Despite God commanding the use of capital punishment for more than sixteen offenses (see Miller, 2002), some people still allege that there is a discrepancy between the biblical commands to execute certain offenders, and the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13. The classical translation of Exodus 20:13, and the one used in many versions of the Bible, reads: “Thou shalt not kill.” This rendering is most familiar, and leads many to believe that Exodus 20:13 prohibitsallkilling.A clarification of this alleged discrepancy lies in a proper understanding of the Hebrew word rendered “kill” in Exodus 20:13—ratsach. It is used forty-three times in the Old Testament (Wigram, 2001, p. 1190), and often is translated as “murder.” Koehler and Baumgartner definedratsachas “kill,” “murder,” or “slay” in the verbal forms, and as “manslayer” in the participle form. In the participle, there appears to be no difference between intentional and accidental killing (Holladay, 1988, p. 346). Brown, Driver, and Briggs definedratsachas “murder, slay,” and noted also that the distinction between unintentional and intentional killing does not seem to be carried by this word (2001, p. 953). Domeris spoke of the use ofratsachin Exodus 20:13:As it stands, it is a blanket prohibition against the taking of a person’s life by an individual or by a mob, who target an individual, with all the attendant savagery. In the wider context of the OT, the prohibition may be defined more narrowly as the taking of a life outside of the parameters (as in the case of war or capital punishment), laid down by God… (1997, 3:1188-1189, parenthetical item in orig.).The lexicons give the meaning ofratsachas killing someone outside of the grounds set by God, which included warfare and executions.However, it appears that another nuance of the word could be killing by striking a blow. In the passages concerning the cities of refuge, the definition ofratsachis narrowed to one who strikes a death blow against another person, usually motivated by feelings of anger or hatred:But if hestrikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer [participle ofratsach, “one who murders”]; the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if hestrikes him with a stonein the hand, buy which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if hestrikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. If hepushes him out of hatredor,while lying in wait, hurls something at himso that he dies, orin enmity he strikes him with his handso that he dies,the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him (Numbers 35:16-21, emp. added).But if anyonehates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises against him and strikes him mortally, so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and deliver him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die (Deuteronomy 19:11-12, emp. added). [NOTE:Ratsachdoes not appear in verses 11-12, but is used earlier in the context.]One also mayratsachwithout intent or hatred:However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, or uses a stone by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments (Numbers 35:22-24).And this is the case of the manslayer [participle ofratsach] who flees there, that he may live: whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him in time past—as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he shall flee to one of these cities and live; lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past (Deuteronomy 19:4-6).Therefore, it appears that the proper translation and understanding ofratsachwould be: “to kill by striking or pushing, usually in malice, but sometimes unintentionally.”Many of the forty-three occurrences ofratsachsupport this meaning. It is used thirty-two times in reference to the one who strikes and kills his brother, and then flees to the city of refuge, and is used twice as one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17). Deuteronomy 22:26 commands the execution of any man who raped a betrothed girl in the country, and compares the sentence he is to receive with the sentence of one who commitsratsachagainst his neighbor. This may support the translation of killing by striking, since Deuteronomy 22:26 uses the phrase “rises against his neighbor,” perhaps denoting a violent action involved in the killing.Ratsachin Judges 20:4 refers to a concubine who was murdered in Gibeah. Judges 19:22-28 records that she was raped and abused, which probably included striking her in such a way as to cause mortal injury. Thus, she was referred to ashaniretsachah, literally “the woman who was murdered” by the injuries sustained. In 1 Kings 21:19, Elijah is told to ask Ahab if he hadratsachNaboth in order to take his vineyard. According to 1 Kings 21:10, Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, ordered, in Ahab’s name, that Naboth be stoned to death—thus the king is questioned about theratsachof Naboth. Both of these passages supportratsachas a murder by striking, as does 2 Kings 6:32, where the son of Ahab is called the “son of a murderer.”Job 24:14, Psalm 62:3, Psalm 94:6, Isaiah 1:21, Jeremiah 7:9, and Hosea 4:2 do not support any further refinement ofratsach, but they do not prohibit a refinement either. Proverbs 22:13 refers to a man beingratsachby a lion, which could refer to a lion striking and killing a person. In speaking of the sins of God’s people, the prophet Hosea compares robbers lying in wait to priests murdering: “As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man, so the company of priests murder on the way to Shechem; surely they commit lewdness” (6:9). Usually, robbers would beat their victims to death, so it is probable that theratsachcommitted by the priests carried the same connotation—of murder by beating.Numbers 35:30 brings an interesting understanding to the wordratsach: “Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death [ratsach] on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.” It appears that God was allowing a retributive punishment in the case of one who killed, with malice aforethought, by striking. As he gave, so he got—this being in agreement with the “eye for an eye” principle of Exodus 21:23-25: “But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”In Exodus 20:13, God prohibited a person from striking and killing another person in anger. However, since God elsewhere commanded capital punishment, with a proper understanding of the wordratsachin Exodus 20:13, there is no discrepancy in the Old Testament between capital punishment and the Ten Commandments.

