Reference: Murder
American
The designed and malevolent taking of human life, was by the original appointment of God, a crime to be punished by death. Cain, the first murderer, recognized it as such, Ge 4:14. The ground for the death penalty for murder is the eminent dignity and sacredness of man as a child of God, Ge 9:5-6. Like the Sabbath and marriage, it is a primeval and universal institution for mankind, and all nations have so recognized it, Ac 28:4. The Mosaic code reenacted it, Le 24:17; and while providing for the unintentional homicide a safe retreat, declares that deliberate murder must be punished by death, from which neither the city of refuge nor the altar of God could shield the criminal, Ex 21:12-14; Nu 35:9-34; De 19:1-13; 1Ki 2:5-6,28-34. Death was usually inflicted by stoning, upon the testimony of at least two witnesses, Nu 35:30. If a corpse were found in the open fields, and the murderer could not be discovered, the town nearest to the spot was obliged to purge itself by a solemn ceremony, lest it should become liable to the judgments of God, De 21:1-9. In various ways God is represented as specially abhorring this crime, and securing its punishment, De 32:43; 2Sa 21:1; Ps 9:12; 55:23; Ho 1:4; Re 22:15. Our Savior instructs us that one may be guilty, in the sight of God, of murder in the heart, without any overt act, Mt 5:21-22; 1Jo 3:15. Nothing is said especially in the law respecting self-murder, and only the cases of Saul, Ahithophel, and Judas are described in the Bible, 1Sa 31:4; 2Sa 17:23; Ac 1:18. Of all murders, that of the soul is incomparably the most awful, Joh 8:44, and many plunge not only themselves but also others into the second death.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Lo, thou didst drive me out this day from above the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be wandering and fleeing in the earth; and it shall be, every one finding me will kill me.
And surely, your blood of your lives I will search out, from the hand of every living thing I will search it out, and from the hand of man; from the hand of a man's brother I will search out the life of man. He pouring out man's blood, by man his blood shall be poured out: for in the image of God he made man.
He striking a man and he died, dying, he shall die. And when he hunted not after, and God let fall into his hand, and I set to thee a place where he shall flee there. read more. And if a man shall act proudly against his friend to kill him with craftiness, from mine altar shalt thou take him to die.
And when a man shall smite any soul of man, dying, he shall die.
And Jehovah will speak to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When ye are passing over Jordan to the land of Canaan, read more. And build ye to you cities; cities of refuge shall they be to you; and the slayer to flee there smiting a soul in error. And they to you the cities for refuge from the nearest relative; and the slayer shall not die till his standing before the assembly for judgment, And the cities which ye shall give, six cities of refuge shall be to you. Three cities shall ye give from beyond Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; cities of refuge shall they be. For the sons of Israel and for the stranger, and for the sojourner in the midst of you shall be six cities: these for refuge to flee there all smiting a soul in error. And if with an instrument of iron he smote him, the slayer shall die; the slayer he dying. shall die. And if with a stone of the hand which he shall die by it he smote him, he the slayer shall die; dying, the slayer shall die. Or with an instrument of wood of the hand, which he shall die by it he smote him, he the slayer shall die; dying, the slayer shall die. The nearest relative of blood he shall kill the slayer: in his meeting him he shall kill him. And if in hatred he thrust at him, or cast upon him, or in lying in wait, he shall die. Or in enmity he smote with his hand, and he will die; dying, he smiting shall die; he is a slayer: the nearest relative of blood shall kill the slayer in his meeting him. And if suddenly, not in enmity, he thrust him, or cast upon him any instrument in not lying in wait, Or with any stone which he shall die by it in not seeing, and it will fall upon him and he shall die, and he not an enemy to him and not seeking his hurt: And the assembly judged between him smiting, and between the nearest relation of blood according to these judgments: And the assembly delivered the slayer out of the hand of the nearest relation of blood, and the assembly turned him back to the city of his refuge where he fled there: and he dwelt in it till the death of the great priest who anointed him with the holy oil. And if going out the slayer shall go out of the boundary of the city of his refuge where he shall flee there; And the nearest relation of blood finding him without the boundary of the city of his refuge, and the nearest relation of blood slew the slayer; no blood to him. For in the city of his refuge he shall dwell till the death of the great priest; and after the death of the great priest the slayer shall turn back to the land of his possession. And these were to you for laws of judgment to your generations in all your dwellings. Every one striking a soul by the mouth of witnesses, he shall slay the slayer: and one witness shall not testify against a soul to die.
