The Ten Commandments, 4 Of 6: Fifth And Sixth Commandments

Unchanging moral principles, naturally occurring in nearly all societies, are Natural Laws. Even if we did not have the Ten Commandments, murder is wrong. Murder is a part of a body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct.

Christians and Jews, we see another aspect of taking a human life: The most precious gift God bestows is life. Further, God created all of us in His image. Therefore, to murder is to blaspheme God. To murder someone not only extinguishes that person’s life; it extinguishes all life that may have come from that person, all his or her descendants.

Numbers Chapter 35:6-34 discusses accidental killing in depth. Numbers 35:6, “The towns that you give to the Levites shall include the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit a slayer to flee, ….” “A slayer,” or “manslayer” in some translations, is someone who accidentally killed a person. To protect such a person, the law designated six cities of asylum for people who had killed someone unintentionally and felt that he or she could not get a fair hearing in the area where the act occurred. Examples of people who are eligible for cities of refuge are a stonemason who accidentally drops a stone on someone below killing that person. Someone who hits another with his hand not intending to kill but that person dies. These cities were also protected against vendettas. Numbers 35 goes on to say that killing a person with an iron stone or wooden implement designed to kill was not eligible for cities of refuge. If the court found that the killer purposefully planned to kill, the punishment was more severe because such actions negatively affected the safety of the community.

In our country, we have types of murder and types of manslaughter. Murder charges range from first-degree for premeditated murder, second-degree for intent to harm but did not intend to kill, down to justifiable homicide. Manslaughter ranges from accidental killing down to voluntary manslaughter where someone takes a life during circumstances that alter a killer’s behavior. Further, defendants who have fears about getting a fair trial may ask for a change of venue, they have the opportunity to cast out jurors who may be biased and they may label some witness's prejudice. These ideas of cities of refuge are the Bible’s answer to manslaughter.

Prohibitions against irresponsible decisions and actions are laws that help prevent accidental killing. For example, a parapet is a low protective wall along the edge of a roof. Deuteronomy 22:8, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.” This law makes people responsible for the health and safety of one’s community. This mundane is a detail from everyday life, yet the law about parapets is much broader; it has at least two meanings: one is the simple literal meaning, and the other is the creative outgrowth of the simple into wide-ranging principles. The simple meaning, most houses in ancient Middle Eastern countries had flat roofs. During the day, the roof served as a work area. The hot Middle Eastern sun made the roof an ideal place for such activities as drying grain. At night, the roof was a cooler place to sleep in the warmer weather. Parapets were to prevent people from falling off the roof. The parapet had to be high and strong enough to prevent accidents like rolling off the roof while sleeping to protect children from stumbling and falling off. If someone did fall off, the owner was liable. If someone pushed someone off resulting in injury or death, both the perpetrator and the owner of the house would get the same punishment. Today, many states call deaths due to reckless behavior negligent homicide.