Difference between revisions of "Murder"

<p> In the Scripture view an outrage or sacrilege (Philo, Spec. Leg. 3:15) on God's likeness in man. &nbsp;Genesis 9:5-6, "whose sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man." His blood was so sacred that "God requires it (compare &nbsp;Psalms 9:12) of every beast"; so the ox that gored man must be killed (&nbsp;Exodus 21:28). God's image implies in man a personal, moral, and responsible will. To cut short his day of grace and probation is the greatest wrong to man and insult to his Maker. Cain's punishment God Himself took in hand, dooming him to a life full of fears, remorse, and guilt. His life was temporarily spared, perhaps in order not to impede the natural increase of mankind at the first. But after the flood God delegated thenceforth the murderer's punishment, which is death, to man; life must go for life, blood for blood. </p> <p> Murder results from the instigation of Satan the "murderer (of Adam's and Eve's souls, and Abel's body) from the beginning" (&nbsp;John 8:44). Not only the killer but the hater is a murderer before God (&nbsp;1 John 3:12; &nbsp;1 John 3:15).Even a slave's life sacrificed under the rod entailed death, or some heavy punishment as the judges should decide on the master, unless the slave survived the beating a day or two, when it was presumed the master did not intend to kill him and the loss of his slave was deemed enough punishment (&nbsp;Exodus 21:12; &nbsp;Exodus 21:20-21). A housebreaker might be killed in the act by night; but if by day he was to be sold, so sacred was life regarded (&nbsp;Exodus 22:2-3). The cities of refuge saved the manslayer, but not the murderer, from the blood avenger. (See CITIES OF REFUGE.) </p> <p> Not even Jehovah's altar could save [[Joab]] (&nbsp;1 Kings 2:5-6; &nbsp;1 Kings 2:31). Bloodshed in any way, even in war, brought pollution (&nbsp;Numbers 35:33-34; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 21:1-9; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 28:3, David; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 22:8). Striking a pregnant woman so as to cause death brought capital punishment. Two witnesses were required before anyone could be put to death for murder, a check on private revenge (&nbsp;Numbers 35:19-30; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:6-12; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:12; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:17). The sovereign assumed the power of executing or pardoning murderers (&nbsp;2 Samuel 1:15-16, David and the [[Amalekite]] slayer of Saul; &nbsp;2 Samuel 13:39; &nbsp;2 Samuel 14:7-11, David in respect to Anmon and Absalom; &nbsp;1 Kings 2:34, [[Solomon]] and Joab). </p>

<p> The act of wilfully and feloniously killing a person upon malice or forethought. [[Heart]] murder is the secret wishing or designing the death of any man; yea, the Scripture saith, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, " &nbsp;1 John 3:15 . We have instances of this kind of murder in Ahab, &nbsp;1 Kings 22:9 . Jezebel, &nbsp;2 Kings 19:2 . the Jews, &nbsp;Mark 11:18 . David, &nbsp;1 Samuel 25:21-22 . &nbsp;Jonah 4:1; &nbsp;Jonah 4:4 . Murder is contrary to the authority of God, the sovereign disposer of life, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:39; to the goodness of God, who gives it, &nbsp;Job 10:12; to the law of nature, &nbsp;Acts 16:28; to the love a man owes to himself, his neighbour, and society at large. Not but that life may be taken away, as in lawful war, &nbsp;1 Chronicles 5:22; by the hands of the civil magistrate for capital crimes, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:8; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:10; and in self-defence. </p> <p> See SELF- DEFENCE. According to the divine law, murder is to be punished with death, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:11-12 . &nbsp;1 Kings 2:28-29 . It is remarkable that God often gives up murderers to the terrors of a guilty conscience, &nbsp;Genesis 4:13; &nbsp;Genesis 4:15; &nbsp;Genesis 4:23-24 . Such are followed with many instances of divine vengeance, &nbsp;2 Samuel 12:9-10; their lives are often shortened, &nbsp;Psalms 55:23; and judgments of their sin are oftentimes transmitted to posterity, &nbsp;Genesis 49:7 . &nbsp;2 Samuel 21:1 . </p>

<div> '''1: φόνος ''' (Strong'S #5408 — Noun Masculine — phonos — fon'-os ) </div> <p> is used (a) of a special act, &nbsp;Mark 15:7; &nbsp;Luke 23:19,25; (b) in the plural, of "murders" in general, &nbsp;Matthew 15:19; &nbsp;Mark 7:21 (&nbsp; Galatians 5:21 , in some inferior mss.); &nbsp;Revelation 9:21; in the singular, &nbsp;Romans 1:29; (c) in the sense of "slaughter," &nbsp;Hebrews 11:37 , "they were slain with the sword," lit., "(they died by) slaughter (of the sword);" in &nbsp;Acts 9:1 , "slaughter." See Slaughter. </p> &nbsp;Matthew 19:18Rv[[Kill]]Slay.