Every one striking a soul by the mouth of witnesses, he shall slay the slayer: and one witness shall not testify against a soul to die. Ye shall not take expiation for the soul of a slayer, he who was guilty to die, for dying, he shall die. read more. And ye shall not take expiation for him fleeing to the city of his refuge, for turning back to dwell in the land till the death of the priest And ye shall not pollute the land which ye are in it: for blood it will pollute the land: and for the land it will not be expiated for the blood which was poured out upon it but by the blood of him shedding. And thou shalt not defile the land which ye shall dwell upon it, which I dwell in the midst of it: for I Jehovah dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel
When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations which Jehovah thy God gave to thee their land, and thou didst possess and dwell in their cities, and in their houses; Three cities shalt thou separate to thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee to possess it. read more. Thou shalt prepare to thee the way, and divide into three parts the boundary of thy land which Jehovah thy God causes thee to inherit; and it was for every slayer to flee there. And this the word of the slayer which shall flee there, and he lived: whoever shall strike his friend, not knowing, and he hated him not from yesterday the third day; And who shall go with his friend into the forest to cut wood, and his hand thrust out with the axe to out down the tree, and the iron slipped from the wood and found his friend, and he died; he shall flee to one of these cities, and he lived: Lest the nearest relative of blood shall pursue after the slayer when his heart shall be warm, and overtaking him, for the way shall be great, and he smote him in soul; and to him not the judgment of death for he hated him not from yesterday the third day For this I command thee, saying, Three cities thou shalt separate to thee. And if Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy bound as he sware to thy fathers, and give to thee all the land which he spake to give to thy fathers; If thou shalt watch all this command to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Jehovah thy God and to go in his ways all the days; and thou shalt add to thee yet three cities upon these three. And innocent blood shall not be poured out in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee an inheritance, and bloods were upon thee. And if there shall be a man hating his friend and lying in wait for him, and he rose up against him and smote him in soul, and he died, and he fled to one of these cities: And the old men of his city sent and took him from there and gave him into the hand of the nearest relative of blood, and he died. Thine eye shall not pity him and put away innocent blood from Israel, and it was well to thee.
When there shall be found a wounded in the land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee, to possess it, fallen in the field, not knowing who smote him: And thy old men and thy judges shall come forth and measure to the cities which are round about him wounded: read more. And it was the the city being near to the wounded, and the old men of the city took a heifer of the kine which was not worked with, and drew not in the yoke: And the old men of that city brought down the heifer to a perennial valley which shall not be worked in it, and shall not be sown, and they break there the neck of the heifer in the valley; And the priests, the sons of Levi, came near, for in them Jehovah thy God chose to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth shall be every controversy and every blow. And all the old men of that city being near to him wounded, shall wash their hands over the heifer having her neck broken in the valley: And they answered and said, Our hands poured not out this blood, and our eyes saw not Expiate for thy people Israel whom thou didst redeem, O Jehovah, and thou shalt not give innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood was expiated to them. And thou shalt put away innocent blood from the midst of thee when thou shall do the right in the eyes of Jehovah.
Rejoice ye nations with him, For he will raise up the blood of his servants, And he will turn back vengeance to his adversaries, And he will expiate for his land, his people.
And as they lifting up the ark come to Jordan, and the feet of the priests lifting up the ark were dipped in the extremity of the waters (and Jordan was filled up to all its banks all the days of harvest,)
And Saul will say to him lifting up his arms, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised shall come and thrust me through and mock upon me. And he lifting up his arms would not, for he will fear greatly; and Saul will take the sword and will fall upon it
For he sought out bloods, be remembered them: he forget not the cry of the humble.
