Exodus 20:7:3Exod.20.7.W3TAB
אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה
etshemyehovah
“the name of the LORD”
- Transliteration
- et-SHEM-ye-ho-VAH
- Extended
- EET-SHEHM-yeh-ho-VAH
- IPA
- /ʔɛt.ʃeːm.jəhoˈvaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- the name of the LORD
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 | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
et-SHEM-ye-ho-VAH
- phraseyour reading level
et-SHEM-ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HE-kha
- clause
LO ti-SA et-SHEM-ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HE-kha 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 conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’ introduces a causal clause lo yenakkeh YHWH {לֹא יְנַקֶּה יְהוָה | lōʾ yə-naq-qeh YHWH} ‘for the LORD will not leave unpunished,’ with negated Piel imperfect preceding its subject for emphasis.
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.
Root and etymology
Rootshin–mem
“name, renown”
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 20:7:3 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 3 of Exodus 20:7, so the Hebrew word אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה (etshemyehovah) 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.W3, which extends further down to each syllable (Exod.20.7.W3.S1) and character.