PROBLEM: In the Ten Commandments, God prohibits killing when He says, “Thou shalt not kill” (kjv). However, in Exodus 21:12 God commands that the man who strikes another man so that he dies should be put to death. Isn’t it a contradiction for God to command that we not kill and then command that we do kill?

SOLUTION: A great amount of confusion has arisen because of the misleading translation of the sixth commandment. The Hebrew word used in the prohibition of this commandment is not the normal word for killing (harag). Rather it is the specific term for murder (ratsach). A more proper translation of the command is provided by the nkjv and niv: “You shall not murder.” Exodus 21:12 is not a command to murder, but a command to carry out capital punishment for capital crime. There is no contradiction between the command for men not to commit murder, and the command that the proper authorities should execute capital punishment for capital crimes.

Numbers 35:19—Why did God permit avenging blood and yet forbid murder?

Problem: God forbade murder (Ex. 20:13). Yet here He says, “The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.”

Solution: First of all, this was not an act of murder, but an act of capital punishment which God had ordained before the law (Gen. 9:6), and Moses had reaffirmed it under the Law (Ex. 21:12). Further, notice that it was only to be done to a “murderer,” not simply to anyone. Also, the avenger had to be the nearest male relative of the one who was murdered, not just anyone who wished to take justice in his own hands. In short, what is forbidden in Exodus 20 is the recognized crime of murder, and what is permitted in Numbers 35 is the recognized responsibility of capital punishment. These are not in conflict.

Judges 16:26-27--If suicide is wrong, why did God bless Samson for doing it?

Problem: Suicide is murder, and God said, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). There were many suicides in the Bible

Expanded from 1 Sam. 31:4:
1 Samuel 31:4—Was Saul’s suicide justifiable?

Problem: King Saul was mortally wounded, and he asked his armorbearer to assist him in committing suicide. Was this justified?

Solution: Suicide is murder, and the Bible says, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). It makes no difference that the life taken is one’s own. All life belongs to God, and He alone has the right to take it (Deut. 32:39; Job 1:21).

Even the most desperate believers in the Bible who desired death never considered suicide a morally viable alternative. Rather, recognizing the sovereign hand of God over human life, they prayed like Jonah: “Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:3). Though they wanted God to take it, they never considered it right to take it themselves.

Furthermore, with the exception of Samson , there are at least five cases of suicide recorded in Scripture, and none of them is approved by God—Abimelech (Jud. 9:50–56); Saul (1 Sam. 31:1–6); Zimri (1 Kings 16:18–19); Ahithophel (2 Sam. 17:23); and Judas who betrayed Christ (Matt. 27:3–10). Each met a tragic death, and none met with divine approval. Suicide is an attack on the image of God in man (Gen. 1:27) and an attempt to usurp God’s sovereignty over human life.

, and none of them received divine approval. Yet Samson committed suicide here with God’s apparent blessing.

Solution: Samson never took his life; he sacrificed it for his people. There is a big difference. Jonah prayed, “Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” (Jonah 4:3) But he never took his own life. Suicide is acting “for one’s self.” What Samson did was to lay his life on the line for others--his people. Samson’s act was no more suicide than Christ’s, when He said, “I lay down my life,” for “the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11, 17). Samson is seen by Christians as a type of Christ; his death defeating the enemies of God's people prefigures Christ's death on the cross which conquered death and the devil. In fact, “greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Of course, not every apparent death “for others” is really an act of love. Paul made this plain in his great love chapter: “though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3). Even a martyr may not be dying out of love, but in an obstinate commitment to his own self-centered cause. Saul took self-death “lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me” (1 Sam. 31:4). Abimelek sought death for himself “lest men say of me, `A woman killed him’ ” (Jud. 9:54). Samson by contrast asked God for permission to die, praying, “Let me die with the Philistines” (Jud. 16:30). God granted his request, “so the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life” (v. 30). Paul also was willing to be “accursed from Christ for my brethren” (Rom. 9:3). The soldier who falls on a hand grenade to save his buddies is not taking his life by suicide; he is giving his life for others. Likewise, Christ did not commit suicide when He came to “give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Judges 3:20-21--Does the Bible approve of assassinations?

Problem: The Bible says “the Lord raised up a deliverer” (Jud. 3:15) for Israel over their oppressor, King Eglon of Moab. Then it records how Ehud “took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his [Eglon’s] belly” (v. 21). How can the God who forbids murder (Ex. 20:13) condone a brutal assassination like this?