And thou, O God, wilt bring them down to the well of destruction: men of bloods and deceit shall not halve their days; and I will trust in thee.
And Jehovah will say to him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little and I reviewed the bloods of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I caused the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill: and whoever should kill shall be subject to judgment: But I say to you, That every one becoming angry with his brother, shall be subject to judgment: and whoever should say to his brother, Raca, should be, subject to the council: and whoever should say, O foolish, shall be subject to a hell of fire.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the eager desires of your father will ye do. He was slaying men from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he would speak a lie, he speaks of his own things; for he is a liar, and the father of him.
Truly this therefore purchased a place from the wages of iniquity; and being bent forward, he brake in pieces in the midst, and all his entrails were poured out.
And when the foreigners saw the wild beast hanging on his hand, they said to one another, This man is altogether a murderer, whom, saved from the sea, vengeance suffered not to live.
And without, dogs, and charmers and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and every one loving and doing a lie.
Easton
Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Nu 35:16,18,21,31; Le 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man's having been made in the likeness of God (Ge 9:5-6; Joh 8:44; 1Jo 3:12,15). The Mosiac law prohibited any compensation for murder or the reprieve of the murderer (Ex 21:12,14; De 19:11,13; 2Sa 17:25; 20:10). Two witnesses were required in any capital case (Nu 35:19-30; De 17:6-12). If the murderer could not be discovered, the city nearest the scene of the murder was required to make expiation for the crime committed (De 21:1-9). These offences also were to be punished with death, (1) striking a parent; (2) cursing a parent; (3) kidnapping (Ex 21:15-17; De 27:16).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And surely, your blood of your lives I will search out, from the hand of every living thing I will search it out, and from the hand of man; from the hand of a man's brother I will search out the life of man. He pouring out man's blood, by man his blood shall be poured out: for in the image of God he made man.
He striking a man and he died, dying, he shall die.
And if a man shall act proudly against his friend to kill him with craftiness, from mine altar shalt thou take him to die. And he striking his father and his mother, dying be shall die. read more. And he stealing a man, and selling him, and being found in his hand, dying, he shall die. And he making light of his father and his mother, dying, he shall die.
And when a man shall smite any soul of man, dying, he shall die.
And if with an instrument of iron he smote him, the slayer shall die; the slayer he dying. shall die.
Or with an instrument of wood of the hand, which he shall die by it he smote him, he the slayer shall die; dying, the slayer shall die. The nearest relative of blood he shall kill the slayer: in his meeting him he shall kill him. read more. And if in hatred he thrust at him, or cast upon him, or in lying in wait, he shall die. Or in enmity he smote with his hand, and he will die; dying, he smiting shall die; he is a slayer: the nearest relative of blood shall kill the slayer in his meeting him.
Or in enmity he smote with his hand, and he will die; dying, he smiting shall die; he is a slayer: the nearest relative of blood shall kill the slayer in his meeting him. And if suddenly, not in enmity, he thrust him, or cast upon him any instrument in not lying in wait, read more. Or with any stone which he shall die by it in not seeing, and it will fall upon him and he shall die, and he not an enemy to him and not seeking his hurt: And the assembly judged between him smiting, and between the nearest relation of blood according to these judgments: And the assembly delivered the slayer out of the hand of the nearest relation of blood, and the assembly turned him back to the city of his refuge where he fled there: and he dwelt in it till the death of the great priest who anointed him with the holy oil. And if going out the slayer shall go out of the boundary of the city of his refuge where he shall flee there; And the nearest relation of blood finding him without the boundary of the city of his refuge, and the nearest relation of blood slew the slayer; no blood to him. For in the city of his refuge he shall dwell till the death of the great priest; and after the death of the great priest the slayer shall turn back to the land of his possession. And these were to you for laws of judgment to your generations in all your dwellings. Every one striking a soul by the mouth of witnesses, he shall slay the slayer: and one witness shall not testify against a soul to die. Ye shall not take expiation for the soul of a slayer, he who was guilty to die, for dying, he shall die.
