Bible Dictionary
Murder
Murder is the deliberate and unlawful taking of human life. Biblical law distinguished it from accidental killing, required a just determination of guilt, and prescribed severe judgment because human beings bear God’s image.
Biblical Usage
The law treated murder as a grave offense because human beings were made in God’s likeness. It required the determination of guilt by witnesses and a tribunal, rejected compensation or reprieve for the murderer, and did not protect the guilty even at the sanctuary.
Scripture References
Numbers 35:16
Numbers 35:18
Numbers 35:21
Numbers 35:31
Leviticus 24:17
Genesis 9:5
Genesis 9:6
John 8:44
1 John 3:12
1 John 3:15
Exodus 21:12
Exodus 21:14
Deuteronomy 19:11
Deuteronomy 19:13
2 Samuel 17:25
2 Samuel 20:10
Numbers 35:19-30
Deuteronomy 17:6-12
Deuteronomy 21:1-9
Exodus 21:15-17
Deuteronomy 27:16
Leviticus 24:21
1 Kings 2:5
1 Kings 2:6
1 Kings 2:31
2 Samuel 13:39
2 Samuel 14:7
2 Samuel 14:11
1 Kings 2:34
Exodus 22:2
Exodus 22:3