Third in the roster of the Ten Commandments stands the requirement (Ex. 20:7), "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," followed by the warning that any disobedience to this specific rule will not be tolerated by the Lord Himself.
Under the law of Leviticus (24:16), blasphemy was considered a capital offense, and frequently in the Biblical records we find that false, or even perjured, testimony regarding the commission of this crime was accepted, and the supreme penalty was put into effect. This occurred in the case of Naboth (see I Kings 21:12-16) and of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (see Acts 6:13; 7:58, 59); and indeed the accusation of blasphemy was one of the false charges which contributed directly to the Master's crucifixion.
To the Hebrew people the word shem (name) had an especially deep significance, of far wider import than we customarily attach to its English equivalent, although we often speak of a man's good name in the sense of his character or reputation. The Hebrew word implies not only this but also the nature, essence, or honor of the individual.
