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Offline Theophilus  
#1 Posted : Thursday, July 10, 2008 6:22:59 AM(UTC)
Theophilus
Joined: 7/5/2007(UTC)
Posts: 544
Man

Thanks: 4 times
I was curious what the Hebrew word used in the 6th commandment actually is and why there is confusion as to whether kill or murder is the more correct amplified rendering. It seems logical to me that murder is correct but I'd like to know what the Hebrew dictionaries indicate in answering the kill arguement.

I saw on wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/...ommandments#cite_note-26

that the Roman Catholic Church opted for kill which may explain the confusion.

I'd appreciate any insights you choose to share.

Thanks
Offline kp  
#2 Posted : Thursday, July 10, 2008 6:32:23 PM(UTC)
kp
Joined: 6/28/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,030
Location: Palmyra, VA

The answer isn't all that simple. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament explains:

Quote:
2208 רָצַח (rāṣaḥ) murder, slay, kill.
Derivative 2208a רֶצַח (reṣaḥ) shattering (Ps 42:11;, Ezk 21:27).

rāṣaḥ is a purely Hebrew term. It has no clear cognate in any of the contemporary tongues. The root occurs thirty-eight times in the ot, with fourteen occurrences in Num 35. The initial use of the root appears in the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:13). In that important text it appears in the simple Qal stem with the negative adverb, “You shall not murder,” being a more precise reading than the too-general KJV “thou shalt not kill.” Much has been made of the fact that the root rāṣaḥ appears in the Mosaic legislation, as though this term bore a special connotation of premeditation, as though the Decalogue only proscribed premeditated crime. This is not the case. The many occurrences in Num 35 deal with the organization of the six cities of refuge to which manslayers who killed a person accidentally could flee. Numbers 35:11 makes completely clear that the refuge was for those guilty of unpremeditated, accidental killings. This makes clear that rāṣaḥ applies equally to both cases of premeditated murder and killings as a result of any other circumstances, what English Common Law has called, “man slaughter.” The root also describes killing for revenge (Num 35:27, 30) and assassination (II Kgs 6:32). It appears in a few poetic contexts, as an “A” word in a peculiar parallel construction (Job 24:14); as an “A” word parallel to a general term for immorality, zimmâ (Hos 6:9); as a “B” word parallel to another synonym “to kill,” “to slay” (Ps 94:6). In only one case in the whole ot is the root used of the killing of man by an animal (Prov 22:13). But even in that context it is the enormity and horror of the deed which is primary. In all other cases of the use of rāṣaḥ, it is man’s crime against man and God’s censure of it which is uppermost.

Harris, R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. 1999, c1980. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) . Moody Press: Chicago


As I noted in The Owner's Manual when discussing the six cities of refuge, the issue of refuge being granted to the killer until the death of the High Priest (or not) was the distinction between actual murder and accidental manslaughter. The point is that we are all guilty of rasah---we have all broken the 6th commandment by being a party to the death of Yahshua to atone for our sins. The only question that remains is whether or not it was accidental (in which case that very sacrifice effects our freedom) or purposeful murder (in which case the Avenger of blood---in this case Yahweh Himself---must exact retribution upon us). In effect, the 6th commandment is telling us not to require Yahshua to save us by His sacrifice. Once we face the fact that we're all guilty of His death, we can move on to the subject of refuge and restoration. If we never face our guilt, we're dead where we stand.

kp

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