The Ten Commandments, recorded in Exodus 20:13, states in the King James Version, “Thou shalt not kill.” However, this translation is too broad. The Hebrew word used, “תרצח” (Strong’s H7523), is more specific and should be translated as “Thou shalt not murder.” While murder involves the killing of a person, it refers to a particular kind of unlawful killing.
The Hebrew word תרצח applies only to illegal killing (e.g., premeditated murder or manslaughter) and is never used in the context of the administration of justice or killing in war. Therefore, the correct translation should be “Thou shalt not murder,” as “Thou shalt not kill” is too general.
The Greek Septuagint, translated before the time of Christ, rendered the Hebrew word for murder, “תרצח,” as “φονευσεις” (Strong’s G5407), derived from “φονεύω,” which means “to be a murderer (of): – kill, do murder, slay.” While not perfect, the Greek translation also seems to distinguish between murder and other forms of killing, such as those carried out in justice.
This distinction is further clarified in the chapter following the giving of the Ten Commandments, Exodus 21, where the term is given practical application. All murder charges must be tried by judges, and individuals are not to take the law into their own hands.
Exodus 21:12-14
“Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.”