Solution: This incident, and others like it (cf. Jud. 4:21), are a good example of the principle that “Not everything recorded in the Bible is approved by the Bible” (see Introduction). First of all, the text does not say that God approved of this evil act. It simply states that it occurred.

Second, the fact that God had “raised up” Ehud does not justify everything he did. God “raised up” Pharaoh too (cf. Rom. 9:17), but God nevertheless judged Pharaoh for his sins (cf. Ex. 12).

Third, there are many sins contained in the Bible which are not condoned by it. These include Abraham’s lie (Gen. 20), David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11), and Solomon’s polygamy (1 Kings 11).

Fourth, while assassinations as such are wrong, God reserves the right to life (Deut. 32:39; Job. 1:21). Should He desire to take a life He gives, He has the right to do so through any instrument He may desire, natural or artificial

Expanded from Josh. 6:21:

Solution: First, the Canaanites were far from “innocent.” The description of their sins in Leviticus 18 is vivid: “The land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants” (v. 25). They were cancerously immoral, “defiled” with every kind of “abomination,” including child sacrifice (vv. 21, 24, 26).

Second, it must be remembered that God had given the people of Palestine over 400 years to repent of their wickedness. The people of that land had every opportunity to turn from their wickedness. According to Genesis 15:16, God told Abraham that in 400 years the descendants of Abraham would return to inherit this land, but that the iniquity of the people was not yet full. This prophetic statement indicated that God would not destroy the people of the land, including those who dwelt in Jericho, until their sins were such that their guilt merited their complete destruction in judgment.

Third, as for the killing of the little children, several things should be noted. (1) Given the cancerous state of the society into which they were born, they had no chance to avoid its fatal pollution. (2) Children who die before the age of accountability go to heaven ). This was an act of God’s mercy to their souls to take them into His holy presence from such an unholy environment. (3) God is sovereign over life (Deut. 32:39; Job 1:21) and can order its end according to His will and in view of the creature’s ultimate good.

Fourth, Joshua and the people of Israel were acting according to the direct command of God, not on their own initiative. The destruction of Jericho was carried out by the army of Israel, but the army of Israel was the instrument of judgment upon the sins of these people by the righteous Judge of all the earth. Consequently, anyone who would question the justification of this act is questioning God’s justice.

Fifth, it was necessary to completely exterminate any trace of the city and its people. If anything had remained, except that which was taken into the treasure house of the Lord, there would have always been the threat of heathen influence to pull the people away from the pure worship of the Lord. Sometimes radical surgery is required to completely eliminate a deadly cancer from the body.

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Judges 3:20-21--Does the Bible approve of assassinations?

Problem: The Bible says “the Lord raised up a deliverer” (Jud. 3:15) for Israel over their oppressor, King Eglon of Moab. Then it records how Ehud “took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his [Eglon’s] belly” (v. 21). How can the God who forbids murder (Ex. 20:13) condone a brutal assassination like this?

Solution: This incident, and others like it (cf. Jud. 4:21), are a good example of the principle that “Not everything recorded in the Bible is approved by the Bible” (see Introduction). First of all, the text does not say that God approved of this evil act. It simply states that it occurred.

Second, the fact that God had “raised up” Ehud does not justify everything he did. God “raised up” Pharaoh too (cf. Rom. 9:17), but God nevertheless judged Pharaoh for his sins (cf. Ex. 12).

Third, there are many sins contained in the Bible which are not condoned by it. These include Abraham’s lie (Gen. 20), David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11), and Solomon’s polygamy (1 Kings 11).

Fourth, while assassinations as such are wrong, God reserves the right to life (Deut. 32:39; Job. 1:21). Should He desire to take a life He gives, He has the right to do so through any instrument He may desire, natural or artificial

Expanded from Josh. 6:21:

Solution: First, the Canaanites were far from “innocent.” The description of their sins in Leviticus 18 is vivid: “The land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants” (v. 25). They were cancerously immoral, “defiled” with every kind of “abomination,” including child sacrifice (vv. 21, 24, 26).

Second, it must be remembered that God had given the people of Palestine over 400 years to repent of their wickedness. The people of that land had every opportunity to turn from their wickedness. According to Genesis 15:16, God told Abraham that in 400 years the descendants of Abraham would return to inherit this land, but that the iniquity of the people was not yet full. This prophetic statement indicated that God would not destroy the people of the land, including those who dwelt in Jericho, until their sins were such that their guilt merited their complete destruction in judgment.