<p> (properly קֶטֶל, which, however, is rendered "slaughter" in the Auth. Ver., from קָטִל, to "kill," φόνος '').'' The criminal law of the Israelites naturally recognised the distinction between wilful murder and accidental or justifiable homicide (&nbsp;Numbers 25:16 sq.), although in the legislative language itself the word רֹצֵח is used for both kinds of manslaughter (see especially &nbsp;Numbers 35:26; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:3, etc.). Murder was invariably visited with capital punishment (&nbsp;Leviticus 24:17; comp. &nbsp;Genesis 9:6), without the possibility of expiation. Mere homicide (the act of בַּשְׁגּגָה מִכָּה נֶפֶשׁ, &nbsp;Numbers 35:15, or דִעִת רֹצֵחִ אֶתאּרֵעֵהוּ בַּבְלַי, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 4:42) was, however, liable to a forfeiture of life according to all ancient national observances. — Winer, 2:105. (See Ewald, ''Alterthiimer Des V. Israel,'' pages 146-154.) (See Blood- Revenge). </p> <p> The principle on which the act of taking the life of a human being was regarded by the [[Almighty]] as a capital offence is stated on its highest ground as an outrage-Philo calls it sacrilege-on the likeness of God in man, to be punished even when caused by an animal (&nbsp;Genesis 9:5-6, with Bertheau's note; see also &nbsp;John 8:44; &nbsp;1 John 3:12; &nbsp;1 John 3:15; Philo, ''De Spec. Leg.'' 3:15, volume 2, page 313). Its secondary or social ground appears to be implied in the direction to replenish the earth which immediately follows (&nbsp;Genesis 9:7). The exemption of Cain from capital punishment may thus be regarded by anticipation as founded on the social ground either of expediency or of example (&nbsp;Genesis 4:12; &nbsp;Genesis 4:15). The postdiluvian command, enlarged and infringed by the practice of blood- revenge, which it seems to some extent to sanction, was limited by the Law of Moses, which, while it protected the accidental homicide, defined with additional strictness the crime of murder. It prohibited compensation or reprieve of the murderer, or his protection if he took refuge in the refuge- city, or even at the altar of Jehovah, a principle which finds an eminent illustration in the case of Joab (&nbsp;Exodus 21:12; &nbsp;Exodus 21:14; &nbsp;Leviticus 24:17; &nbsp;Leviticus 24:21; &nbsp;Numbers 35:16-18; &nbsp;Numbers 35:21; &nbsp;Numbers 35:31; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:11; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:13; &nbsp;2 Samuel 17:25; &nbsp;2 Samuel 20:10; &nbsp;1 Kings 2:5-6; &nbsp;1 Kings 2:31; see Philo, 1.c.; Michaelis, ''On Laws Of Moses, §'' 132). Bloodshed even in warfare was held to involve pollution (&nbsp;Numbers 35:33-34; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 21:1; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 21:9; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 28:3). [[Philo]] says that the attempt to murder deserves punishment equally with actual perpetration; and the Mishna, that a mortal blow intended for another is punishable with death; but no express legislation on this subject is found in the Law (Philo, 1.c.; Mishna, ''Sanh.'' 9:2). </p> <p> No special mention is made in the Law (a) of child murder, (b) of parricide, nor (c) of taking life by poison, but its animus is sufficiently