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“Thou Shalt Not Kill” or “Thou Shalt Not Murder”?

“I was taught that ‘thou shalt not kill’ should be translated ‘thou shalt not commit murder.’ Any help on that issue?”

This is often taught to make Exodus 20:13 compatible with the capital punishment taught in Genesis 9:6. But the Hebrew word for “kill” in Exodus 20:13 is sometimes used in reference to committing manslaughter (Num. 35:6,12), which is not the same as murder.

The compatibility of Genesis 9:6 and Exodus 20:13 is always found in the context of verses that seem to suggest they are incompatible. God sees a difference between murder and manslaughter (Num. 35:15-23). He also sees a difference between the cold-blooded murder of an innocent victim and the orderly execution of a guilty murderer by the government.