NOTICE:
I
will post a quote or article from a Christian in favor of capital punishment
every fortnight. One of my favorite theologians, Martin Luther died on this
date, 18 February 1546. He would have been 530 years old if he was alive today!
In loving memory of him, I will post the Christian Quotes for the Death Penalty
of the Fortnight on the sixth commandment. I got the information from Wikipedia.
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The
Sixth Commandment, as translated by the Book of Common Prayer (1549). The image
is from the altar screen of the Temple Church near the Law Courts in London.
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You shall not murder sometimes translated as You
shall not kill, KJV Thou shalt not kill (LXX οὐ
φονεύσεις, translating Hebrew לֹא תִּרְצָח lo
tirṣaḥ), is a moral imperative included as one of the Ten
Commandments in the Torah, specifically Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17.
The imperative is against unlawful
killing resulting in bloodguilt. The Hebrew Bible contains numerous
prohibitions against unlawful killing, but also allows for justified killing in
the context of warfare, capital punishment, and self-defense.
Hebrew Bible
Retzach
The Hebrew verb רצח (r-ṣ-ḥ, also
transliterated retzach, ratzákh, ratsakh etc.) has a wider range of
meanings, generally describing destructive activity, including meanings
"to break, to dash to pieces" as well as "to slay, kill,
murder".
According to the Priestly Code of the Book
of Numbers, killing anyone with a weapon, or in unarmed combat, is considered retzach.
The code even includes accidental killing as a form of retzach.
The Bible never uses the word retzach
in conjunction with war. The Covenant Code and Holiness Code both prescribe the
death penalty for people that commit n-k-h.
The act of slaying itself, regardless
of questions of bloodguilt, is expressed with the verb n-k-h "to
strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill". This verb is used of both an
Egyptian slaying an Israelite slave and of Moses slaying the Egyptian in
retaliation in Exodus 2:11-12.
Another verb meaning "to kill,
slay, murder, destroy, ruin" is h-r-g, used of Cain slaying Abel in
Genesis 4:8, and also when Cain is driven into exile, complaining that
"every one that findeth me shall slay me" in Genesis 4:14, he uses
the same verb.
Bloodguilt
in the Hebrew Bible
The concept of bloodguilt pervades the
Bible and entails punishment for the shedding of innocent blood.
Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land,
and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except
by the blood of the one who shed it.
— Numbers 35:33 (NIV)
The commandment against murder can be
viewed as a legal issue governing human relationships, noting that the first
five commandments relate strongly to man's duty to God and that the latter five
commandments describe duties toward humans. The commandment against murder can
also be viewed as based in respect for God himself. Since man is made in God's
image, the shedding of innocent blood is viewed as a direct offense against the
Creator.
The ancient understanding of guilt
that is incurred from the shedding of innocent blood is seen in the Genesis
narrative, in which Cain killed his brother Abel out of anger, and the LORD cursed Cain for shedding his brother's blood.
The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive
your brother's blood from your hand.
— Genesis 4:10-11 (ESV)
The Genesis narrative also portrays
the prohibition of shedding innocent blood as an important aspect of God's
covenant with Noah.
— Genesis 9:6 (ESV)
The Torah portrays murder as a capital
crime and describes a number of details in the moral understanding and legal
implementation of consequences.
If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is
a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a stone in his
hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies, he is a murderer;
the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a wooden object in his
hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer;
the murderer shall be put to death. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer
to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. If anyone with malice
aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he
dies or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person
shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the
murderer to death when he meets him.
— Numbers 35:16-21 (NIV)
In contrast, if the killing was
accidental, the accused person was permitted to flee to a city of refuge where
he would be safe from the avenger of blood. Carrying out the death penalty
required the testimony of multiple witnesses; putting someone to death on the
testimony of a single witness was strictly prohibited.
The Torah had the expectation that
capital crimes would be investigated thoroughly, and moral guilt was attached
to failure to investigate crimes thoroughly or failure to give testimony when a
call was made for witnesses. The understanding of bloodguilt also required a
procedure to make atonement for unsolved murder. If a dead body was found lying
in a field, the elders and judges were to carefully determine the distance to
the closest town, and the elders of the nearest town were to break a heifer's
neck in a prescribed manner and location.
