Ask the Patriarch 32
Thou shalt not murder
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by Maarten van den Driest
In Ask the Patriarch 32, you claim that ‘you shall not kill’ gives no allowances for any legitimate killing.
There is some evidence that the original Hebrew should be read as ‘you shall not murder’, or any variety on the kill-without-justification theme. In the Bible itself, numerous justified killings take place. If only because God apparently wanted them but let’s not go into that now.
I’d rate this commandment still around the 7 or 8 out of ten because no additional guidance is given, in that specific text or in the rest of the Bible.