It is no secret that we have a problem with uncontrolled tongues in our day and time. Perhaps this has always been a problem.
James said, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a
matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5 KJV).
Recognizing the tongue’s great potential for impact, James applied this principle to religion: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” (James 1:26 KJV).
One area of speech that has particularly derailed off the tracks is the use of the name of God. It does not take a statistician to realize the frequency in which people today use the name of God irreverently.
In the Bible times, there was truly “something in a name.” The ancients believed that that someone’s name was “to be intimately connected to that person’s being and essence” (Walton). Furthermore, “the giving of one’s name was an act of favor, trust and, in human terms, vulnerability” (Ibid). When Moses asked God what His name was, it was more than a mere exchange of information. God was communicating something very intimate to Moses when He answered, “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex. 3:14). The name of God was revealed specially to Moses and the people of Israel. His name was to be protected, reverenced and honored.
After God delivered the people out of the land of Egypt, upon Mount Sinai, these words were written upon tablets of stone: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Ex 20:7 NASB)
Notice what some Bible scholars have said in regards to this commandment:
Through the years, the children of Israel had their high points and low points in following through with this command. One of the high points is the apparent reverence that the Jewish scribes (those who were responsible for the meticulous copying of the Hebrew Scrolls) had for the name of God. Whenever a scribe would get to the name of YWEH (God), they would get a new pen and new ink (think about all the times God’s name appears in the Old Testament). This was an amazing attestation to the “reverence over convenience” attitude of the Jewish people.
In light of the preceding paragraphs, what should the Christian’s attitude be toward irreverent, flippant or vain use of the name of God? Certainly we are not under the Ten Commandments today as they were given to the children of Israel. But those who are in Christ are children of God (Gal. 3:26-27) and the eternal principles set forth by God in the Old Testament are just as relevant today as they were then. Furthermore, the Christian charge is to “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” and to “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Eph 4:29–30; Col 4:6 KJV)
Following these commandments seem to be easier on Sundays, but how about in our everyday lives? The American culture in which we live (and certainly probably many other cultures in the world) does not respect the name of God. It has gotten to the point where you can hardly turn on a television, listen to a song, have a private conversation, go into a public place or read a newspaper without encountering disrespect for the name of God. The saddest part about this is that it has crept into the church.
One has noted, “even Muslims respect the holy name of Jesus more than ‘Christians’ do, in practice: they commonly add; ‘blessed be he’ every time they pronounce it” (Kreeft). I am certainly not advocating the notion that Muslims honor Christ more than true Christians do. Obviously their religion denies Jesus Christ as Lord. Nor am I advocating that mere words equal religious truth or fireproof ways of showing someone’s devotion. Rather, I am illustrating that even those that deny of the deity, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ show more verbal reverence for Jesus’ name than many so-called ‘Christians’ do.
The same author has rightly indicted our culture when he said, “our society is dying because it has turned the most precious name in the world, the name of its Savior, into a casual curse word” (Ibid).
Instead of tolerating, accepting and practicing this corruption, the Christian should be offended, disgusted, and heartbroken when the Lord’s name is abused. We often get offended when someone speaks disrespectfully of our physical families; how much more offended should we be when someone speaks disrespectfully of the One who created us? The One who died for us? The One who gave us the Scriptures?
CERTAINLY the Christian should NEVER take the use of the name of God lightly, and yet we do sometimes. Sometimes we don’t even know it. We sometimes use “euphemisms” that are “mild or indirect words or expressions substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.” Euphemisms appear harmless, but they are not. See this article on the dangers of euphemisms: http://preachinghelp.org/wordpress/euphemisms
While they appear benign, euphemisms still represent the thing to which they refer. When I say someone “passed away”, the hearer understand that the person “died.” You cannot separate the euphemism from the thing meant.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10 KJV)
We will be judged on our actions and our words. We ought to choose both carefully.
I would like to enumerate a list of euphemisms for the name of God that are commonly used in our culture. We ought to eradicate (our own use of these) and educate (so that others can know what these stand for).
The list is certainly not comprehensive, but should serve at least as a staring point of inquiry if you’re not sure if a word or phrase you are using is a euphemism for the name of God. All definitions come from the Oxford American Dictionary unless otherwise specified.
The following list was compiled using Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Roget’s International Thesaurus, Rodale’s Synonym Finder, and other references.
When we dedicate our hearts and lives to God first, the decision whether or not to use a term, that may even remotely resemble taking God’s name in vain, will be easy.
