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.