Deuteronomy 5:17 — Word Study
WLCלֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽח׃ ס
BSAYou shall notlôʼ [without cause, or unjustly] murderrâtsach▸ [kill, take someone's life, implying a strong negation]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| לֹ֥֖א | not | Particle |
| תִּֿרְצָֽח׃ ס | you must murder | Verb, Qal, imperfect second person masculine singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You shall not murder. |
| KJV | Thou shalt not kill. |
| ASV | Thou shalt not kill. |
| YLT | 'Thou dost not murder. |
| WEB | “You shall not murder. |
| BBE | Do not put anyone to death without cause. |
Where they part company is in the translation of רָצַח — see How Translations Differ.
This command is a straightforward prohibition with a single main clause.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
verbרָצַח
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Deuteronomy 5:17
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Ten Commandmentsgenerated
Deuteronomy 5:17 is part of a larger section where God gives the Israelites moral laws to guide their conduct. This command, along with others, is intended to promote a just and harmonious society. It follows the command to honor parents in Deuteronomy 5:16 and precedes commands against adultery and theft, showing a progression in the moral fabric of the community.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 20:13 | You shall not murder. |
| 2 | Matthew 5:21–22 | You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — רָצַח, tre.Tzachgenerated
The verb רָצַח (ratsach) means to murder or slay, focusing on the intentional act of killing. It is a Qal verb in the imperfect form, indicating a command not to engage in this act.
This word emphasizes premeditated killing, distinguishing it from accidental death. The prohibition against murder highlights the value of human life and the serious nature of taking it.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In the Berean Standard Bible, the command is rendered as You shall not murder, which is consistent across other translations like the KJV and ASV.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the command is straightforward, with the finite verb תִּרְצָֽח (you shall murder) following the negation לֹא (not). This simple construction emphasizes the clear prohibition.
The sentence is direct and commands a specific action, making the moral expectation unambiguous.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates רָצַח as μοιξεύσεις, which carries the meaning of murder or killing. This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the emphasis on the wrongful act of taking a life.
The Greek word used here reflects a similar moral understanding of the act of murder as seen in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Deuteronomy 5:17 states that you shall not murder. This command is part of the Ten Commandments, which are moral laws given to the Israelites. It emphasizes the importance of respecting human life and prohibits the intentional killing of another person.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that one should not intentionally take another person's life, emphasizing the value of life.
This command is crucial for maintaining a just and peaceful society, protecting individuals from harm.
Yes, murder implies premeditated intent to kill, whereas killing can refer to various contexts, including war or self-defense.
It is one of several commands that outline moral behavior, working together to create a framework for ethical living.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I ensure that I value and respect the lives of others in my daily actions?
- What steps can I take to promote peace and prevent violence in my community?
- In what ways can I reflect on the importance of this command in my own life?
- How does understanding the context of this command help me apply it today?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Deuteronomy 5:17 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleVer. 17-20. Thou shalt not kill,.... The following commands begin with the copulative "and", different from the manner in which they are expressed, Exodus 20:17 which joins these together, and them
Read John Gill on Deuteronomy 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThou shalt not kill. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Deuteronomy 5 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(17-20) The wording of these four commandments is the same with that of Exodus 20.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Deuteronomy 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges17–20. The Sixth to the Ninth Commandments, as in Exodus 20:13-16, except that for the simple not used there, we have here and not = neither, to introduce the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Commandments; and that in the Ninth instead of sheḳ ?er = false of Exo 20:16 there is the wider term shav’ = vain, groundless, as in the Third Commandment. For this term see on Exodus 20:7; and cp. Exodus 23:1 (E), where it is applied to a report or rumour.
Read Cambridge on Deuteronomy 5 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleOF THE TEN , Deuteronomy 5:6-21.Here, on the plains of Moab, in sight of the Land of Promise, thirty-eight years after the first announcement of the law on Sinai, Moses repeats the code which Jehovah
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Deuteronomy 5 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
You shall not murder.
“You shall not murder.
You shall not murder.
You must not murder.
Tyndale line
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt do no murder.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not kill.
Strictly literal
Thou shalt not kill.
'Thou dost not murder.
You do not murder.
Thou shalt not kill.
You will not murder.
From the Latin
Thou shalt not kill.
Simplified
You must not kill people.
Do not put anyone to death without cause.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which all agree on the wording of לא תרצח. There are minor variations in some scrolls, but the core message remains unchanged.
לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽח׃ ס
2 of the 2 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
לא תרצח
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
לא תרצח
2 words on the leather.
לוא תרצח
2 words on the leather.
[לא] תרצח
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.
[לוא] תרצח
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 1 supplied entire by an editor.
[לוא] [תרצח]
nothing on the leather here — 2 supplied entire by an editor.
לוא תרצח
2 words on the leather.
לא תרצח
2 words on the leather.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Deuteronomy 5:17
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Part — ParticleHTn
רָצַח (ratsach) is a Hebrew verb meaning to murder or slay, with nuances of premeditated and accidental killing. It appears in various forms, including Qal (to murder), Niphal (to be slain), and Piel (to intensively murder or assassinate). The entries emphasize the act of killing a human being, particularly in a malicious context.
רָצַח vb. murder, slay
Qal murder, slay, with premeditation
Niph. I shall be slain
Pi. (intens.) murder, assassinate
Pu. ye murder
base
H7523 רָצַח murder, slay
7523 ratsach raw-tsakh'
a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a
human being), especially to murder:--put to death, kill,
(man-)slay(-er), murder(-er).
רָצַח (ra.tsach) — to murder.
1) to murder, slay, kill
1a)(Qal) to murder, slay
1a1) premeditated
1a2) accidental
1a3) as avenger
1a4) slayer (intentional) (participle)
1b) (Niphal) to be slain
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to murder, assassinate
1c2) murderer, assassin (participle) (subst)
1d) (Pual) to be killed
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine singularHVqi2ms
1. Terms:
mur'-der (haragh, "to smite," "destroy," "kill," "slay" (Ps 10:8; Ho 9:13 AV]), ratsach, "to dash to pieces," "kill," especially with premeditation (Nu 35:16 and frequently; 3Job 24:14; Ps 94:6; Jer 7:9; Ho 6:9); phoneus, "criminal homicide," from phoneuo, "to kill," "slay"; phonos, from pheno, has the same meaning; anthropoktonos, "manslayer," "murderer," is used to designate Satan (Joh 8:44) and him that hates his brother (
Murder
Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man’s having been made in the likeness of God (Gen. 9:5, 6; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12, 15). The Mosiac law prohibited any compensation for murder or the reprieve of the murderer (Ex. 21:12, 14; Deut. 19:11, 13; 2 Sam. 17:25; 20:10). Two witnesses were required…
The law of Moses, 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. (Exodus 21:12,14; Leviticus 24:17,21; 1 Kings 2:5,6,31) 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. In regal times the duty of execution of justice on a murderer seems to have been assumed to some extent by the sovereign, as was also the privilege of pardon. (2 Samuel…
The designed and malevolent taking of human life, was by the original appointment of God, a crime to be punished by death. Cain, the first murderer, recognized it as such, Ge 4:14. The ground for the death penalty for murder is the eminent dignity and sacredness of man as a child of God, Ge 9:5-6. Like the Sabbath and marriage, it is a primeval and universal institution for mankind, and all nations have so recognized it, Ac 28:4. The Mosaic code reenacted it, Le 24:17; and while providing for the unintentional homicide a safe retreat, declares that deliberate murder must be punished by death, from which neither the city of refuge nor the altar of God could shield the…