Then all the elders of the
town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was
broken in the valley, and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this
blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel,
whom you have redeemed, O LORD, and do not hold
your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man." And the bloodshed
will be atoned for. So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding
innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
— Deuteronomy 21:6-9 (NIV)
Responsibility for blood guilt also
extended to areas of gross negligence. A man who failed to build a parapet or
railing around the roof of his house would incur blood guilt if someone fell and
died. The owner of a bull who was known to have a habit of goring could be put
to death if he failed to keep the animal confined and the bull gored a man or woman
to death. The Torah also instructs that homicidal animals were also to be
stoned to death and the carcass reviled.
Although judicial mechanisms existed,
the Priestly Code permits a close relative of the victim (known as an avenger
of blood) to hunt down the suspect and kill them, before any trial has even
taken place; however, the avenger of blood was not permitted, by this
law code, to kill the suspect while they resided in a city of refuge.
The right of the avenger of blood to such revenge ceases, according to
the code, after the death of the person who was the Jewish High Priest at the
time of the crime.
Justified
killing: due consequence for crime
The Torah and Hebrew Bible made clear
distinctions between the shedding of innocent blood and killing as the due
consequence of a crime. A number of sins were considered to be worthy of the
death penalty including murder, incest, bearing false witness on a capital
charge, adultery, idolatry, etc.
For example, the Exodus narrative
describes the people as having turned to idolatry with the golden calf while
Moses was on the mountain receiving the law from God. When Moses came down, he
commanded the Levites to take up the sword against their brothers and
companions and neighbors. The Levites obeyed and killed about three thousand
men who had sinned in worship of the golden calf. As a result, Moses said that
the Levites had received a blessing that day at the cost of son and brother. On
a separate occasion, a blasphemer was stoned to death because he blasphemed the
name of the LORD with a curse.
The Hebrew Bible has many other
examples of sinners being put to death as due consequence for crimes. Achan is
put to death by Joshua because he caused defeat of Israel’s army by taking some
of the plunder and hiding it in his tent. David ordered that an Amalekite be
put to death because he claimed to have killed King Saul. In his charge to his
son Solomon, King David ordered him to deal with the bloodguilt of Joab, who
had murdered Abner and Amasa. Solomon ordered that Joab be killed:
Strike him down and bury
him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood
that Joab shed. The LORD will repay him for the
blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two
men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of
Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army—were better
men and more upright than he. May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of
Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house
and his throne, may there be the LORD's peace
forever.
— 1 Kings 2:31-33 (NIV)
The biblical refrain for those justly
executed as due punishment for crimes is that “their blood will be on their own
heads.” This expresses the idea that those guilty of certain actions have
brought the shedding of blood upon themselves, and those carrying out due
punishment do not bear bloodguilt.
Justified
killing: in warfare
Further information:
Herem (war or property)
The
ancient Hebrew texts make a distinction between the moral and legal prohibition
of shedding of innocent blood and killing in battle. For example, the Torah
prohibits murder, but sanctions killing in legitimate battle. The Bible often
praises the exploits of soldiers against enemies in legitimate battle. One of
David’s mighty men is credited with killing eight hundred men with the spear,
and Abishai is credited with killing three hundred men. Of course, David
himself is portrayed as a hero for killing Goliath in battle.
The
613 Mitzvot extend the notion of lawful killing to the nations that inhabited
the Promised Land, commanding to exterminate them completely. Deuteronomy
20:10-18 establishes rules on killing civilians in warfare:
- the population of cities outside of the Promised Land, if they surrender, should be made tributaries and left alive (20:10-11)
- those cities outside of the Promised Land that resist should be besieged, and once they fall, the male population should be exterminated, but the women and children should be left alive (20:12-15)
- of those cities that were within the Promised Land, however, the population should be exterminated entirely (20:16-18), specifically "the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites" (20:16-18). Deuteronomy 25:19 further commands the extermination of the Amalekites.
Justified
killing: intruder in the home
As described in the Torah, the ancient
understanding of the prohibition of murder made an exception for legitimate
self-defense. A home defender who struck and killed a thief caught in the act
of breaking in at night was not guilty of bloodshed. “If a thief is caught
breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of
bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed.”
A man's house is his castle,
and God's law, as well as man's, sets a guard upon it; he that assaults it does
so at his peril.
— Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Exodus
22
Jewish interpretation
Further information: Judaism and violence and Peace and war in Judaism
Jewish law views the shedding of
innocent blood very seriously, and lists murder as one of three sins (along
with idolatry and sexual immorality) that fall under the category of yehareg
ve'al ya'avor, meaning "One should let himself be killed rather than
violate it." Jewish law enumerates 613 Mitzvot, or commandments, including
prohibition of murder and a number of other commandments related to the
preserving of human life and administration of justice in cases of shedding of innocent
blood.
