Ratsach רָצַח

Ratsach (Hebrew רָצַח, Strong's H7523) is a Hebrew verb meaning “to murder”. It occurs 47 times in 40 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Topics

• Murder

Verses

Every verse with Ratsach, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Exodus

• Exodus 20:13
  Thou shalt not kill.You shall not murder.

Numbers

• Numbers 35:6
  And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities.
• Numbers 35:11
  Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.
• Numbers 35:12
  And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
• Numbers 35:16
  And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
• Numbers 35:17
  And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
• Numbers 35:18
  Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
• Numbers 35:19
  The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
• Numbers 35:21
  Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.
• Numbers 35:25
  And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
• Numbers 35:26
  But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled
• Numbers 35:27
  And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed
• Numbers 35:28
  Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns.
• Numbers 35:30
  Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.
• Numbers 35:31
  Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy

• Deuteronomy 4:42
  That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:
• Deuteronomy 5:17
  Thou shalt not kill.You shall not murder.
• Deuteronomy 19:3
  Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.
• Deuteronomy 19:4
  And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him:
• Deuteronomy 19:6
  Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm.
• Deuteronomy 22:26
  But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:Do nothing to the young woman, because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.

Joshua

• Joshua 20:3
  That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
• Joshua 20:5
  And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
• Joshua 20:6
  And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
• Joshua 21:13
  Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,
• Joshua 21:21
  For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer with her suburbs,From the tribe of Ephraim they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,
• Joshua 21:27
  And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beesh–terah with her suburbs; two cities.This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.
• Joshua 21:32
  And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammoth–dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.
• Joshua 21:38
  And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,

Judges

• Judges 20:4
  And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

1 Kings

• 1 Kings 21:19
  And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’ Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

2 Kings

• 2 Kings 6:32
  But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”

Job

• Job 24:14
  The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.

Psalms

• Psalm 62:3
  How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.How long will you threaten a man? Will all of you throw him down like a leaning wall or a tottering fence?
• Psalm 94:6
  They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.They kill the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.

Proverbs

• Proverbs 22:13
  The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”

Isaiah

• Isaiah 1:21
  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 7:9
  Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,

Hosea

• Hosea 4:2
  By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.
• Hosea 6:9
  And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities.

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).