Is Killing Murder?
by Rod Jackson
Some people think that killing and murder are the same thing. In this article I will show that they are not. All verses are quoted from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise stated. Anything in [square brackets] is added by me for clarity.
"Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man." Genesis 9:6
After the flood God instructs Noah and his family, that all life is precious. And specifically that if someone murders another human then the murderer must be killed. Now if murder and killing are the same thing, then logically after one murder, all people would die. Consider, Bob murders someone, so Jill kills Bob. But killing is the same as murder so Jill has murdered Bob. Thus Tom kills Jill... you see where this is going? So we must recognise that killing and murder are not the same thing. In fact, murder is unjust killing.
"These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there." Numbers 35:15
So when someone in Israel killed someone else but it was an accident they were not considered a murderer. If someone murders someone else, they must kill them. But if someone kills someone else then they haven't necessarily murdered them.
Murder is a subset of killing. All murder is killing but not all killing is murder.
"You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17
"You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17 (New International Version)
"You shall not commit murder." Exodus 20:13 (The Amplified Bible)
"You shall not murder." Deuteronomy 5:17 (The Amplified Bible)
"Do not commit murder." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17 (Good News Bible)
"You must not murder." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17 (New World Translation, ie. JW)
"Thou shalt not kill." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17 (King James Version)
"You shall not kill." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17 (Revised Standard Version)
"You shall not kill." Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17 (The Jerusalem Bible)
As a matter of interest, if anyone tells you that the King James Version is the only correct version. Then you may wish to point out that the King James Version of the bible has a translation error in the 10 Commandments (no less). Where they have translated the 6th commandment as kill and not murder. You can also point this out to Mormons, as they use the King James Version for their bible (along with the book of Mormon).