482. Don't commit murder
(Exodus 20:13) 483. Don't accept ransom for life of the murderer (Numbers
35:31) 484. Exile an accidental murderer (Numbers 35:25) 485. Don't accept
ransom from him (Numbers 35:32) 486. Don't kill the murderer before trying him
(Numbers 35:12) 487. Save the pursued at the cost of the life of the pursuer
(Deuteronomy 25:12) 488. Don't show pity for the pursuer (Numbers 35:12) 489.
Don't stand idly by when you can save a life (Leviticus 19:16) 490. Set aside
cities of refuge for those who commit accidental homicide (Deuteronomy 19:3)
491. Break the neck of the calf by the river (in ritual following unsolved
murder) (Deuteronomy 21:4) 492. Don't till by that river or sow there
(Deuteronomy 21:4) 493. Don't cause loss of human life (through negligence)
(Deuteronomy 22:8) 494. Build a parapet (in roof of house) (Deuteronomy 22:8)
495. Don't mislead with advice which is a stumbling block (Leviticus 19:14)
496. Help a man remove the load from his beast which can no longer carry it
(Exodus 23:5) 497. Help him load his beast (Deuteronomy 22:4) 498. Don't leave
him in a state of confusion and go on your way (Deuteronomy 22:4)
— Sefer
Hamitzvot by Maimonides
Life is considered very precious, even
sacred by Jewish teaching. The Talmud cites the prohibition of shedding
innocent blood in Genesis 9:6 as the reason why the death penalty should be
carried out against non-Jews as well as Jews, and while faithful Jews are
required to obey 613 Mitzvot, gentiles are only obliged to obey the seven Noahide
laws, which include the prohibition of murder and establishment of a justice
system to administer law honestly. Rabbi Dr. Azriel Rosenfeld offers a
representative modern summary of Jewish teaching regarding the command not to
murder.
Chapter 68. Murderer and
Protection of Life - Rotze'ach u-Shemiras Nefesh It is forbidden to murder, as
it says "You shall not murder". (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) A
murderer must be put to death, as it says "He shall be avenged";
(Exodus 21:20, see Leviticus 24:17,21) it is forbidden to accept compensation
from him instead, as it says "You shall not take redemption for the life
of a murderer...; and there shall be no atonement for the blood that was
spilled... except the blood of him that spilled it". (Numbers 35:31-33) It
is forbidden to execute a murderer before he has stood trial, as it says
"And the murderer shall not die until he stands before the congregation
for judgment". (Numbers 35:12) However, we are commanded to prevent an
attempted murder by killing the would-be murderer if necessary, and it is
forbidden to refrain from doing so, as it says "And you shall cut off her
hand; you shall not be merciful" (Deuteronomy 25:12); and similarly for
attempted fornication, as it says "[If the man seizes her and lies with
her...] just as a man rises up against his friend and murders him, so is this
thing."(Deuteronomy 22:26) It is forbidden to refrain from saving life
when it is in one's power to do so, as it says "You shall not stand on
your friend's blood."(Leviticus 19:16)
— Rabbi Dr. Azriel Rosenfeld
In the Talmud, Genesis 9:5 is
interpreted as a prohibition against killing oneself, and Genesis 9:6 is “cited
in support for the prohibition of abortion.”
New Testament view
See also: Biblical law in Christianity
The New Testament is in agreement that
murder is a grave moral evil, and maintains the Old Testament view of
bloodguilt. Jesus himself repeats and expands upon the commandment, “Do not
murder.” The New Testament depicts Jesus as explaining that murder, as well as
other sins, comes from the heart.
For out of the heart come
evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony,
slander.
— Matthew 15:19 (NIV)
The New Testament acknowledges the
just and proper role of civil government in maintaining justice and punishing
evildoers, even to the point of “bearing the sword.” One criminal on the cross
contrasts his death as due punishment with Jesus’ death as an innocent man.
When Jesus appeared before Pilate, both Pilate and the crowd recognize the
principles of bloodguilt. There is no indication in the New Testament that it
is unjust, immoral, or inappropriate for secular civil governments to execute
those guilty of shedding innocent blood.