At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses they shall be put to death; they shall not die by the mouth of one witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be at first upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward. And put thou away the evil from the midst of thee. read more. When a word shall be hard for thee for judging between blood to blood, between controversy to controversy, and between blow to blow, words of contention in thy gates; and thou didst arise and go up to the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose in it; And thou didst go to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge which shall be in those days, and seek out; and they shall announce to thee the word of judgment And thou shalt do according to the mouth of the word which they shall announce to thee from that place which Jehovah shall choose; and thou shalt watch to do according to all which they shall shew thee: According to the mouth of the precept which they shall shew thee, and according to the judgment which they shall say to thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not turn aside from the word which they shall announce to thee, to the right, and to the left And the man which shall do in pride not to hear to the priest, he standing to serve there Jehovah thy God, or to the judge, and that man shall die: and put thou away evil from Israel
And if there shall be a man hating his friend and lying in wait for him, and he rose up against him and smote him in soul, and he died, and he fled to one of these cities:
Thine eye shall not pity him and put away innocent blood from Israel, and it was well to thee.
When there shall be found a wounded in the land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee, to possess it, fallen in the field, not knowing who smote him: And thy old men and thy judges shall come forth and measure to the cities which are round about him wounded: read more. And it was the the city being near to the wounded, and the old men of the city took a heifer of the kine which was not worked with, and drew not in the yoke: And the old men of that city brought down the heifer to a perennial valley which shall not be worked in it, and shall not be sown, and they break there the neck of the heifer in the valley; And the priests, the sons of Levi, came near, for in them Jehovah thy God chose to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth shall be every controversy and every blow. And all the old men of that city being near to him wounded, shall wash their hands over the heifer having her neck broken in the valley: And they answered and said, Our hands poured not out this blood, and our eyes saw not Expiate for thy people Israel whom thou didst redeem, O Jehovah, and thou shalt not give innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood was expiated to them. And thou shalt put away innocent blood from the midst of thee when thou shall do the right in the eyes of Jehovah.
Cursed he making light of his father and his mother: and all the people said, Amen.
And now take to you twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man, one man to a tribe.
And as they lifting up the ark come to Jordan, and the feet of the priests lifting up the ark were dipped in the extremity of the waters (and Jordan was filled up to all its banks all the days of harvest,)
Ye are of your father the devil, and the eager desires of your father will ye do. He was slaying men from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he would speak a lie, he speaks of his own things; for he is a liar, and the father of him.
Fausets
In the Scripture view an outrage or sacrilege (Philo, Spec. Leg. 3:15) on God's likeness in man. Ge 9:5-6, "whose sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man." His blood was so sacred that "God requires it (compare Ps 9:12) of every beast"; so the ox that gored man must be killed (Ex 21:28). God's image implies in man a personal, moral, and responsible will. To cut short his day of grace and probation is the greatest wrong to man and insult to his Maker. Cain's punishment God Himself took in hand, dooming him to a life full of fears, remorse, and guilt. His life was temporarily spared, perhaps in order not to impede the natural increase of mankind at the first. But after the flood God delegated thenceforth the murderer's punishment, which is death, to man; life must go for life, blood for blood.
Murder results from the instigation of Satan the "murderer (of Adam's and Eve's souls, and Abel's body) from the beginning" (Joh 8:44). Not only the killer but the hater is a murderer before God (1Jo 3:12,15).Even a slave's life sacrificed under the rod entailed death, or some heavy punishment as the judges should decide on the master, unless the slave survived the beating a day or two, when it was presumed the master did not intend to kill him and the loss of his slave was deemed enough punishment (Ex 21:12,20-21). A housebreaker might be killed in the act by night; but if by day he was to be sold, so sacred was life regarded (Ex 22:2-3). The cities of refuge saved the manslayer, but not the murderer, from the blood avenger. (See CITIES OF REFUGE.)