obvious in all these cases (&nbsp;Exodus 21:15; &nbsp;Exodus 21:17; &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:9; &nbsp;Matthew 15:4), and the third may perhaps be specially intended under the prohibition of witchcraft (&nbsp;Exodus 22:18; see Joseph. ''Ant.'' 4:8, 34; Philo, ''De Spec.'' Leg. 3:17, volume 2, page 315). </p> <p> It is not certain whether a master who killed his slave was punished with death (&nbsp;Exodus 21:20; Knobel, ad loc.). In Egypt the murder of a slave was punishable with death as an example ''Afortiori'' in the case of a freeman; and parricide was punished with burning; but child-murder, though regarded as an odious crime, was not punished with death (Diod. Sic. 1:77). The [[Greeks]] also, or at least the Athenians, protected the life of the slave (Miiller, Dorians, 3:3, § 4; Wilkinson, Anc. Eg. 2:208, 209). </p> <p> No punishment is mentioned for suicide attempted (comp. &nbsp;1 Samuel 31:4 sq.; &nbsp;1 Kings 16:18; &nbsp;Matthew 27:5; see &nbsp;2 [[Maccabees]] 14:41 sq.), nor does any special restriction appear to have attached to the property of the suicide (&nbsp;2 Samuel 17:23); yet Josephus says ''(War,'' 3:8, 5) that suicide was dealt with as crime by the Jews. Striking a pregnant woman so as to cause abortion was punished by a fine; but if it caused her death it was punishable with death (&nbsp;Exodus 21:23; Joseph. ''Ant.'' 4:8, 33). </p> <p> If an animal known to be vicious caused the death of any one, not only was the animal destroyed, but the owner also, if he had taken no steps to restrain it, was held guilty of murder (&nbsp;Exodus 21:29; &nbsp;Exodus 21:31; see Michaelis, § 274, volume 4, pages 234-5). </p> <p> The duty of executing punishment on the murderer is in the Law expressly laid on the "revenger of blood;" but the question of guilt was to be previously decided by the Levitical tribunal. A strong bar against the licence of private revenge was placed by the provision which required the concurrence of at least two witnesses in any capital question (&nbsp;Numbers 35:19-30; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:6-12; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:12; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:17). In regal times the duty of execution of justice on a murderer seems to have been assumed to some extent by the sovereign, as well as the privilege of pardon (&nbsp;2 Samuel 13:39; &nbsp;2 Samuel 14:7; &nbsp;2 Samuel 14:11 : &nbsp;1 Kings 2:34). During this period also the practice. of assassination became frequent, especially in the kingdom of Israel. Among modes of effecting this object may be mentioned the murder of [[Benhadad]] of [[Damascus]] by [[Hazael]] by means of a wet cloth (&nbsp;1 Kings 15:27; &nbsp;1 Kings 16:9; &nbsp;2 Kings 8:15; see Thenius, ad loc.: Jahn, ''Hist.'' 1:137; comp. &nbsp;2 Kings 10:7; &nbsp;2 Kings 11:1; &nbsp;2 Kings 11:16; &nbsp;2 Kings 11:20; &nbsp;2 Kings 14:5; &nbsp;2 Kings 15:14; &nbsp;2 Kings 15:25; &nbsp;2 Kings 15:30). </p> <p> It was lawful to kill a burglar taken at night in the act, but unlawful to do so after sunrise (&nbsp;Exodus 22:2-3). </p> <p> The [[Koran]] forbids child-murder, and allows blood revenge, but permits money-compensation for bloodshed (2:21; 4:72; 17:230, ed. Sale). — (See [[Manslayer]]). </p>

