What is the difference between “you shall not murder” and “you shall not kill”?

Answer

The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible presents the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 as “Thou shalt not kill.” This phrasing conveys the idea that it is always wrong to take a human life, without exceptions. However, this is misleading because the Bible permits the execution of certain criminals «Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. », (Genesis 9:6) and killing in the context of warfare «But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host. », (1 Chronicles 19:18). Therefore, the command “Thou shalt not kill” should not be interpreted absolutely.

In reality, the KJV’s use of “Thou shalt not kill” is overly broad and imprecise, which hinders clarity. Most modern translations, including the New King James Bible, accurately translate the original Hebrew as “You shall not murder” (NIV) or “Do not murder” (CSB). The Amplified Bible phrases it as: “You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide).”

The Old Testament employs more than half a dozen different Hebrew words for taking a human life. In Exodus 20:13, the Hebrew term used is rasah, which means “murder.” This is the same term that the KJV correctly translates elsewhere as “murder” or “murderer,” including all eleven occurrences in Numbers 35:17–31. Interestingly, when translating the sixth commandment, the KJV translators opted for “kill” instead of “murder.” “Thou shalt not kill” is an inaccurate and inconsistent translation.

This mistranslation has led to unnecessary confusion.

ion and personal, moral conflict for centuries. Christians have debated with each other— and struggled in their own minds— over whether to serve in the military during wartime, to use deadly force as a police officer, or even to protect their own families from homicidal attacks. It’s unfortunately true that protecting a nation, protecting society, and protecting loved ones sometimes require killing, but that is different from murder. The command “Do not murder” does not apply to justified killing in the course of one’s duty.

The mistranslation of Exodus 20:13 has also caused believers and skeptics alike to question the reliability of the Bible and the character and justness of God. After all, after commanding the Israelites not to “kill” anyone, God orders them to kill criminals for capital crimes (Exodus 21:12-29), Israelites who worshipped the gods of Moab (Numbers 25:1-8), all Midianite males and non-virgin females (Numbers 31:1-18), and the pagan societies of Canaan (Deuteronomy 2:30-36; Joshua 6; 1 Samuel 15:1-3). Capital punishment for the crime of murder was, in fact, the first commandment God gave to Noah after the flood «Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. », (Genesis 9:6).

Plainly, the Bible distinguishes between justified killing and murder, that is, unlawful (not legally justified) homicide in which the perpetrator intentionally kills another person. The penal codes of nations around the world have historically held a similar distinction. So what God forbids in the Ten Commandments is murder.

Specifically, avoiding killing in general.