Thou shall not kill?

[Aimee30]

There is no context in the simple sentence "Thou Shalt Not Kill"


That is what the word means though.

lit·er·al (lĭt'ər-əl)

adj.

1. Being in accordance with, conforming to, or upholding the exact or primary meaning of a word or words.
2. Word for word; verbatim: a literal translation.
3. Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or embellishment; factual; prosaic: a literal description; a literal mind.
4. Consisting of, using, or expressed by letters: literal notation.
5. Conforming or limited to the simplest, nonfigurative, or most obvious meaning of a word or words.

I can agree with definition 1.
I see parables in the Bible which are stories made to prove a point and are not literal.
I can almost certainly say that everyone's view of it's being literal will vary from person as some people take parts of it to mean different things than others.
I would also like to mention here that I as defending the love your enemies part and not anything about the "kill" part. Self defense or assisting someone to defend him/herself is the only acceptable reason anyone could possibly have for taking another's life, and even this we should be careful to ask for forgiveness for. After all, there may have been another way to handle the situation.

 

[momalle1]

I see parables in the Bible which are stories made to prove a point and are not literal.

Me too.

As for the definition, it is what it is.