Like the Old Testament, the New
Testament seems to depict the lawful use of force by soldiers in legitimate
battles as justified.
The profession of soldier is used as a metaphor by Paul exhorting the Ephesians
to “put on the full armor of God.” Cornelius, the Roman centurion, is portrayed
as a righteous and God-fearing man. Jesus praises the faith of a Roman
centurion on the occasion of healing the centurion’s servant, and states that
he has not found such great faith even in Israel. When John the Baptist was
preaching repentance and baptizing penitent sinners in the Jordan river,
soldiers came to John and asked for specific instructions regarding their
repentance. John the Baptist did not demand that the soldiers renounce their
profession, instead he exhorted them to be content with their pay.
Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with
your pay.
— Luke 3:14 (NIV)
Jesus, while not explicitly condoning
the use of violence in self-defense, implicitly suggests the need to be
prepared for it when he tells his disciples to buy a sword if they do not have
one, “now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a
sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” However, Jesus was also quick to correct
his servant for the improper use of the sword in cutting off the ear of the
high-priest’s servant.
Then said Jesus unto him,
Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall
perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and
he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
— Matthew 26:52-53 (KJV)
Roman Catholic Church
Modern Catechism
The modern Catechism of the Catholic
Church as developed and published in the 1990s under John Paul II, asserts that
the prohibition of murder stems from man being created in God’s image and
recognizes the principles of bloodguilt as being necessary for all time. Life
is portrayed as sacred, and no one can claim the right to destroy an innocent
human being. The sin of shedding of innocent blood cries out to heaven for
vengeance.
’’Human life is sacred’’
because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it
remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole
end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can
under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an
innocent human being… The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely
contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the
holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges
each and everyone, always and everywhere... The fifth commandment forbids direct
and intentional killing as gravely sinful. The murderer and those who cooperate
voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance.
— Catechism of the Catholic Church
Legitimate defense is depicted as
justifiable, even if the defender deals his aggressor a lethal blow. However, a
man should not use more force than necessary to repel an attack. The legitimate
defense of persons and societies should not be considered as an exception to
the prohibition of murdering the innocent: the preservation of innocent life is
seen as the intended outcome. Injury or death to the aggressor is not the
intended outcome, it is the unfortunate consequence of using necessary force to
repel an imminent threat.
Legitimate defense can be
not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of
others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be
rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold
authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil
community entrusted to their responsibility.
— Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Catechism teaches that
legitimate public authority has the right and duty to punish criminals
proportionally to the gravity of the offense to safeguard the public good.
Nonlethal means are preferred, if these are sufficient to defend and protect
people’s safety. However, recourse to the death penalty is not excluded,
provided the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully
determined.
Assuming that the guilty
party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional
teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this
is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the
unjust aggressor.
— Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catholicism asserts that abortion is a
grave moral evil because the act takes an innocent human life: human life must
be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the
first moment of his existence, “a human being must be recognized as having the
rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent
being to life.”
Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. (Jeremiah 1:5; See
also: Job 10:8-12, Psalms 22:10-11) My frame was not hidden from you, when I
was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. (Ps
139:15)
— Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catholic teaching strictly prohibits euthanasia
and suicide as violations of the commandment, “You shall not kill.” Recognizing
life and health as precious gifts from God, adherents are encouraged to avoid
excess of food, tobacco, alcohol, and medications. Endangering others with
excesses speed or drunkenness on the roadway incurs grave guilt. The use of
drugs, except on strictly therapeutic grounds is a grave offense. Clandestine
production and trafficking in drugs constitute “direct co-operation in evil.”
The Catholic Catechism urges prayer
for the avoidance of war. All citizens and governments are obliged to work
toward the avoidance of war. However, it recognizes that governments cannot be
denied the lawful right to self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed.
The use of legitimate defense by a military force is considered grave and
therefore subject to rigorous considerations of moral legitimacy. Elements of a
“just war” doctrine are explicitly enumerated.
-the damage inflicted by the
aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and
certain;
- all other means of putting
an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; - there
must be serious prospects of success;
- the use of arms must not produce evils and
disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of
destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
— Catechism of the Catholic Church
Reformation and Post-Reformation views
Martin Luther summarized the
commandment against shedding innocent blood as grounded in the fear and love of
God, and as having both positive and negative aspects: negative in that we must
neither harm nor hurt our neighbor’s body; positive in that we must help our
neighbor and care for him when he is ill.
