Dr Paul Allen

English: Auguste Vaillants execution. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Does the sixth commandment , “ Thou shalt not kill ” (Ex. 20:13), abrogate the principle of capital punishment ? The verb used in this verse occurs forty-nine times in the Old Testament and in every relevant use means “to murder,” especially with premeditation. It is never used of animals, God , angels, or enemies in battle. The New Testament always translates the sixth commandment with phoneuo, which is never used to mean anything other than “to murder.” The penalty for breaking the commandment was death (Ex. 21:12; Num. 35:16–21). One can conclude that when the theocracy took the life of a murderer (i.e., one who violated the sixth commandment), the state (particularly those who actually performed the execution) was not guilty of murder.  Furthermore, God’s commanding Israel to kill their enemies during the conquest of Canaan could not have been a violation of this commandment either by God or by the individ