Not even Jehovah's altar could save Joab (1Ki 2:5-6,31). Bloodshed in any way, even in war, brought pollution (Nu 35:33-34; De 21:1-9; 1Ch 28:3, David; 1Ch 22:8). Striking a pregnant woman so as to cause death brought capital punishment. Two witnesses were required before anyone could be put to death for murder, a check on private revenge (Nu 35:19-30; De 17:6-12; 19:12,17). The sovereign assumed the power of executing or pardoning murderers (2Sa 1:15-16, David and the Amalekite slayer of Saul; 2Sa 13:39; 14:7-11, David in respect to Anmon and Absalom; 1Ki 2:34, Solomon and Joab).
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And surely, your blood of your lives I will search out, from the hand of every living thing I will search it out, and from the hand of man; from the hand of a man's brother I will search out the life of man. He pouring out man's blood, by man his blood shall be poured out: for in the image of God he made man.
He striking a man and he died, dying, he shall die.
And if a man shall strike his servant or his maid with a rod, and he died under his hand, avenging, he shall be avenged. But if a day or two days he shall stand, he shall not be avenged, for he is his silver.
And if an ox shall push (with the horns) a man or a woman, and he died; stoning, the ox shall be stoned, and he shall not eat his flesh; and the lord of the ox being innocent
If in breaking in a thief shall be found, and he was smitten and died, no bloods for him. If the sun was risen upon him, bloods for him: recompensing, he shall recompense; if nothing to him, to be sold for his theft.
The nearest relative of blood he shall kill the slayer: in his meeting him he shall kill him. And if in hatred he thrust at him, or cast upon him, or in lying in wait, he shall die. read more. Or in enmity he smote with his hand, and he will die; dying, he smiting shall die; he is a slayer: the nearest relative of blood shall kill the slayer in his meeting him. And if suddenly, not in enmity, he thrust him, or cast upon him any instrument in not lying in wait, Or with any stone which he shall die by it in not seeing, and it will fall upon him and he shall die, and he not an enemy to him and not seeking his hurt: And the assembly judged between him smiting, and between the nearest relation of blood according to these judgments: And the assembly delivered the slayer out of the hand of the nearest relation of blood, and the assembly turned him back to the city of his refuge where he fled there: and he dwelt in it till the death of the great priest who anointed him with the holy oil. And if going out the slayer shall go out of the boundary of the city of his refuge where he shall flee there; And the nearest relation of blood finding him without the boundary of the city of his refuge, and the nearest relation of blood slew the slayer; no blood to him. For in the city of his refuge he shall dwell till the death of the great priest; and after the death of the great priest the slayer shall turn back to the land of his possession. And these were to you for laws of judgment to your generations in all your dwellings. Every one striking a soul by the mouth of witnesses, he shall slay the slayer: and one witness shall not testify against a soul to die.
And ye shall not pollute the land which ye are in it: for blood it will pollute the land: and for the land it will not be expiated for the blood which was poured out upon it but by the blood of him shedding. And thou shalt not defile the land which ye shall dwell upon it, which I dwell in the midst of it: for I Jehovah dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel
At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses they shall be put to death; they shall not die by the mouth of one witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be at first upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward. And put thou away the evil from the midst of thee. read more. When a word shall be hard for thee for judging between blood to blood, between controversy to controversy, and between blow to blow, words of contention in thy gates; and thou didst arise and go up to the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose in it; And thou didst go to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge which shall be in those days, and seek out; and they shall announce to thee the word of judgment And thou shalt do according to the mouth of the word which they shall announce to thee from that place which Jehovah shall choose; and thou shalt watch to do according to all which they shall shew thee: According to the mouth of the precept which they shall shew thee, and according to the judgment which they shall say to thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not turn aside from the word which they shall announce to thee, to the right, and to the left And the man which shall do in pride not to hear to the priest, he standing to serve there Jehovah thy God, or to the judge, and that man shall die: and put thou away evil from Israel
And the old men of his city sent and took him from there and gave him into the hand of the nearest relative of blood, and he died.
