Lexical Summary ratsach: To murder, to slay, to kill Original Word: רָצַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance put to death, kill, manslayer, murderer A primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. Kill (a human being), especially to murder -- put to death, kill, (man-)slay(-er), murder(-er). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to murder, slay NASB Translation killed (1), kills the manslayer (1), manslayer (18), murder (7), murdered (2), murderer (12), murderer shall be put (1), murderers (1), murders (1), put to death (1), slew (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs רָצַח verb murder, slay (Late Hebrew (rare, also in derivatives) = Biblical Hebrew; compare Arabic  ,  break, bruise, crush); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular consecutive ׳וְר Numbers 35:27, וּרְצָחוֺ Deuteronomy 22:26; 2masculine singular (הֲ)רָצַחְתָּ 1 Kings 21:19; Imperfect3masculine singular יִרְצַח Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 4:42; 2masculine singular תִּרְצָ֑ח (צ־ַחׅ Exodus 20:13 = Deuteronomy 5:17; Infinitive absolute רָצֹהַּ Hosea 4:2; Jeremiah 7:9; Participle active רֹצֵחַ Deuteronomy 19:3 +, ׳רוֺ Deuteronomy 4:42 +; — murder, slay, with premeditation, Exodus 20:13 (E) = Deuteronomy 5:17; Hosea 4:2; Jeremiah 7:9; 1 Kings 21:19 (all absolute); with accusative of person Deuteronomy 22:26, unawares Deuteronomy 4:42; slay as avenger Numbers 35:27,30 (P; "" חֵמִית Numbers 35:19; Numbers 35:21); especially participle as substantive = slayer, manslayer, without intent, Deuteronomy 4:42; Deuteronomy 19:3,4,6; also in P: Numbers 35:6,11,12,25,26,27,28; Joshua 20:3,5,6; Joshua 21:13,21,27,32,26 (van d. H., Baer, Joshua 21:38 Gi; all P); murderer, with intent, Numbers 35:16 (twice in verse); Numbers 35:17 (twice in verse); Numbers 35:18 (twice in verse); Numbers 35:19,21 (twice in verse); Numbers 35:30; Numbers 30:31; also Job 24:14. Niph`al Imperfect1singular אֵרָצֵחַ Proverbs 22:13 I shall be slain; Participle feminine singular as adjective אִשָּׁה הַנִּרְצָחָה Judges 20:4 the murdered woman. Pi`el (intensive) murder, assassinate:3masculine plural יְרַצְּחוּ Hosea 6:9 (absolute), יְרַצֵּ֑חוּ Psalm 94:6 (accusative of person, "" הָרַג); Psalm 62:4 see below; Participle מְרַצֵּחַ, as substantive 2 Kings 6:32 murderer, assassin; plural מְרֵצְּחִים Isaiah 1:21assassins. Pu`al Imperfect, 2 masculine plural תְּרָצְּחוּ Psalm 62:4, so Baer Gi, van d. H. תְּרָצְחוּ, but Ben Naphtali Pi`el תְּרַצְּחוּ (Baer143), so Vrss Hup-Now De Che Bae and others ye murder (or batter, shatter). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scopeרָצַח denotes the act of taking human life wrongfully. Scripture consistently treats it as a moral violation that incurs guilt before God, whether perpetrated deliberately or through reckless negligence. Canonical Distribution Approximately forty-seven occurrences appear in seventeen Old Testament books. The highest concentrations are found in the legal sections of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (twenty-one total), followed by Psalms (eight) and Proverbs (three). Prophetic writings (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, etc.) employ the verb chiefly to illustrate covenant infidelity expressed in social violence. Foundational Command Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17 “You shall not murder.” This sixth word of the Decalogue anchors the biblical doctrine of the sanctity of human life. The prohibition is absolute, yet the wider law clarifies degrees of culpability. Legal Elaboration 1. Intentional Murder Numbers 35:16-18 lays down capital punishment: “the murderer is to be put to death.” Deliberate killing is viewed as assault upon the image of God (compare Genesis 9:6, which uses a different verb but the same principle). 2. Unintentional Manslaughter Numbers 35:22-25 recognizes accidental deaths: “But if anyone pushes a person suddenly without hostility … the congregation must rescue the manslayer.” The distinction affirms both justice for the victim and mercy for the unwitting offender. 