Leviticus 19:12 (ASV)

Passage

And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 19:10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God.

Leviticus 19:11 Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another.

Leviticus 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.

Leviticus 19:13 Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor, nor rob him: the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

Leviticus 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind; but thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "swear", "name", "falsely", "profane", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "swear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Ye shall not steal neither shall ye..." into verse 13's "Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor nor...", so "shall" and "swear" belong inside that flow. In Leviticus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "swear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.