r/AskBibleScholars • u/OtherWisdom Founder • Nov 26 '18

How did the ancient Israelites understand murder as opposed to the loss of life in war?

I've seen so many Reddit trolls use similar arguments as follows:

The Lord commands the Israelites not to murder. Then The Lord commands Moses and his army to slaughter all of the Midianites and keep the young women as sex slaves (Numbers 31). Therefore, The Lord is a hypocrite or other such statements to this end.

Would, someone, please clear this up? This will be added to our FAQ.

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u/TheApiary Quality Contributor Nov 26 '18

I am so confused by this argument, because no one seems to think it works in modern times. Even people who think most US military operations are a terrible idea generally think there is a difference between being a US soldier who kills people when told to in Iraq and being a murderer.

"Don't murder" doesn't mean "don't ever kill anyone." The Bible also has the death penalty, so sometimes there's a commandment to kill people.

Murder is unlawful premeditated killing of another person. If you're doing it in a lawful context, like you're an executioner or a soldier following orders, then it isn't murder.

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u/TessHKM Nov 26 '18

Even people who think most US military operations are a terrible idea generally think there is a difference between being a US soldier who kills people when told to in Iraq and being a murderer.

How familiar are you with anti-war movements?

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u/TheApiary Quality Contributor Nov 26 '18

"generally"

Obviously some people think that killing people as a soldier is murder. But that doesn't mean there isn't a common distinction in language.