3. Cities of Refuge Six Levitical towns (Numbers 35:6; Joshua 20) functioned as sanctuaries where the manslayer could await trial. The institution balanced communal vengeance (“the avenger of blood”) with due process, foreshadowing the gospel pattern of refuge and atonement. Poetic and Wisdom Literature Psalms Psalm 94:6 laments social injustice: “They kill the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.” Psalm 139:19 contrasts God’s holiness with murderous men. Proverbs Proverbs 1:11-18 portrays murder as the hallmark of wicked companionship, while Proverbs 28:17 warns, “A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the pit; let no one support him.” Prophetic Indictments Isaiah 1:21-23 condemns Jerusalem’s leaders: “Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the fatherless, nor do they take the cause of the widow.” Jeremiah 7:9 links murder with idolatry, theft, and adultery, underscoring comprehensive covenant violation. Hosea 4:2 shows societal breakdown: “There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” Distinctness from Other Killing Verbs רָצַח is never used for judicial execution, holy war, or sacrificial slaughter. Those contexts employ verbs like הָרַג or שָׁחַט. The semantic field of רָצַח is thus ethically charged, referring only to prohibited homicide. Theological Themes 1. Image-bearing Dignity Human life is uniquely sacred. The prohibition protects the divine image (Genesis 1:27). 2. Justice and Atonement Bloodguilt defiles the land (Numbers 35:33). Only just retribution or divinely appointed atonement removes the stain, foreshadowing Christ’s definitive sacrifice (Hebrews 12:24). 3. Corporate Responsibility Murder pollutes the community; hence civil authorities bear the sword to restrain evil (Romans 13:4, echoing Genesis 9:6). New Testament Resonance Matthew 5:21-22 intensifies the command, equating unrighteous anger with murder; 1 John 3:15 states, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” The cross confronts murder in its most blatant form—the killing of the innocent Son of God—yet also provides the refuge that Numbers prefigures (Acts 3:14-15). Pastoral and Ministry Implications • Sanctity of Life: Uphold life from conception to natural death, opposing abortion, euthanasia, and all forms of unjust violence. Summary רָצַח confronts humanity with the gravity of taking life unlawfully. Through laws, poetry, prophecy, and ultimately the cross, Scripture presents both the horror of murder and the hope of redemption, calling God’s people to protect life, pursue justice, and proclaim mercy. Forms and Transliterations אֵֽרָצֵֽחַ׃ ארצח׃ הֲרָצַ֖חְתָּ הַֽמְרַצֵּ֤חַ הַנִּרְצָחָ֖ה הָ֣רֹצֵ֔חַ הָֽרֹצֵ֗חַ הָרֹצֵ֑חַ הָרֹצֵ֔חַ הָרֹצֵ֖חַ הָרֹצֵ֗חַ הָרֹצֵ֛חַ הָרֹצֵֽחַ׃ הָרוֹצֵ֗חַ המרצח הנרצחה הרוצח הרצח הרצח׃ הרצחת וְרָצַ֞ח וְרָצֹ֥חַ וּרְצָח֣וֹ ורצח ורצחו יְרַצְּחוּ־ יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃ יִרְצַ֖ח יִרְצַ֤ח ירצח ירצחו־ ירצחו׃ מְרַצְּחִֽים׃ מרצחים׃ רָצֹ֙חַ֙ רֹצֵ֔חַ רֹצֵ֣חַֽ רֹצֵֽחַ׃ רוֹצֵ֔חַ רוֹצֵ֗חַ רוצח רצח רצח׃ תְּרָצְּח֪וּ תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃ תִּֿרְצָֽח׃ תרצח׃ תרצחו ’ê·rā·ṣê·aḥ ’êrāṣêaḥ EraTzeach hă·rā·ṣaḥ·tā hā·rō·ṣê·aḥ hā·rō·w·ṣê·aḥ ham·raṣ·ṣê·aḥ hamraṣṣêaḥ hamratzTzeach han·nir·ṣā·ḥāh hannirṣāḥāh hannirtzaChah hărāṣaḥtā haraTzachta hārōṣêaḥ haroTzeach hārōwṣêaḥ mə·raṣ·ṣə·ḥîm məraṣṣəḥîm meratztzeChim rā·ṣō·aḥ rāṣōaḥ raTzoach rō·ṣê·aḥ rō·w·ṣê·aḥ rōṣêaḥ roTzeach rōwṣêaḥ tə·rāṣ·ṣə·ḥū tərāṣṣəḥū teratztzeChu trə·ṣāḥ trəṣāḥ treTzach ū·rə·ṣā·ḥōw ūrəṣāḥōw uretzaCho veraTzach veraTzoach wə·rā·ṣaḥ wə·rā·ṣō·aḥ wərāṣaḥ wərāṣōaḥ yə·raṣ·ṣê·ḥū yə·raṣ·ṣə·ḥū- yəraṣṣêḥū yəraṣṣəḥū- yeratzTzechu yir·ṣaḥ yirṣaḥ yirTzachLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 20:13 HEB: לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃ ס NAS: You shall not murder. KJV: Thou shalt not kill. INT: shall not murder Numbers 35:6 Numbers 35:11 Numbers 35:12 Numbers 35:16 Numbers 35:16 Numbers 35:17 Numbers 35:17 Numbers 35:18 Numbers 35:18 Numbers 35:19 Numbers 35:21 Numbers 35:21 Numbers 35:25 Numbers 35:26 Numbers 35:27 Numbers 35:27 Numbers 35:28 Numbers 35:30 Numbers 35:30 Numbers 35:31 Deuteronomy 4:42 Deuteronomy 4:42 Deuteronomy 5:17 Deuteronomy 19:3 47 Occurrences |
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