This article is written in the spirit of love. First, out of love for God. Second, out of love for my fellow man. I will be the first to admit I am guilty of using some of these terms. I am ashamed and I don’t want to let them pass my lips any longer.
Let us all endeavor to honor and protect the name of our eternal Father in Heaven, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Works Cited:
Clarke, Adam, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Accordance electronic ed. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2004.
Keil, C. F. and Delitzsch F., Commentary on the Old Testament. Accordance electronic ed. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
Kreeft, Peter, Prayer for Beginners. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000.
New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by Carson, D. A, R. T France, J. A. Motyer, and Gordon J. Wenham. Accordance electronic ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Accordance electronic ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
James said, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a
matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5 KJV).
Recognizing the tongue’s great potential for impact, James applied this principle to religion: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” (James 1:26 KJV).
One area of speech that has particularly derailed off the tracks is the use of the name of God. It does not take a statistician to realize the frequency in which people today use the name of God irreverently.
In the Bible times, there was truly “something in a name.” The ancients believed that that someone’s name was “to be intimately connected to that person’s being and essence” (Walton). Furthermore, “the giving of one’s name was an act of favor, trust and, in human terms, vulnerability” (Ibid). When Moses asked God what His name was, it was more than a mere exchange of information. God was communicating something very intimate to Moses when He answered, “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex. 3:14). The name of God was revealed specially to Moses and the people of Israel. His name was to be protected, reverenced and honored.
After God delivered the people out of the land of Egypt, upon Mount Sinai, these words were written upon tablets of stone: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Ex 20:7 NASB)
Notice what some Bible scholars have said in regards to this commandment:
“As a sign of their respect for God, the people were to exercise the greatest caution when talking about him or invoking his name. They were to say nothing which might detract from a true appreciation of his nature and character” (New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition).
“This precept not only forbids all false oaths, but all common swearing where the name of God is used, or where he is appealed to as a witness of the truth. It also necessarily forbids all light and irreverent mention of God, or any of his attributes…” (Clarke).Some other history scholars have noted that this commandment “primarily was intended to prevent the exploitation of the name of Yahweh for magical purposes or hexing” (Walton). It was also intended to “insure that the use of Yaheweh’s name in oaths, vows and treaties was taken seriously” (Ibid).
“The word prohibits all employment of the name of God for vain and unworthy objects, and includes not only false swearing, which is condemned in Lev. 19:12 as a profanation of the name of Jehovah, but trivial swearing in the ordinary intercourse of life, and every use of the name of God in the service of untruth and lying, for imprecation, witchcraft, or conjuring; whereas the true employment of the name of God is confined to “invocation, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving,” which proceeds from a pure, believing heart (Keil & Delitzsch).
Through the years, the children of Israel had their high points and low points in following through with this command. One of the high points is the apparent reverence that the Jewish scribes (those who were responsible for the meticulous copying of the Hebrew Scrolls) had for the name of God. Whenever a scribe would get to the name of YWEH (God), they would get a new pen and new ink (think about all the times God’s name appears in the Old Testament). This was an amazing attestation to the “reverence over convenience” attitude of the Jewish people.
In light of the preceding paragraphs, what should the Christian’s attitude be toward irreverent, flippant or vain use of the name of God? Certainly we are not under the Ten Commandments today as they were given to the children of Israel. But those who are in Christ are children of God (Gal. 3:26-27) and the eternal principles set forth by God in the Old Testament are just as relevant today as they were then. Furthermore, the Christian charge is to “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” and to “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Eph 4:29–30; Col 4:6 KJV)
Following these commandments seem to be easier on Sundays, but how about in our everyday lives? The American culture in which we live (and certainly probably many other cultures in the world) does not respect the name of God. It has gotten to the point where you can hardly turn on a television, listen to a song, have a private conversation, go into a public place or read a newspaper without encountering disrespect for the name of God. The saddest part about this is that it has crept into the church.
One has noted, “even Muslims respect the holy name of Jesus more than ‘Christians’ do, in practice: they commonly add; ‘blessed be he’ every time they pronounce it” (Kreeft). I am certainly not advocating the notion that Muslims honor Christ more than true Christians do. Obviously their religion denies Jesus Christ as Lord. Nor am I advocating that mere words equal religious truth or fireproof ways of showing someone’s devotion. Rather, I am illustrating that even those that deny of the deity, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ show more verbal reverence for Jesus’ name than many so-called ‘Christians’ do.
The same author has rightly indicted our culture when he said, “our society is dying because it has turned the most precious name in the world, the name of its Savior, into a casual curse word” (Ibid).