And the two men to whom is the contention stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;
When there shall be found a wounded in the land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee, to possess it, fallen in the field, not knowing who smote him: And thy old men and thy judges shall come forth and measure to the cities which are round about him wounded: read more. And it was the the city being near to the wounded, and the old men of the city took a heifer of the kine which was not worked with, and drew not in the yoke: And the old men of that city brought down the heifer to a perennial valley which shall not be worked in it, and shall not be sown, and they break there the neck of the heifer in the valley; And the priests, the sons of Levi, came near, for in them Jehovah thy God chose to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth shall be every controversy and every blow. And all the old men of that city being near to him wounded, shall wash their hands over the heifer having her neck broken in the valley: And they answered and said, Our hands poured not out this blood, and our eyes saw not Expiate for thy people Israel whom thou didst redeem, O Jehovah, and thou shalt not give innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood was expiated to them. And thou shalt put away innocent blood from the midst of thee when thou shall do the right in the eyes of Jehovah.
And David will call to one of his youths and say, Come near, fall upon him. And he will strike him, and be will die. And David will say to him, Thy bloods upon thy head, for thy mouth answered against thee, saying, I killed Jehovah's Messiah.
And David the king was fixed to go forth to Absalom: for he was comforted for Amnon, for he died.
And behold, all the family rose up against thy servant, and they will say, Give him striking his brother and we will kill him for the soul of his brother whom he slew; and they destroyed also the heir, and quenched my coal which was left, so that name was not set to my husband and remainder upon the face of the earth. And the king will say to the woman, Go to thy house and I will command concerning thee. read more. And the woman, the Tekoite, will say to the king, Upon me, my lord the king, the iniquity, and upon my father's house: and the king and his throne innocent And the king will say, Who speaking to thee and bring him to me and he shall not add to touch upon thee. And she will say, The king will remember now, Jehovah thy God, the nearest relation of blood being multiplied to destroy, and they shall not destroy my son. And he will say, Jehovah living, if there shall fall from the hair of thy son to the earth.
And also thou knewest what Joab on of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two chiefs of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether; and he will kill them and put the bloods of war in peace, and give the bloods of war upon his girdle which was upon his loins, and in his shoe upon his feet And do according to thy wisdom, and thou wilt not bring down his gray hairs in peace to hades
And the king will say to him, Do as he said, and strike upon him, and bury him; and take away the bloods which Joab shed gratuitously, from me and from my father's house.
And Benaiah son of Jehoida will go up, and will strike upon him and will kill him: and he will be buried in his house in the desert
And the word of Jehovah will be upon me, saying, Thou didst pour out blood for abundance, and didst make great wars: thou shalt not build a house for my name, for thou didst pour out many bloods in the earth before me.
For he sought out bloods, be remembered them: he forget not the cry of the humble.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the eager desires of your father will ye do. He was slaying men from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he would speak a lie, he speaks of his own things; for he is a liar, and the father of him.
Not as Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what slew he him? Because his works were evil, and those of his brother just.
Every one hating his brother is a manslayer: and ye know that no man-slayer has eternal life remaining in him.
Hastings
Morish
The first death was caused by murder when Cain slew his brother Abel, and the second recorded is when Lamech said, "I have slain a man to my wounding," or "for my wound;" which may mean that he did it in self-defence. Ge 4:23. God set a mark upon Cain that none should kill him; and Lamech said, "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold." After the flood God made a definite law concerning murder. God would require expiation for the blood of man, whether it was shed by beast or by man; at the hand of every man's brother, or kinsman, God would require the life of man. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." Ge 9:5-6. This injunction was repeated in the law, and has never been rescinded or modified. Neither does the N.T. in any way alter it: indeed it incidentally confirms it by declaring that the magistrate does not bear the sword in vain. Ro 13:4. God claims the life of man, and none can set aside His rights.
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And Lamech will say his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, and give ear to my word: for I killed a man to my wound, and a son to my cutting.
And surely, your blood of your lives I will search out, from the hand of every living thing I will search it out, and from the hand of man; from the hand of a man's brother I will search out the life of man. He pouring out man's blood, by man his blood shall be poured out: for in the image of God he made man.
