Of all of the Biblical Injunctions upon mankind, this is perhaps the least understood. The familiar statement from the Ten Commandments, "Thou Shalt Not Kill", has been subject to much debate throughout history. This commandment is identical in purpose to its gentile counterpart. But in order to fully understand it, one must take it in context with the rest of the Biblical account.

    The first question is this: How can we keep the commandment against murder when the Bible is replete with references such as this, which G-d commanded Noah: "From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of a man. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of G-d He made man" Genesis 9:6  This verse clearly references capital punishment for the crime of murder, yet how is it possible to correct the sin of murder by taking another life. Is the punishment not the same as the crime?

    In order to answer this question, one must delve more deeply into the text. The Hebrew words generally translated "to kill" are Harag and Ratzach and are always found to have the meaning, "to smite with deadly intent" or "to commit premeditated murder". From the context it is clear that not just merely taking of human life is meant, but the act of committing murder against another human being with evil intentions. Therefore, capital punishment is not breaking the commandments in question, as it is the explicitly stated punishment for these crimes.

    To truly understand the intent of this injunction, it is important to understand the Biblical concept of repentance (Hebrew - Teshuvah). Biblically speaking, if someone commits a sin against another human, wronging him/her in some way, then the only way to achieve atonement in the eyes of G-d and man was first to make restitution. For instance, if the crime was theft, then the stolen object had to be repayed with interest. Then, the penetant was to ask forgiveness from the one he wronged. One must confront the wronged person three times in an attempt to gain forgiveness. If after the third time forgiveness is still not granted, the person could assume that he had done all that could be done. Only then was he capable of asking forgiveness in the sight of G-d. This is a very different concept than that which is generally taught in Western society today.

    However, in the case of murder, it is impossible to make restitution for what was stolen. Once life has been taken, it is impossible to repay the debt. The only restitution that can be made is giving one's own life for the life that was taken. Only then can one seek forgiveness from the nearest kin and finally from G-d. However, even if forgiveness is given by the nearest kin or one believes that G-d forgives him, it still does not make restitution for the life that was stolen, making capital punishment a necessity in this particualar case.

    Murder can also be defined for other occurances. A Noahide who kills any human being without just cause, even a baby in the womb of its mother, is guilty of transgressing the commandment. Terminating the life of a terminally ill patient or one who is certain to die momentarily is also forbidden.

    The protection of human life is of the utmost importance, however. If you, your family, your loved ones, or anyone incapable of protecting themselves is in danger of life, and you are in a position to stop the murderer, you are in fact commanded to do so by whatever means necessary. Failing to do so in fact causes you to be an accomplice to murder. If, however, one could have stopped the pursuer without killing him, yet killed him anyway, he is guilty of murder.

    A person is commanded to allow his own death rather than kill another. This means that if someone compells you to kill another at risk of your own life, you are to allow yourself to be killed in the other's place, even if you are certain the other will die anyway at the hands of the pursuer.