רָצַח
ra.tsach (H7523)
to murder
AI Word Study
# H7523 (רָצַח): A Word for Unlawful Killing The Hebrew term *ratsach* carries the specific meaning "to murder," distinguishing it from other Hebrew words for killing. With 47 occurrences across the biblical text, it appears with sufficient frequency to establish itself as a significant moral and legal concept. The term denotes killing that violates established law or moral order—not merely the act of taking life, but the *unlawful* taking of life, making it fundamentally a word about transgression rather than simply describing death itself. The frequency of this word's appearance (47 times) suggests it held considerable importance in biblical law and ethics. Its recurrence across various biblical books indicates that the distinction between *ratsach* (murder) and other forms of killing was meaningful throughout Hebrew scripture and not confined to a single legal tradition or time period. This consistency implies that Hebrew speakers and writers found it necessary to have a precise term that captured the element of wrongfulness inherent in certain killings, reflecting an underlying concern with justice and the protection of human life under legal and moral frameworks.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
“The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the man slayer to flee to. Besides them you shall give forty-two cities.
then you shall appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man slayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.
The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
“ ‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
If he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death. When he meets him, he shall put him to death.
or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
The congregation shall deliver the man slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled. He shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
“ ‘But if the man slayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge where he flees,
and the avenger of blood finds him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the man slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,
because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the man slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
“ ‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.
“ ‘Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death. He shall surely be put to death.
that the man slayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally and didn’t hate him in time past, and that fleeing to one of these cities he might live:
You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there.
This is the case of the man slayer who shall flee there and live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him in time past—
Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the man slayer while hot anger is in his heart and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, even though he was not worthy of death, because he didn’t hate him in time past.
but to the lady you shall do nothing. There is in the lady no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter;
that the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.
He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then the man slayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city he fled from.’ ”
To the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, Libnah with its pasture lands,
They gave them Shechem with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Gezer with its pasture lands,
They gave to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Be Eshterah with its pasture lands: two cities.
Out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, Hammothdor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands: three cities.
Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, “I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?” ’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ”
But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief.
How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless.
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets!”
How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was full of justice. Righteousness lodged in her, but now there are murderers.
Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,
There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.
As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder on the path toward Shechem, committing shameful crimes.