The
phrase '
in vain' can mean
futile, without
effect or
to no avail:
A captive to my galling chain,
I've tried to rise, but tried in vain...
Save The Boys by Frances E. W. Harper
To do something '
in vain' can also mean to act
sacrilegiously -- using the
Judeo-Christian God's name
in vain is
blasphemous and goes against
the Ten Commandments1
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Exodus 20:7, King James Version
1 Frater 219 says that 'taking the
Lord's name
in vain' means using the name of
God to
swear to a
false statement.