Topical Bible: Murder: Described As Killing by a Hand Weapon of Wood

◄ Murder: Described As Killing by a Hand Weapon of Wood ►

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In the biblical context, murder is a grave sin that is explicitly condemned throughout Scripture. The act of murder, particularly when committed with a hand weapon of wood, is addressed in the Mosaic Law, which provides specific guidelines and consequences for such actions.

The Book of Numbers provides a clear example of this type of murder. Numbers 35:16-18 states: "But if anyone strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death. Or if anyone has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and kills him, the murderer must surely be put to death. If anyone has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and kills him, the murderer must surely be put to death."

This passage highlights the use of various implements, including wood, as potential murder weapons. The law underscores the premeditated nature of murder, distinguishing it from accidental killings, and mandates capital punishment for the perpetrator. The use of a wooden object as a weapon indicates the intentionality behind the act, as it requires the assailant to wield the object with the purpose of causing fatal harm.

The biblical narrative emphasizes the sanctity of life, as humanity is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The unlawful taking of life through murder is a direct violation of the divine commandment, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). This commandment is reiterated in the New Testament, where Jesus expands on the understanding of murder, addressing not only the physical act but also the underlying attitudes of anger and hatred (Matthew 5:21-22).

The consequences of murder, including those committed with a wooden weapon, extend beyond legal ramifications. The act disrupts the community's moral fabric and incurs divine judgment. The cities of refuge, as described in Numbers 35, provided a temporary sanctuary for those who committed manslaughter unintentionally, but not for those guilty of premeditated murder. This distinction underscores the severity with which God views the intentional taking of life.

Throughout Scripture, the act of murder is consistently portrayed as an affront to God's holiness and justice. The use of a wooden weapon, while perhaps less conventional than metal or stone, does not diminish the severity of the crime. The biblical mandate for justice serves as a deterrent and a reminder of the value God places on human life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 35:18
Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, with which he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

ecce Iterum Crispinus!'
... the four strange figures which Eutyches had described. ... and rushed to Alexandria to
murder Theophilus for ... flattery, they embraced instead of killing him, and ...
/.../chapter xliii ecce iterum crispinus.htm

The Struggle for Life
... state, when he was in the condition described by Mr ... the first place it produces fitness
by killing off the ... massacre of the innocent, the rout and murder of the ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter vi the struggle for.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... allowed his flocks to suffer; and the killing of a ... to the conclusion that the ceremony
described by the ... leads Marquart to believe that the murder of Astyages ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... murder! ... full of the venom of sin soever you be, yet you may, by the hand of faith ...
So He had them into the slaughter-house, where was a butcher killing of a sheep ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... taught by its votaries, but have frequently described its outward ... flight, was so
terrified at his murder that he at ... nor whether the god granted the hand of the ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
... is intended in the text which is aforesaid described. ... to suffer justly by the hand
of the ... may be drawn into fornication, adultery, murder, theft, blasphemy or ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/seasonable counsel or advice to.htm

The Holy War,
... while under the chastising, correcting, hand of his ... and cruelty; with spoiling, murder,
ambition, filthiness ... the Royal army will be found accurately described. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy war.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... part of the Pilgrim's Progress, his father is described as 'an ... house, as if somebody
was about to murder him, and ... HIS hand is not shortened that he cannot save ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm