is ratsach, which means, according to Young’s Exhaustive Concordance, “to murder, pierce.” Regarding this same Hebrew word Strong’s lexicon of Hebrew words states: “ratsach, a prim. root, prop. to dash to pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder.” To murder means: “to kill (a human being) unlawfully and with premeditated malice or willfully, deliberately, and unlawfully.”—Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.

In its various forms the word ratsach occurs some forty times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Invariably it refers to the taking of human life, although not always wrongly or unlawfully. What, then, would determine whether the word should be rendered “kill (slay)” or “murder”? It would be upon the basis of the context and also what light the rest of God’s Word sheds upon the subject. In this regard it should be noted that even the King James Version, at times, renders this Hebrew word as “murder” or “murderer.” For instance, “they slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.” “The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy.” (Ps. 94:6; Job 24:14) The Authorized Version, moreover, distinguishes between murder and accidental manslaying at Numbers 35:6-31, doing so according to the context; yet the Hebrew word involved is still ratsach: “They shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer [ratsach] die not.” “If he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer [ratsach] shall surely be put to death.”—Num. 35:12, 16, AV.

It is evident, in the light of the rest of God’s Word, that Exodus 20:13 did not prohibit all killing; for the Israelites were allowed to put to death, in fact, were commanded by God to put to death murderers, idol worshipers, breakers of the sabbath, and so forth. Thus execution of a murderer would not be unlawful in God’s eyes and could not be considered “murder”; it would not be in violation of Exodus 20:13. (Gen. 9:6) Likewise, the pagan, demon-worshiping inhabitants of the land that Jehovah had promised to his people came under Jehovah’s judgment of execution for their sins, and he used his people, the Israelites, to carry out that execution. So their following this command of Jehovah’s was not a violation of his command at Exodus 20:13 and could not be considered as murder.

It is specifically unlawful killing (slaying) of a human or murder that God prohibits. With sound Scriptural reason, then, not only the New World Translation but also Robert Young’s version, James Moffatt’s version, Knox’s translation, the Soncino version and An American Translation render ratsach at Exodus 20:13 as “murder.”

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