Third, as for the killing of the little children, several things should be noted. (1) Given the cancerous state of the society into which they were born, they had no chance to avoid its fatal pollution. (2) Children who die before the age of accountability go to heaven ). This was an act of God’s mercy to their souls to take them into His holy presence from such an unholy environment. (3) God is sovereign over life (Deut. 32:39; Job 1:21) and can order its end according to His will and in view of the creature’s ultimate good.

Fourth, Joshua and the people of Israel were acting according to the direct command of God, not on their own initiative. The destruction of Jericho was carried out by the army of Israel, but the army of Israel was the instrument of judgment upon the sins of these people by the righteous Judge of all the earth. Consequently, anyone who would question the justification of this act is questioning God’s justice.

Fifth, it was necessary to completely exterminate any trace of the city and its people. If anything had remained, except that which was taken into the treasure house of the Lord, there would have always been the threat of heathen influence to pull the people away from the pure worship of the Lord. Sometimes radical surgery is required to completely eliminate a deadly cancer from the body.

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Exodus 20:13 commands, "You shall not murder" (often traditionally translated as "Thou shalt not kill"), yet Exodus 22:2 states that if a thief is struck and killed while breaking in at night, there is no bloodguilt.

The Sixth Commandment specifically prohibits murder—the intentional, premeditated, and unlawful taking of innocent human life. The Hebrew word used in Exodus 20:13 (ratsach) overwhelmingly refers to unauthorized killing.

Exodus 22:2 deals with the realities of self-defense and the protection of one's family. If an intruder breaks into a home in the darkness of night, the homeowner cannot discern the intruder's lethal intent. Striking the intruder in defense of the household is not classified as premeditated murder. The Law of Moses distinguished carefully between malicious murder and justifiable self-defense, a distinction maintained in Christian moral theology today.

Exodus 20:13

“You shall not murder.”

Exodus 22:2

“If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.”

Leviticus 24:15–16

“Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death.”

Leviticus 24:17

“Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death.”

1 Samuel 17:50

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.

In order to answer this apparent contradiction, we must make a distinction between killing someone and committing murder. Murder is the unlawful taking of a life, while killing may be lawful or unlawful. The establishment of capital punishment actually extends back to the Noahic Covenant when God declared, “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:5–6).

Even before this, Cain was afraid of the other members of his family seeking to kill him after he had murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4:13–15). In the cases outlined in Scripture, taking the life of another in the name of justice was not murder. The question poses a false dilemma in that killing does not have to be always right or always wrong—God has provided qualifications.

Because man is made in the image of God, the death of a human is not taken lightly. In the laws given to Israel through Moses, those sins that were worthy of death were detailed. Leviticus 19 is one such place where these commands are given. Since these are commands directly from God and God cannot lie, we understand that there must be no contradiction in the commands. Those who committed sexual sins were to be justly killed, but only upon the clear affirmation of their crime established by witnesses.

As the author of the first five books of the Bible, Moses would not have written contradictory ideas. If we allow for killing to be wrong in every case, when a person carried out capital punishment, as commanded by God, they would have to be killed for the taking of a life. Then their life would be demanded, and so on until humanity was left with one. Extending the logic allows us to see how absurd the claim of a contradiction truly is.

The Bible provides many circumstances under which the taking of a life is legally allowed by Scripture. Killing another person in an act of self defense (Exodus 22:2) was permitted with no consequences. There are examples of God calling the people to war against other nations to punish them for their sins. When Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land, God commanded the Israelites to utterly destroy the idolatrous peoples who inhabited the land (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). A list of their sins can be found in Leviticus 18, including incest, murdering children, and so on. When God called Israel to war against those in the Promised Land, then He was permitting the killing in this situation, making men His agents of justice, as in the case with capital punishment.

The killing of Goliath by the young David was, likewise, justified in the eyes of God. In fact, David was angered by the way that Goliath blasphemed God and met him in battle. David did not trust in himself, but in the Lord to deliver Goliath into his hands. This is an example of continuance of the war the Israelites had been engaged in with the inhabitants of the Promised Land, as directed by God.

God repeatedly chose war and capital punishment as a way to bring judgment on peoples and individuals who were acting in defiance of His will by doing great sin. He ordained the killing as a punishment to accomplish His purposes in the world.

This should give an idea of seriousness of sin. In the eyes of a perfect and holy God, one sin is worthy of death (Genesis 2:17). Since we are all sinners, we are all under the death sentence already. In essence, we are all on “death row,” and those who murder or do other terrible sins as described in Scripture, simply had their wait on “death row” shortened.

God hates sin, especially those that lead to any situation where a human life is lost. His holy nature and subsequent hatred of sin make the taking of a life acceptable only in the rarest of cases. We should never seek to minimize the taking of a life—a life made in the image of God. Remember that taking a life for justifiable reasons is only necessary because we live in a world of sin. The perfect creation would not have required death for any reason.