📖 Biblical Definition
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe" (Prov 18:10). The third commandment forbids taking the Name in vain (Ex 20:7) because the Name carries the LORD's own weight. Solomon built the temple "for the Name of the LORD" (1 Kgs 5:5). Jesus gave His disciples a new commission: baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt 28:19) — note singular "name" with three Persons. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The Name of Jesus is the most powerful phrase in the universe.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
NAME OF THE LORD.
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NAME OF THE LORD. In Scripture, not a label but the self-revelation of the LORD Himself — His character, His presence, His authority. The third commandment guards the Name. The righteous run into the Name as into a strong tower. Every Christian prayer is offered in the Name of Jesus; every baptism is administered in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; every demon is cast out in the Name. The Name is not magic; it is the Person.
📖 Key Scripture
Proverbs 18:10 — "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."
Philippians 2:9-10 — "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow."
Acts 4:12 — "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Exodus 20:7 — "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold Him guiltless who takes His name in vain."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Casual use of "God" and "Jesus" as expletives violates the third commandment. Modern Christians often do not register the weight of the Name.
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The third commandment is one of the most-violated by nominal Christians. "Oh my God," "Jesus Christ!" as exclamation, "for Christ's sake" as intensifier — these are not neutral idioms in the biblical register. The Name is the Person. To use it casually is to treat the Person as cheap. Scripture's reverence for the Name is why ancient Jewish scribes would stop to wash before writing YHWH, why later Jewish tradition substituted "Adonai," why Christians end prayer "in the Name of Jesus." Recover the weight. Never utter the Name of the LORD flippantly.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H8034 — shem. G3686 — onoma.
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H8034 — shem (שֵׁם) — name; especially of God.
G3686 — onoma (ὄνομα) — name; NT usage of divine Name.
Usage
"The Name of the LORD is a strong tower. Run into it; be safe. The Name is not magic; it is the Person."
"Every knee bows at the Name of Jesus. Treat the Name accordingly in your speech."