Exodus 20:7:12Exod.20.7.W12TAB
אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ
etshemo
“his name”
- Transliteration
- et-she-MO
- Extended
- EET-sheh-MOH
- IPA
- /ʔeːt.ʃəˈmoː/
Meaning by language
- English
- his name
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
et-she-MO
- phraseyour reading level
a-SHER-yi-SA et-she-MO
- clause
KI LO ye-na-KEH ye-ho-VAH ET a-SHER-yi-SA et-she-MO la-SHAV
- sentence
LO ti-SA et-SHEM-ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HE-kha la-SHAV KI LO ye-na-KEH ye-ho-VAH ET a-SHER-yi-SA et-she-MO la-SHAV
Exegesis
The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ} introduces the construct chain shem YHWH elohecha {שֵׁם־ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ | šēm YHWH ʾĕ-lō-he-kā} ‘the name of the LORD your God,’ linking divine name to covenant relationship.
The relative clause asher yissa et shmo lashav {אֲשֶׁר־ יִשָּׂא אֶת־ שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא | ʾă-šer yiś-śāʾ ʾeṯ-šəmô laš-šāwʾ} ‘who lifts His name to vanity’ specifies the object of divine judgment.
The recurrence of the root naṣaʾ {נ־שׂ־א | n-s-ʾ} ‘lift or bear,’ the noun šēm {שׁ־מ | š-m} ‘name,’ and lashav {שׁ־ו־א | š-w-ʾ} ‘vanity’ forms a chiastic emphasis on the seriousness of misusing God’s name and the certainty of divine retribution.
In context — Exodus 20:7
You shall not carry the name of the LORD your God in a worthless way, for the LORD will not leave unpunished anyone who carries His name in vanity.
About this coordinate
Exodus 20:7:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of Exodus 20:7, so the Hebrew word אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ (etshemo) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Exod.20.7.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (Exod.20.7.W12.S1) and character.