Instead of tolerating, accepting and practicing this corruption, the Christian should be offended, disgusted, and heartbroken when the Lord’s name is abused. We often get offended when someone speaks disrespectfully of our physical families; how much more offended should we be when someone speaks disrespectfully of the One who created us? The One who died for us? The One who gave us the Scriptures?
CERTAINLY the Christian should NEVER take the use of the name of God lightly, and yet we do sometimes. Sometimes we don’t even know it. We sometimes use “euphemisms” that are “mild or indirect words or expressions substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.” Euphemisms appear harmless, but they are not. See this article on the dangers of euphemisms: http://preachinghelp.org/wordpress/euphemisms
While they appear benign, euphemisms still represent the thing to which they refer. When I say someone “passed away”, the hearer understand that the person “died.” You cannot separate the euphemism from the thing meant.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10 KJV)
We will be judged on our actions and our words. We ought to choose both carefully.
I would like to enumerate a list of euphemisms for the name of God that are commonly used in our culture. We ought to eradicate (our own use of these) and educate (so that others can know what these stand for).
The list is certainly not comprehensive, but should serve at least as a staring point of inquiry if you’re not sure if a word or phrase you are using is a euphemism for the name of God. All definitions come from the Oxford American Dictionary unless otherwise specified.
- “OMG” – this one is obvious and probably the most blatant.
- golly |ˈgälē|(also by golly )exclam. informal, datedused to express surprise or delight: “Golly! Is that the time?”ORIGIN late 18th cent.: euphemism for God
- gee 1 |jē|(also gee-whiz |ˈjē ˈ(h)wiz|)exclam. informala mild expression, typically of surprise, enthusiasm, or sympathy: Gee, Linda looks great at fifty!ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: perhaps an abbreviation of Jesus
- jeez |jēz|(also geez )exclam. informala mild expression used to show surprise or annoyance.ORIGIN 1920s: abbreviation of Jesus.
- gosh |gäSH|exclam. informalused to express surprise or give emphasis: gosh, we envy you.• used as a euphemism for “God”: a gosh-awful team.ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: euphemism for God
The following list was compiled using Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Roget’s International Thesaurus, Rodale’s Synonym Finder, and other references.
- Euphemisms for God:
- ga
- gad
- gadfrey
- gawd
- godfrey
- gol
- golly
- good God
- good gracious
- good grief
- good Lord
- goodness
- goodness gracious
- goodness me
- good night
- gosh
- gracious
- great Scott
- od
- odd
- egad
- egads
- yegads
- oh my
- oh my gawd
- oh my goodness
- omigosh
- begorra (Irish)
- b’gosh
- by gar
- by George
- by Jove
- pardie (French)
- cheece
- cheese
- cheez
- cheeze
- gee
- gees
- gee whiz
- geez
- geeze
- jee
- jeepers
- jee whiz
- jeez
- jeminy
- jiminy
- sheece
- sheesh
- cracky
- cricky
- crikey
- criminy
- cripes
- jeepers creepers
- jeez Louise
- Jiminy Cricket
- bejabers
- bejeezus
- bejesus
- by jingo
- for chrissakes
- for crying out loud
- for Pete’s sake
- lawdy
- lordy
- gadzooks
- odd’s bodikins
- ods bodkins
- zooks
- ods body
- odds fish
- gadzounds
- ods zounds
- zounds
- ods blood
- drat
- drats
- blimey
- gorblimey
- heck
- Sam Hill
- dad blame
- dadgum
- dagnab
- doggone
- god-awful (short for “G.D.” awful)
- Godfrey Daniels
- god rot
- goldang
- goldarn
- goldurn
- goshdang
- goshdarn
When we dedicate our hearts and lives to God first, the decision whether or not to use a term, that may even remotely resemble taking God’s name in vain, will be easy.
This article is written in the spirit of love. First, out of love for God. Second, out of love for my fellow man. I will be the first to admit I am guilty of using some of these terms. I am ashamed and I don’t want to let them pass my lips any longer.
Let us all endeavor to honor and protect the name of our eternal Father in Heaven, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Works Cited:
Clarke, Adam, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Accordance electronic ed. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2004.
Keil, C. F. and Delitzsch F., Commentary on the Old Testament. Accordance electronic ed. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
Kreeft, Peter, Prayer for Beginners. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000.
New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by Carson, D. A, R. T France, J. A. Motyer, and Gordon J. Wenham. Accordance electronic ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Accordance electronic ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
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