Ulangan 5:11

5:11 You must not make use of the name of the Lord your God for worthless purposes, ¹  for the Lord will not exonerate anyone who abuses his name that way. ² 

Ulangan 17:1

17:1 You must not sacrifice to him ³  a bull or sheep that has a blemish or any other defect, because that is considered offensive ⁴  to the Lord your God.

Ulangan 25:3

25:3 The judge ⁵  may sentence him to forty blows, ⁶  but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite ⁷  with contempt.

[5:11]  ¹ tn Heb “take up the name of the Lord your God to emptiness”; KJV “take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The idea here is not cursing or profanity in the modern sense of these terms but rather the use of the divine Name for unholy, mundane purposes, that is, for meaningless (the Hebrew term is שָׁוְא) and empty ends. In ancient Israel this would include using the Lord’s name as a witness in vows one did not intend to keep.

[5:11]  ² tn Heb “who takes up his name to emptiness.”

[17:1]  ³ tn Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[17:1]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “an abomination”; cf. NAB) describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25.

[25:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.

[25:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”