the Bible, who is the source of all life and all that is good, his name is indisputably the greatest name. And yet in the story of the Bible, God chooses to share his name or attach his name to Israel. What does that mean?
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Chapter 2: How does God attach His name to Israel?
When God gives his name or attaches his name to others, it becomes a form of representation or a way that you encounter the God who is above and beyond everything.
In the Ten Commandments, God gives Israel ten words that, if followed, will lead them to life and flourishing. Today we'll discuss the third, which is all about how they will represent his name.
You will not carry the name of Yahweh your Elohim in vain.
You might be familiar with the translation, don't take the name of the Lord in vain, which makes you think of merely misusing God's name in your speech. But the Hebrew word here is to carry the name.
It seems like carrying the name is bigger because it refers to your behavior. Stealing, deceiving, lying, swearing falsely in my name is a way to mistreat the name of God. And you can carry Yahweh's name in vain? In vain. It's the Hebrew word shav. It can refer to something that doesn't fulfill its purpose. Why do the people of Yahweh exist as the people of Yahweh?
Well, they were called to be an image and a representative of God to the nations and then to represent the nations before God.
Today, Tim Mackey and I discuss the third command about carrying the name of Yahweh. It's not a command about cursing. It's a command about representing God to the world. Thanks for joining us. Here we go.
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Chapter 3: What is the significance of carrying Yahweh's name?
Hey, Tim. Hello, John. We are today going to discuss the third command or the word.
Third word of the ten words.
The third command of the ten commands. We're going slow through the ten commandments because... This isn't simply just a list of things to check off. This is an invitation to a way of being in which you can truly find life.
Yeah. Yep. And these are words that God spoke to the community of ancient Israel sitting at the foot of Mount Sinai. It's like the first words that God said to Israel, the foundation, and then Jesus boiled it all down yet again to... Love God and love your neighbor, which I recall we found reflected in the overall shape of the ten.
The first four are all related to God, and then the fifth is an interesting kind of hinge, and then six through ten are all related to how you treat and relate to people.
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Chapter 4: What does 'in vain' refer to in the 3rd Commandment?
That's right. Yes, we're going to look at now the third word, that is the third commandment, which is super interesting. It's related to God, specifically the name of God. But you're already faced with challenges from how you choose to put it into another language.
How do you translate this?
Yeah, translation and interpretation are bound up together. So how about we just read a few versions of it to see what people are after, and let's just take it from there. All right. Third command. So here's three popular English translations. The New International Version, the New Living Translation,
And maybe a lesser known, but one that I'm really into these days called the Lexham English Bible. And they read, you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, or the Lexham English Bible has the name of Yahweh your God. Misuse the name. Misuse the name. The English Standard Version and the King James are in partnership here.
Chapter 5: How is the concept of representation explored in this episode?
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Yeah. To take in vain. The New Revised Standard Version, you shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
So that's very similar to misuse, wrongful use. Mm-hmm.
And just for a lesser-known English translation, but just an interesting take on it, the Common English Bible, CEB, do not use the Lord your God's name as if it were of no significance. Okay. The most literal translation would be as follows. You will not carry... The name of Yahweh, your Elohim, I'm going to hang with the King James with in vain.
If by vain we mean of vain purpose, of empty purpose. Yeah, vanity means emptiness? Mm-hmm.
Okay. Yeah, purposelessness. Is this where these other translations were getting the idea of useless? Useless, yeah, or of no significance. No significance. Yeah.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of misusing God's name?
Okay.
Shall not carry, and we'll talk about it in more depth. You might carry the name of Yahweh your Elohim in vain, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished, or he will not declare innocent the one who carries his name. in vain. So actually, even this translation that's mine, I'm not very satisfied with. So maybe let's hold it up for revision as we have our discussion here, shall we? Sure. Okay.
So first, let's think about the two main words here, which are the name. Clearly, the name's important. This whole thing is about God's name.
Yeah.
What is God's name? In the Hebrew Bible, God's name is spelled with four Hebrew letters, Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh, called the Tetragrammaton, which is a Greek way to refer to it. Tetra, four, means four.
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Chapter 7: How does the discussion connect to the broader themes of the Ten Commandments?
Gramma means letters, four letters. And the most ancient pronunciation that we're pretty sure we can recover of it would have been Yahweh, which means the one who is. He is Yahweh. Such a rad name. It's like the coolest name ever. It's a good name. The one who is. So that's God's name. So this prohibition is don't do something to the name, the one who is.
And what are you not supposed to do to the name? It's the verb nasa, which means to pick up and carry.
Okay.
So that's one question. What does it mean to carry the name? Okay. So let's back up from that. Let's look at the meaning of name in the Bible. Then let's look at this word carry. Then we have to look at this word in vain. Three short word studies, shall we?
Chapter 8: What does it mean to faithfully represent God's name?
Okay. Okay. So, first of all, the Hebrew word for name is Shem. Okay. And its first main meaning is name. The thing that humans... Yeah. So, sound waves that come out of a human's mouth... Mm-hmm. that humans have agreed together that these are the sounds that when we say them, it refers to that person or thing. Okay. The name, John. Your parents just decided, made a decision. Totally.
The human to be born, right? Yeah. From your mother's womb, that this would be his name is John. Yeah. So it's an actual name. But even in English, the word name has a wider resonance of meaning. I can drag your name in the dirt. Ah, yeah. That's an English turn of phrase. Yeah. What are other name turns of phrase we have? How about this one? To make a name for yourself. Yep.
She made a name for herself by doing X, Y, or Z. Mm-hmm.
You can tarnish someone's name.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's right. Yep. And if you want to reverse that, you can clear your name. Ah, yeah, clear your name. Clear your name of any guilt or something. Oh, yeah.
That's a very common one.
Yeah, so both to tarnish your name, clear your name, and make a name for yourself. Yeah, it refers to your reputation. Yeah. So not just the actual sound or word, your name. Yeah. But when who you are is brought up in conversation, people have feelings. It brings up feelings, right? And associations. Yeah. A story attached. Yeah. And that whole story... can be referred to as your name.
So that's true in Hebrew too. So here's just an example of a proverb. A good name is more desirable than great wealth, says Proverbs 22.1. So for people, when they hear your name, to think good things, that is actually more valuable. than accumulating lots of money. This is good ancient wisdom. This is great ancient wisdom.
Yeah.
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