Does the Bible Say “Thou Shalt Not Kill?”

“Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire. And he said: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder.” Deuteronomy 5:1-17 (not inclusive)

It is true, not all killing is murder. That may seem hard to accept, especially anyone who thinks that killing animals for people to eat is a type of “murder”. However, if you have read even small parts of the Old Testament, you will understand that there is plenty of “G-d directed” killing – when the people come in to possess the Promised Land; and when the Israelites are in battle with their enemies, like when David kills Goliath.

There are two different Hebrew words used for the taking of life— “harag” is translated as “to kill”, and “ratsach” which is translated as murder. The word used in the 6th commandment is ratsach and implies the premeditated taking of human life, typically out of malice. The word harag is the term generally used for the killing of animals and the ruthless personal violence of man against man. Even in the Old Testament there was a distinction between “premeditated” murder and the unintentional killing of another human. “Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand” (Joshua 20:5). The manslayer could flee to a designated city for protection from an avenger. The Old Testament is hard for many people to read and understand because there is so much violence, and killing, and it seems to be “G-d-ordained” or “G-d-permitted” killing. And I must agree, it is hard to wrap our heads around those stories. As far as we know from the biblical witness, Jesus never called for a holy war against the Roman occupying forces – nor did he advocate attacking his most ardent detractors. In fact he rebuked Peter for cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. All murder certainly involves killing, but not all killings are considered murders. Murder represents an unlawful killing. Soldiers who kill in combat during the course of a “just” war, for example, kill their enemies — but such killings have not typically been considered murder. Of course the argument will always be “What is considered a “just” war?” Similarly, a state may execute murderers for their crimes, but the representatives of such states would not see their execution as equivalent to someone bashing in the heads of a family with the blunt end of an axe. In both of these examples, the “just” war, and the execution of a murderer, the killing is done by representatives of the state and are therefore, technically, legal. But there is also a moral distinction in these examples. In some cases, private citizens can kill someone without charge. A car driver may accidentally hit a jaywalking pedestrian, killing them — but this is not seen as “murder.” Similarly, a woman may shoot an attacker in self-defense, killing them — but killing in self defense is not typically seen as murder.

But Jesus seems to teach just the opposite stance – because he was a teacher of “non-violence”. Jesus taught: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:38-39, 43-44).

Pastor Dave