רֶצַח
𐤓𐤑𐤇
retsach
H7524 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The act of homicide, particularly the unlawful killing of a person; used to denote murder, manslaughter, and killing with violence, whether premeditated or not, depending on context. In certain legal texts, signifies the offense of killing another, distinguishing between deliberate murder and unintentional manslaughter. Sometimes used abstractly to refer to bloodshed or violent homicide more broadly.
Semantic Range
murder, homicide, manslaughter, a case of unlawful killing, bloodshed, violent death
Root / Etymology
From the root רָצַח (r-ts-ch), meaning 'to kill, murder, slay'. רֶצַח is the nominal form denoting the act or result of such killing, i.e., 'homicide, murder'. The noun forms a part of legal and narrative vocabulary regarding violence and death caused by humans against other humans.
Historical & Contextual Notes
רֶצַח appears mainly in legal contexts (e.g., Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19, Joshua 20–21) addressing issues of homicide within Israelite society, especially distinguishing premeditated killing from accidental death and specifying procedures for asylum and punishment. The legal texts focus on the Israelite communal response and justice for bloodshed, employing רֶצַח primarily for acts considered culpable. In later Hebrew and Rabbinic tradition, the term becomes tied to the broader concept of murder as proscribed by the Decalogue (Exodus 20:13), though in biblical usage the nuance can include both intentional and unintentional homicide, depending on modifiers. רֶצַח should be differentiated from other terms like חָרַב (ḥārav, 'to slay/desolate'), חָלַל (ḥālal, 'to pierce/slay'), and מוֹת (mot, 'to die'), which have different legal and narrative implications; רֶצַח often denotes wrongful bloodshed distinct from acts of war or lawfully sanctioned capital punishment. English translations—rendering the term as 'murder', 'slaying', 'manslaughter', or 'killing'—may not fully capture this range. In some post-biblical contexts, the word is associated with judicial murder or unlawful bloodshed, and in later periods, inherited into legal and ethical discussions of homicide. The Strong's gloss 'sword' is not directly supported by primary sources—רֶצַח concerns the act of killing, not the instrument.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָצַח; a crushing; specifically, a murder-cry; slaughter, sword.
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רצח (r-ts-ḥ) — kill, murder, slay
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7523 | רָצַח | I will be murdered |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7524-01 |
בְּ/רֶ֔צַח | beretsach | HR/Ncmsa |
in-murder | in homicide | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7524-01 |
Ezekiel 21:27 | בְּ/רֶ֔צַח | beretsach | HR/Ncmsa |
in slaughter | in homicide |
H7524-01 |
Psalms 42:11 | בְּ/רֶ֤צַח | beretsach | HR/Ncmsa |
in-murder | in homicide |