It is apparent premeditation is the driving concept:
Discernment in Homicide Cases. The death penalty was posed for one who killed with premeditation, but not for accidental manslaughter (
Exod 21:12-13 ;
Lev 24:17 ;
Deut 27:24 ). In fact, premeditated murder did not require a trial (
Exod 21:14 ;
Num 35:19 ;
Deut 19:11-13 ). Thus, the Old Testament saw a fundamental difference between the two types of homicide (
Deut 19:1-13 ;
Joshua 20:1-7 ), providing two levels of meaning for rasah [
j;x'r]. One who killed out of enmity was not allowed sanctuary in the city of refuge. The victim's clan could demand that the killer be delivered up to the blood avenger (
2 Sam 14:7-11 ), who presented the evidence against the individual. Guilt was determined either by the intention of the killer or by the type of object used in the apparent manslaughter (
Num 35:16-21 ; some iron, stone, or wooden objects were considered likely to cause death ). However, there had to be at least two witnesses to convict a murderer (
Num 35:30 ;
Deut 17:6 ;
19:15 ;
1 Sam 21:4 ). The blood avenger, who was responsible for the execution, was not allowed to pity the murderer or else the land would be defiled (
Num 35:34 ; David put himself in the hands of God because of this —
2 Sam 12:13 ). No ransom was allowed since this would have signified consent with the crime, undermining the value of human life and breaking the covenant with God. There was also no substitutionary punishment (
Deut 24:16 ; although Saul's sons were demanded as ransom after his own death because he had murdered the Gibeonites
2 Sam 21:1-9 ).
The Meaning of Rasah. Rasah probably had a specialized meaning, possibly in connection with the killing (whether premeditated or accidental) of anyone in the covenant community, especially that which brought illegal violence. The sixth commandment therefore protected the individual Israelite within the community from any danger. Only God had the right to terminate life; murder was an abrogation of his power that ignored humanity's created nature and value in the sight of God. God had to be propitiated since the covenant relationship had been broken (
Num 35:33 ). Murder deprived God of his property (the blood of the victim
Leviticus 17:11 Leviticus 17:14 ), which apparently passed to the control of the murderer (
2 Sam 4:11 ). Thus, the murderer's life was ransomed. Underlying this was the dictum in Genesis 9:6 concerning the sanctity of life. The murderer had to receive a penalty consistent with this law (lex talionis) to purge the evil from their midst (
Gen 4:10-11 ;
Deut 21:8 ) and to deter others (
Deut 13:11 ;
17:13 ;
19:20 ;
21:21 ). Rasah did not cover the subject of killing in war or capital punishment, which were done only at the command of God; thus, they were not in the same category as murder.
Other Terms for Murder. The most common Hebrew word for killing (harag [
g;r'h]) could also be used for murder. Pharaoh viewed Moses' killing of an Egyptian as a crime (
Exod 2:14-15 ). Joab's spilling of the blood of Abner was condemned (
2 Sam 3:30 ;
1 Kings 2:5 ). David was responsible for the death of Uriah, although he did not physically kill him (
2 Sam 12:9 ). Judicial murder was also condemned (
Exod 23:7 ;
Psalm 10:8 ;
94:6 ). Harag [
g;r'h] was the term used for Cain's crime against Abel (
Gen 4:8 ), and for the murderers of Ishbosheth (
2 Sam 4:11-12 ). Striking a parent (possibly with the intent to murder
Exod 21:15 ), inducing death by miscarriage (
Exod 21:22-23 ), and sacrificing children to a foreign god (
Lev 20:2-3 ) were apparently considered murder and were capital crimes. If a man beat a slave to death, he was probably punished (or better avenged) by being put to death by the covenant community (
Exod 21:20 ). There was no legislation outlawing suicide, as it must have been very rare. Those who committed suicide in Scripture had been placed in a situation of certain death (
Judges 9:54 ;
16:30 ;
1 Sam 31:4 ;
2 Sam 17:23 ;
1 Kings 16:18 ).
Murder Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary