by David Pipkin

Created on: February 27, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

As I listen to the 'intelligent' arguments of our society, it becomes increasingly clear that we have simply lost our grasp on some basic principles. Therefore, rather than get head-on into the issue of the death penalty (or war, for that matter), I will address one of the major misconceptions that fuel the debate.

In discussing the death penalty, and witnessing the issue debated in the media as well as our day-to-day conversations, the one most frequent basis for opposition deals with the issue of killing as it relates to the Sixth Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill..." Many times, the very people who quote the Bible in this way to support their anti-war/anti-death penalty views are the same people who do not actually accept the Bible as God's inerrant word. To them, the Bible seems to line up with their own adopted world view in this particular instance, so they will use it for this argument. If you really want to test their loyalty to Scripture as a moral authority, ask them what the Bible says about homosexuality or pre-marital sex, and you will see how quickly the Bible becomes "a book of stories - old, outdated, etc."

But I digress - the issue here is that they are citing the Bible, so at least they recognize it has some authority. It's a start. So let's see what is really behind the Sixth Commandment...

The old King James Version was written over 400 years ago has been updated, as the English language has been updated. The old King James version used the general word "kill" to reflect all types of killing, which can be confusing to its readers. To read that David sought to 'kill' Goliath after reading 'Thou shalt not kill' seems contradictory. However, we know that all killing is not the same.

Killing in a war is not murder. Killing while protecting loved ones is not murder. These things can become murder if abused or perverted, but in general, they are actually holy. True love protects others from evil.

Hebrew is similar to English in that it has different words for various types of killing. The actual Hebrew translation for the word used as "kill" in the Sixth Commandment is "ratsach." The definition of this word is, "to kill without just cause." The correct English term for this word is "murder." Therefore, the updated translation of the Sixth Commandment is, "You shall not murder."

As we review the more modern translations of the Bible, this is exactly how the Sixth Commandment reads:

New International Version - "You shall not murder."
New American Standard

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