The Hebrew word for killing used in the sixth commandment (Deuteronomy 5:17) usually refers to unlawful and unauthorised killings (as opposed to cases such as war where killing may not be ideal but is authorised, see Deuteronomy 20:1-4 on Day 41).

Genesis 9:6 says the reason for prohibiting murder is that ″in the image of God has God made mankind″. Only God has the authority to take human life.

But contemporary society, having lost its fear of God, has usurped His authority to determine when to end a person's life. It permits sophisticated forms of death, like assisted suicide, abortion on demand, and euthanasia. Euthanasia must be distinguished from removing artificial life support from brain-dead people. We protect life, but do not need to unnecessarily prolong the process of death through artificial means.

Terrorism trivialises murder and must be condemned. But Christians should seriously consider the grievances of people who resort to terrorism. Could it be that they resorted to extreme measures because their legitimate rights could not be won by legal means? The growth of organised crime and involvement in it, even by supposedly respectable people, is another dangerous trend. When governments resort to letting paramilitary and military groups commit extra-judicial killings to eliminate ″undesirable people″, they contribute to forming a culture where murder is acceptable. The grossest contemporary form of murder is genocide, when large numbers of civilians are murdered because they belong to the ″wrong″ ethnic, religious, or political group.

The Bible is familiar with murder and contains stories that give us insight into what motivates people to kill. Cain killed Abel out of jealousy (Genesis 4:1-16). Lamech killed as an act of revenge after being wounded (Genesis 4:23). Jacob's sons and Absalom killed to defend family honour over the defiling of their sisters (Genesis 34:1-31; 2 Samuel 13). Pharaoh had male Israelite children killed for national security (Exodus 1:8-22). David had Uriah killed to cover up the shame of his sin (2 Samuel 11). King Ahab's greed for a vineyard resulted in Naboth's murder (1 Kings 21:1-16). Herod had innocent children killed fearing a threat to his rule (Matthew 2:13-18). The queen Herodias had John the Baptist killed for condemning her immorality (Matthew 14:3-12).

Jesus came to the root cause of murder when commenting on this commandment. He said, ″Anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment″ (Matthew 5:22). There are many people in prisons today who, by a sudden explosion of hidden rage, committed the unthinkable crime of murdering someone. We see the wisdom of Paul's advice: ″Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry″ (Ephesians 4:26). There is a need for urgency when it comes to battling anger. If we do not conquer our anger, we will become crippled spiritually. Someone has said, ″He who angers you controls you.″