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muriel_volestrangler

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21. Going back to the earliest version I stand a chance of translating, it's "in vanum" in the Latin Vulgate version

Thu Sep 4, 2025, 01:49 PM

Thursday

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020%3A7&version=VULGATE "Non assumes nomen Domini Dei tui in vanum"

And a Latin dictionary points us to:
"that contains nothing, empty, void. vacant", "empty as to purport or result, idle, null, groundless, unmeaning, fruitless, vain"
https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=vanus

The homophone vain is typically an adjective meaning "prideful" or "conceited," but is also heard in the phrase in vain, meaning "tried without success" or "pointless."

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/vane-vs-vain-vs-vein

'Vanity' does come from the same Latin word, because such self-love is 'empty'.

The original Hebrew would probably need a scholar or rabbi to explain. Hopefully the translation into Latin was correct.

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