Exodus 20:13

“You shall not murder.”

Exodus 20:13 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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With the Hebrew beneath

13

Quotation · Romans 13:9

Go to Romans 13:9

Paul quotes four commandments, adultery first, and sums them up in Leviticus 19:18.

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: τὸ γάρ Οὐ μοιχεύσεις Οὐ φονεύσεις Οὐ κλέψεις Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολή ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται ἐν τῷ Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תִּרְצָח לֹא תִּנְאָף לֹא תִּגְנֹב לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ

Septuagint (Exodus 20:17 in the Septuagint numbering): Oὐκ ἔπι· θυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου· οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ πλησίον σου οὔτε τὸν ἀγρὸν αὐτοῦ, οὔτε τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ ούτε τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ, οὔτε τοῦ βοὸς αὐτοῦ οὔτε τοῦ ὑποζυγίου αὐτοῦ οὔτε παντὸς κτήνους αὐτοῦ, οὔτε ὅσα τῷ πλησίον σού ἐστιν.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · James 2:11

Go to James 2:11

James quotes two commandments, adultery first, to say that the law is one.

Formula: ὁ γὰρ εἰπών “for the one who said” (James 2:11)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ὁ γὰρ εἰπών Μὴ μοιχεύσῃς εἶπεν καί Μὴ φονεύσῃς εἰ δὲ οὐ μοιχεύεις φονεύεις δέ γέγονας παραβάτης νόμου

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תִּרְצָח לֹא תִּנְאָף

Septuagint (Exodus 20:15 in the Septuagint numbering): Οὐ φονεύσεις.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, no two consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Matthew 5:21

Go to Matthew 5:21

Jesus quotes the commandment and adds a sentence that is not in Exodus: “and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment.”

Formula: Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις “you have heard that it was said to those of old” (Matthew 5:21)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις Οὐ φονεύσεις ὃς δ’ ἂν φονεύσῃ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תִּרְצָח

This passage could not be located with certainty in the transcription of the Septuagint we use, so it is not compared.

Exodus 20:13, word by word

murderתִּרְצָחtirtsach

murder

To take someone's life unjustly.

Where else “tirtsach” appears

Translation note

The Hebrew verb (ratsach) is not the general one for “kill” (harag). It is used for taking a person’s life, and in Numbers 35 also for one who kills unintentionally (35:11).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Romans 13:9

Paul quotes four commandments, adultery first, and sums them up in Leviticus 19:18.

See them side by side

Exodus 20:13

13You shall not murder.

Romans 13:9

9For: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Quotation · James 2:11

James quotes two commandments, adultery first, to say that the law is one.

See them side by side

Exodus 20:13

13You shall not murder.

James 2:11

11For the one who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. And if you do not commit adultery but you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Quotation · Matthew 5:21

Jesus quotes the commandment and adds a sentence that is not in Exodus: “and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment.”

See them side by side

Exodus 20:13

13You shall not murder.

Matthew 5:21

21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to the judgment.’

The context

12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long on the land that YHWH your Elohim is giving you.

13 · This verse (above)

14You shall not commit adultery.

Read all of Exodus 20

How to use it