fbpx

Thou shalt not kill

In the King James Version of the Bible, which Dr. Van Impe has spent 70 years memorizing, Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 both state “Thou shalt not kill”.  However, as he states, a better translation is “Thou shalt not murder

There are two different Hebrew words for murder and killing.  One means to put to death, and one means to murder.  The word for murder [ratsakh] is the one prohibited in the Ten Commandments.  Ratskah also covers deaths due to carelessness or neglect, but it is never used to describe killing during wartime.

In the setting up of the cities of refuge in Numbers 35:9-34, killing anyone outside the context of war with a weapon, or in unarmed combat, is considered ratsakh, but if the killing is accidental, the accused must not leave the city, or he will be considered guilty of intentional murder.