Exodus 20:13 is one of the Ten Commandments, and it means that people must not deliberately take the life of another human being. The command protects human life because every person bears God’s image and belongs to him. It was spoken by God himself to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, as part of the covenant law he gave them through Moses.
“You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:13 (WEB)
What Exodus 20:13 Means
The Hebrew word translated “murder” refers to the unlawful, deliberate killing of a person, not to every death. The verse does not address accidents, executions carried out by lawful authority, or defense of one’s family, which the Bible treats in other passages. Its focus is the intentional, wrongful taking of a human life, the kind of killing that tears apart a community.
The command is short, but it carries a great deal of weight. It says that human life is not ours to dispose of as we please. Anger, revenge, greed, and fear are all human reasons for violence, and the verse stands against letting them lead us to take someone’s life. It does not promise that the commandment will make life safe or that nobody will ever be wronged, but it sets a clear boundary that God expects his people to honor.
The Context of Exodus 20:13
Exodus is the second book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses, and it tells the story of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt and the covenant that followed. The Ten Commandments appear at the center of that covenant, given to a people who had just been rescued and who were learning what it meant to belong to the LORD. The audience was the whole nation gathered at the foot of Sinai.
The verse sits in a list. It comes after the commandments about honoring the Sabbath and honoring parents, and before the commands against adultery, theft, and false testimony. Read in that setting, murder appears as one of several ways a community can be damaged, alongside broken families, stolen property, and lies. The commandments describe how a people who love God also treat one another, so the prohibition on murder is part of a whole way of living in justice and trust.
Key Phrases in Exodus 20:13
Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
(WEB)
This verse grounds the prohibition on murder in the fact that humanity is made in God’s image. It shows that the value of human life is not based on strength, usefulness, or status, but on the Creator who made every person. Reading it alongside Exodus 20:13 helps explain why the command matters so deeply.
1 John 3:15
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
(WEB)
John connects hatred toward a brother with the spirit of murder, widening the commandment to include the attitudes of the heart. This shows that God’s concern reaches beyond outward acts to the inner motives that lead to violence. It encourages readers to examine not only what they do but what they harbor within.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 20:13
Lord, you are the giver of life, and you know every person you have made. Forgive me for the times my anger has run ahead of my love, and for the words or attitudes that have hurt someone I was called to care for. Help me to guard the lives of others with my actions, my words, and my heart. Give me patience when I am provoked and courage to seek peace. Amen.
