Christian Pure

20 Bible Verses About Murder

Christian Pure Team

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Summary

  • Exodus 20:13 forbids murder, and Genesis 9:6 grounds the prohibition in humans being made in the image of God.
  • The law of Moses distinguishes deliberate murder from accidental killing and gives the accidental killer a city of refuge (Exodus 21:12-13; Numbers 35; Deuteronomy 19).
  • Numbers 35:30 forbids a death sentence on the testimony of only one witness.
  • Jesus places anger under the same judgment as murder (Matthew 5:21-22), and 1 John 3:15 calls anyone who hates a brother or sister a murderer.
  • David had Uriah killed and was told “The LORD has taken away your sin” (2 Samuel 12:13), though the consequences in his household remained.

Murder is forbidden outright, and the penalty for it is grounded in the image of God that every human being bears. The commandment is “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). God tells Noah after the flood that whoever sheds human blood will have their own blood shed, “for in the image of God has God made mankind” (Genesis 9:6). The first killing in Scripture is Cain’s murder of his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8-10). The law of Moses separates deliberate murder…

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Bibliography (Click to show)

Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

Strong’s Hebrew 7523, רָצַח (ratsach): to murder, slay, kill; KJV renderings include “(man-)slay(-er)” and “murder(-er)”. biblehub.com/hebrew/7523

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2263-2268, on legitimate defence, the death penalty and the fifth commandment. vatican.va

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Questions 134-136, on the sixth commandment. opc.org

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