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רָצַח

𐤓𐤑𐤇

râtsach

H7523 verb

SILEX Entry

Root רצח to kill, to murder, to slay illicitly

Definition

To kill a human being illicitly; to commit homicide, especially murder, in deliberate or unlawful contexts. The word frequently designates an act of slaying that is socially or legally condemned rather than sanctioned, distinguishing unpermitted violence from judicial or divinely mandated execution. In certain contexts, it can also refer to manslaughter—unintentional killing—depending on narrative or legal material.

Semantic Range

to deliberately murder, to unlawfully kill, to commit manslaughter (in certain legal contexts), to attack lethally outside societal sanction

Root / Etymology

The root רָצַח (ר-צ-ח) in Hebrew conveys an idea of striking or slaying but is contextually narrowed to unlawful violence against another person. Its precise etymological development is uncertain, as cognates do not appear widely outside of Biblical Hebrew. The lexical sense in Hebrew is more specific than the broader root meaning "to strike, kill."

Historical & Contextual Notes

רָצַח is used in legal and narrative texts to specify homicide that contravenes Israelite law or social norms. It distinguishes between intentional murder (as in the Decalogue, Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) and unintended killing, where the latter is addressed by laws relating to asylum cities (Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19). Unlike broader Hebrew terms for killing (e.g., הָרַג harag, to kill/generally slay; הָמִית hamit, to cause death), רָצַח is seldom used of sanctioned or judicial killing. In English translation, it is most often rendered "murder" or "slay"; modern usage sometimes conflates it with all killing, but the Hebrew is contextually more restricted. In later Jewish and Christian tradition, the verb became emblematic of prohibited, illicit homicide, shaping later legal and theological discussion on murder and manslaughter.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder; put to death, kill, (man-) slay(-er), murder(-er).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רצח (r-ṣ-ḥ) — to murder, to unlawfully kill, to commit homicide

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7524 רֶצַח in homicide

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7523-05 הָ/רֹצֵ֑חַ harotsecha HTd/Vqrmsa the manslayer the unlawful killer 21
H7523-08 רֹצֵ֔חַ rotsecha HVqrmsa murderer murdering one 10
H7523-15 יִרְצַ֖ח yiretsach HVqi3ms kills he will murder 2
H7523-10 תִּרְצָֽח tiretsach HVqi2ms murder you will murder 2
H7523-14 יְרַצְּחוּ yeratsechu HVpi3mp they murder they will murder 2
H7523-13 וְ/רָצֹ֥חַ veratsocha HC/Vqa and murder and murdering 1
H7523-09 תְּרָצְּח֪וּ teratsechu HVpi2mp murder you will murder 1
H7523-07 רָצֹ֨חַ֙ ratsocha HVqa murder to murder 1
H7523-06 מְרַצְּחִֽים meratsechim HVprmpa murderers murdering ones 1
H7523-01 אֵֽרָצֵֽחַ eratsecha HVNi1cs I will be killed I will be murdered 1

Occurrences in Scripture

47 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7523-10 Exodus 20:13 תִּרְצָֽח tiretsach HVqi2ms murder you will murder
H7523-05 Numbers 35:6 הָ/רֹצֵ֑חַ harotsecha HTd/Vqrmsa the manslayer the unlawful killer
H7523-08 Numbers 35:11 רֹצֵ֔חַ rotsecha HVqrmsa the manslayer murdering one
H7523-05 Numbers 35:12 הָ/רֹצֵ֔חַ harotsecha HTd/Vqrmsa the manslayer the unlawful killer
H7523-08 Numbers 35:16 רֹצֵ֣חַֽ rotsecha HVqrmsa murderer murdering one
H7523-05 Numbers 35:16 הָ/רֹצֵֽחַ harotsecha HTd/Vqrmsa the murderer the unlawful killer
H7523-08 Numbers 35:17 רֹצֵ֣חַֽ rotsecha HVqrmsa murderer murdering one
H7523-05 Numbers 35:17 הָ/רֹצֵֽחַ harotsecha HTd/Vqrmsa the murderer the unlawful killer
H7523-08 Numbers 35:18 רֹצֵ֣חַֽ rotsecha HVqrmsa a murderer murdering one
H7523-05 Numbers 35:18 הָ/רֹצֵֽחַ harotsecha HTd/Vqrmsa the murderer the unlawful killer
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