Exodus 20:7 (GNV)

Passage

Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine: for the Lord will not hold him guiltles that taketh his Name in vayne.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bowe downe to them, neither serue them: for I am the Lord thy God, a ielous God, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children, vpon the third generation and vpon the fourth of them that hate me:

Exodus 20:6 And shewing mercie vnto thousandes to them that loue me, and keepe my commandemets.

Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine: for the Lord will not hold him guiltles that taketh his Name in vayne.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keepe it holy.

Exodus 20:9 Sixe dayes shalt thou labour, and doe all thy worke,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "shalt", "take", "name", "lord", "vaine", and "hold". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "shalt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And shewing mercie vnto thousandes to them..." into verse 8's "Remember the Sabbath day to keepe it...", so "thou" and "shalt" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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