How does Genesis 9:6 connect to the commandment "You shall not murder"?

Genesis 9:6—A Universal Post-Flood Standard

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood shall be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”

• Spoken to Noah’s family right after the flood, long before Sinai

• Establishes the basic, worldwide rule that human life is inviolable because every person bears God’s image

• Introduces the principle of just retribution—capital punishment—not as vengeance but as testimony to the sacred worth of life

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Exodus 20:13—A Covenant Command to Israel

“You shall not murder.”

• Part of the Ten Commandments given at Sinai, centuries after Noah

• Uses a Hebrew verb focusing on premeditated, unlawful killing, not accidental death or judicial execution

• Reinforces the same truth for the covenant nation that Genesis 9:6 laid down for all humanity

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Shared Foundation: The Image of God

• Both passages rest on humanity’s creation “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6)

• Because people reflect God in a unique way, to murder is to assault the very imprint of the Creator

• The command protects God’s glory displayed in human life (cf. James 3:9)

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Capital Punishment and the Weight of Murder

• Genesis 9:6 establishes capital punishment as a divinely authorized response to murder, underscoring how serious the crime is

• The Sixth Commandment forbids individuals from taking life unlawfully; Genesis 9:6 authorizes the community, under due process (Numbers 35:30-34), to exact justice when murder occurs

• The two texts together guard against both personal violence and societal indifference to bloodshed

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One Moral Law, Two Revelatory Moments

• Genesis 9:6: universal, given to all descendants of Noah

• Exodus 20:13: covenantal, shaping Israel’s national life

• Together they show continuity—God’s moral law does not change with time or covenant (cf. Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8)

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Practical Takeaways for Life Today

• Value every human being—born or unborn, healthy or infirm—as a divine image-bearer

• Resist personal anger, hatred, and violence that lead to murder (Matthew 5:21-22)

• Support just legal systems that punish murder fairly while protecting the innocent (Romans 13:3-4)

• Promote mercy, reconciliation, and the gospel, which alone transforms hearts inclined toward violence (Ephesians 2:13-17)