You must not murder.(Exodus
20:13) Q. What does this mean? A. We should fear and love God so that we may
not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every
bodily need [in every need and danger of life and body]. Martin Luther, The Small
Catechism
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Martin
Luther
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In a more detailed teaching, Martin
Luther explains that God and government are not constrained by the commandment
not to kill, but that God has delegated his authority in punishing evildoers to
the government. The prohibition of killing is forbidden to the individual in
his relation to anyone else, and not to the government.
We have now completed both
the spiritual and the temporal government, that is, the divine and the paternal
authority and obedience. But here now we go forth from our house among our
neighbors to learn how we should live with one another, every one himself
toward his neighbor. Therefore God and government are not included in this
commandment nor is the power to kill, which they have taken away. For God has
delegated His authority to punish evil-doers to the government instead of
parents, who aforetime (as we read in Moses) were required to bring their own
children to judgment and sentence them to death. Therefore, what is here
forbidden is forbidden to the individual in his relation to any one else, and
not to the government.
— Martin
Luther, Large Catechism
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John
Calvin
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In The Institutes of the Christian
Religion, John Calvin viewed the purport of this commandment as the safety of
all being entrusted to each person. All violence and injustice, and every kind
of harm from which our neighbor’s body suffers is thereby prohibited.
Christians are therefore required to faithfully perform that which is within
their power to defend the life of their neighbor, be vigilant in warding off
harm, and assist in removing danger when it comes. Calvin asserts that the same
rule must also be applied in regulating the mind against anger, arguing that
since God sees the heart and mind, the commandment against shedding innocent
blood also prohibits murder of the heart and requires a sincere desire to
preserve our brother’s life. The hand does not commit the murder unless it is
conceived by the mind under the influence of wrath and hatred. According to
Calvin, where wrath and hatred dwell, there is an inclination to do mischief,
quoting the Bible, “whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer”(1 John 3:15)
and “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of
the judgement” (Gospel of Matthew 5:22).
John Calvin also makes a case that the
command against shedding blood is founded both in the creation of man in the
image of God and in the need for a man to cherish his own flesh.
Scripture notes a twofold
equity on which this commandment is founded. Man is both the image of God and
our flesh. Wherefore, if we would not violate the image of God, we must hold
the person of man sacred—if we would not divest ourselves of humanity we must
cherish our own flesh. The practical inference to be drawn from the redemption
and gift of Christ will be elsewhere considered. The Lord has been pleased to
direct our attention to these two natural considerations as inducements to
watch over our neighbour's preservation, viz., to revere the divine image
impressed upon him, and embrace our own flesh. To be clear of the crime of
murder, it is not enough to refrain from shedding man's blood. If in act you
perpetrate, if in endeavour you plot, if in wish and design you conceive what
is adverse to another's safety, you have the guilt of murder. On the other
hand, if you do not according to your means and opportunity study to defend his
safety, by that inhumanity you violate the law. But if the safety of the body
is so carefully provided for, we may hence infer how much care and exertion is
due to the safety of the soul, which is of immeasurably higher value in the
sight of God.
— John Calvin
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Matthew
Henry
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Matthew Henry considered the commandment
against killing to apply to both one’s own life as well as the life of one’s
neighbor and considered it to apply not only to causing of death but also to
prohibit any thing unjustly hurtful to or injurious to the health, ease, and
life of one’s own body or the body of any other person. He also ties the
commandment against bloodshed back to the command to Noah, and he sees it as a
command applying to the individual against his neighbor, but not against
killing in lawful war, for one’s own necessary defense, or against the
government instituting due punishments for criminal offenses. He portrays
laying in wait for the blood of the innocent as a grave offense against human
dignity as one of the fundamental laws of nature.
This is one of the laws of
nature, and was strongly enforced by the precepts given to Noah and his sons,
Gen. 9:5, 6. It does not forbid killing in lawful war, or in our own necessary
defence, nor the magistrate’s putting offenders to death, for those things tend
to the preserving of life; but it forbids all malice and hatred to the person
of any (for he that hateth his brother is a murderer), and all personal revenge
arising therefrom; also all rash anger upon sudden provocations, and hurt said
or done, or aimed to be done, in passion: of this our Saviour expounds this
commandment, Mt. 5:22. And, as that which is worst of all, it forbids
persecution, laying wait for the blood of the innocent and excellent ones of
the earth.
— Matthew Henry
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