benw@tekid.UUCP (Ben Ward) (08/26/83)
Steve, the only consistent interpretation of the Hebrew word translated "kill" in the KJV and "murder" in many recent translations in the commandment "You shall not murder" is "murder". The Mosaic (Old Testament) Law REQUIRES capital punishment (the taking of a life) in many cases. This obviously was not prohibited by the "don't murder" commandment. If the commandment were "don't KILL", capital punishment would not have been used. As I've stated before in this newsgroup, don't jump to conclusions without looking around at the context first. Don't choose your favorite translation (because it supports what you are trying to say) if the evidence does not support what that translation says. "Kill" is obviously not the correct translation in light of the context. (Also, the KJV is certainly not the place to go when the best rendition of a passage is desired.) (If we all spoke Hebrew and Greek, lots of problems would disappear.) David Eby ...!tektronix!tekig1!davide