Exodus 20:13

The context

This is one of the ten words given at Sinai, in a chapter that begins with the theophany and the people's fear. The commands move from the claims of God to the conduct of neighbours. This one stands at the head of the second table, in the shortest possible form.

What it establishes

It establishes that the taking of life is a matter of divine command, not only of social convenience, and that the prohibition is stated without qualification in its immediate form. It presumes a community bound by covenant.

What it does not establish

It does not cover every killing. The verb used is the one for unlawful or malicious killing, not the verb used elsewhere in the law for warfare or judicial execution. The commandment does not settle questions about war, capital punishment, or self-defence, though all three cite it.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• If those who die as infants go to Heaven, why doesn't God kill everyone in infancy in order to maximize the number of those in Heaven?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.