<p> ''''' mûr´der ''''' ( הרג , <i> ''''' hāragh ''''' </i> , "to smite," "destroy," "kill," "slay" (&nbsp; Psalm 10:8; &nbsp;Hosea 9:13 AV), רצח , <i> '''''rācaḥ''''' </i> , "to dash to pieces," "kill," especially with premeditation (&nbsp;Numbers 35:16 and frequently; &nbsp; Job 24:14; &nbsp;Psalm 94:6; &nbsp;Jeremiah 7:9; &nbsp;Hosea 6:9 ); φονεύς , <i> '''''phoneús''''' </i> , "criminal homicide," from φονεύω , <i> '''''phoneúō''''' </i> , "to kill," "slay"; φόνος , <i> '''''phónos''''' </i> , from φένω , <i> '''''phénō''''' </i> , has the same meaning; ἀνθρωποκτόνος , <i> '''''anthrōpoktónos''''' </i> , "manslayer," "murderer," is used to designate Satan &nbsp;John 8:44 and him that hates his brother &nbsp; 1 John 3:15; a matricide is designated as μντραλώας , <i> '''''mētralṓas''''' </i> &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:9; compare ἀδελφοκτόνος , <i> '''''adelphoktónos''''' </i> , "fratricidal" (Wisd 10:3). </p> <p> The plural of φόνος , <i> ''''' phónos ''''' </i> , "murders," occurs in &nbsp; Matthew 15:19; &nbsp;Mark 7:21; &nbsp;Galatians 5:21 the King James Version; &nbsp; Revelation 9:21; compare 2 Macc 4:3, 38; 12:6): </p> <p> The Hebrew law recognized the distinction between willful murder and accidental or justifiable homicide &nbsp;Numbers 25:16; but in legal language no verbal distinction is made. Murder was always subject to capital punishment (&nbsp;Leviticus 24:17; compare &nbsp;Genesis 9:6 ). Even if the criminal sought the protection of the sanctuary, he was to be arrested before the altar, and to be punished &nbsp;Exodus 21:12 , &nbsp;Exodus 21:14; &nbsp;Leviticus 24:17 , &nbsp;Leviticus 24:21; &nbsp;Numbers 35:16 , &nbsp;Numbers 35:18 , &nbsp;Numbers 35:21 , &nbsp;Numbers 35:31 . The [[Mishna]] says that a mortal blow intended for another than the victim is punishable with death; but such a provision is not found in the Law. No special mention is made of ( <i> a </i> ) child murder; ( <i> b </i> ) parricide; or ( <i> c </i> ) taking life by poison; but the intention of the law is clear with reference to all these eases &nbsp;Exodus 21:15 , &nbsp;Exodus 21:17; &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:9; &nbsp;Matthew 15:4 . No punishment is mentioned for attempted suicide (compare &nbsp;1 Samuel 31:4; &nbsp;1 Kings 16:18; &nbsp;Matthew 27:5 ); yet Josephus says ( <i> BJ </i> , III, viii, 5) that suicide was held criminal by the Jews (see also &nbsp;Exodus 21:23 ). An animal known to be vicious must be confined, and if it caused the death of anyone, the animal was destroyed and the owner held guilty of murder &nbsp;Exodus 21:29 , &nbsp;Exodus 21:31 . The executioner, according to the terms of the Law, was the "revenger of blood"; but the guilt must be previously determined by the Levitical tribunal. Strong protection was given by the requirement that at least two witnesses must concur in any capital question &nbsp;Numbers 35:19-30; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:6-12; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:12 , &nbsp;Deuteronomy 19:17 . Under the monarchy the duty of executing justice on a murderer seems to have been assumed to some extent by the sovereign, who also had power to grant pardon &nbsp;2 Samuel 13:39; &nbsp;2 Samuel 14:7 , &nbsp;2 Samuel 14:11; &nbsp;1 Kings 2:34 . See Manslayer . </p>