For he is servant of God to thee for good. And if thou do evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword without order: for he is servant of God, avenging for anger to him doing evil.
Smith
Murder.
The law of Moses, while it protected the accidental homicide, defined with additional strictness the crime of murder. It prohibited compensation or reprieve of the murderer, or his protection if he took refuge in the refuge city, or even at the altar of Jehovah.
Ex 21:12,14; Le 24:17,21; 1Ki 2:5-6,31
The duty of executing punishment on the murderer is in the law expressly laid on the "revenger of blood;" but the question of guilt was to be previously decided by the Levitical tribunal. In regal times the duty of execution of justice on a murderer seems to have been assumed to some extent by the sovereign, as was also the privilege of pardon.
It was lawful to kill a burglar taken at night in the act, but unlawful to do so after sunrise.
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He striking a man and he died, dying, he shall die.
And if a man shall act proudly against his friend to kill him with craftiness, from mine altar shalt thou take him to die.
If in breaking in a thief shall be found, and he was smitten and died, no bloods for him. If the sun was risen upon him, bloods for him: recompensing, he shall recompense; if nothing to him, to be sold for his theft.
And when a man shall smite any soul of man, dying, he shall die.
And be smiting cattle shall recompense it; and he smiting man, shall die.
And David the king was fixed to go forth to Absalom: for he was comforted for Amnon, for he died.
And behold, all the family rose up against thy servant, and they will say, Give him striking his brother and we will kill him for the soul of his brother whom he slew; and they destroyed also the heir, and quenched my coal which was left, so that name was not set to my husband and remainder upon the face of the earth.
And she will say, The king will remember now, Jehovah thy God, the nearest relation of blood being multiplied to destroy, and they shall not destroy my son. And he will say, Jehovah living, if there shall fall from the hair of thy son to the earth.
Watsons
MURDER. Among the Hebrews murder was always punished with death; but involuntary homicide, only by banishment. Cities of refuge were appointed for involuntary manslaughter, whither the slayer might retire and continue in safety till the death of the high priest, Nu 35:28. Then the offender was at liberty to return to his own house, if he pleased. A murderer was put to death without remission, and the kinsman of the murdered person might kill him with impunity. Money could not redeem his life: he was dragged away from the altar, if he had there taken refuge. When a dead body was found in the fields of a person slain by a murderer unknown, Moses commanded that the elders and judges of the neighbouring places should resort to the spot, De 21:1-8. The elders of the city nearest to it were to take a heifer which had never yet borne the yoke, and were to lead it into some rude and uncultivated place, which had not been ploughed or sowed, where they were to cut its throat. The priests of the Lord, with the elders and magistrates of the city, were to come near the dead body, and, washing their hands over the heifer that had been slain, were to say, "Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it shed. Lord, be favourable to thy people Israel, and impute not to us this blood, which has been shed in the midst of our country." This ceremony may inform us how much horror they conceived at the crime of murder; and it shows their fear that God might avenge it on the whole country; which was supposed to contract pollution by the blood spilt in it, unless it were expiated, and avenged on him who had occasioned it, if he could be discovered.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
For in the city of his refuge he shall dwell till the death of the great priest; and after the death of the great priest the slayer shall turn back to the land of his possession.
When there shall be found a wounded in the land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee, to possess it, fallen in the field, not knowing who smote him: And thy old men and thy judges shall come forth and measure to the cities which are round about him wounded: read more. And it was the the city being near to the wounded, and the old men of the city took a heifer of the kine which was not worked with, and drew not in the yoke: And the old men of that city brought down the heifer to a perennial valley which shall not be worked in it, and shall not be sown, and they break there the neck of the heifer in the valley; And the priests, the sons of Levi, came near, for in them Jehovah thy God chose to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth shall be every controversy and every blow. And all the old men of that city being near to him wounded, shall wash their hands over the heifer having her neck broken in the valley: And they answered and said, Our hands poured not out this blood, and our eyes saw not Expiate for thy people Israel whom thou didst redeem, O Jehovah, and thou shalt not give innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood was expiated to them.