Word

רָצַח

râtsach · H7523 · Hebrew · 47 occurrences

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Meanings

to commit murder, to murder, to kill

Causative action by which humans take the life of other humans, whether or not intentionally

Examples
Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.
Numbers 35:27 and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills him, he will not be guilty of bloodshed,
Numbers 35:30 ‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
murderer, killer

Person who takes the life of another human

Examples
Deuteronomy 4:42 for one to flee there who unintentionally killed his neighbor, without having hatred for him in time past; and by fleeing to one of these cities he might live:
Deuteronomy 19:3 “You shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three regions the territory of your land which the LORD your God will give you as an inheritance, so that anyone who commits manslaughter may flee there.
Deuteronomy 19:4 “Now this is the case of the one who commits manslaughter, who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously—

How it’s used In 11 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Who or what does itSubject

13 occurrences in 8 groups

Not stated: you (one person) 3
Not stated: he, she or it 3
Not stated (infinitive) 2
גָּאַלto redeem, to act as kinsman-redeemer 1
חֶבֶרspell, company 1
כֶםyour 1

What it acts on, or what is saidObject

5 occurrences in 4 groups

רָצַחmurderer, to murder 2
יָתוֹםfatherless 1
רֵעַneighbor, friend 1
וֹhim 1

With prepositionsPrepositional phrases

5 occurrences in 6 groups

בin/on/with+ בְּלִיwithout, not 1
בin/on/with+ תָּוֶךְmiddle 1
כlike/as+ גָּדֵרstone fence 1
כlike/as+ חָכָהto defer action 1
כlike/as+ קִירwall 1
לto/for+ פֶּהmouth 1

With adverbsAdverbs

2 occurrences in 1 groups

לֹאnot 2

Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles

5 occurrences in 6 groups

נָכָהto strike, to strike down 3
שָׂנֵאto hate 2
חָיָהto be alive, to become alive, to live 1
מוּתto die 1
נוּסto flee 1
רָצַחmurderer, to murder 1

Named alongside itApposition

1 occurrences in 1 groups

נֶפֶשׁsoul, life 1

What it doesIt is the subject

13 occurrences in 7 groups

מוּתto die 4
נוּסto flee 3
שׁוּבto return, to turn back 2
הָיָהto be, to become 1
יָצָאto go out 1
פָּרַץto burst 1

What is done to itIt is the object

7 occurrences in 5 groups

מוּתto die 2
רָצַחmurderer, to murder 2
נָצַלto deliver, to rescue 1
נָתַןto give, to put, to set 1
סָגַרto shut 1

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

4 occurrences in 1 groups

הוּאhe, she, it 4

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

1 occurrences in 1 groups

אַחַרafter, behind 2

In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive

7 occurrences in 3 groups

מִקְלָטrefuge 5
בֵּןson 1
דָּבָרword, thing, matter 1

When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.

MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

In the other Testament 1 word

φονεύω phoneúō · G5407 · to murder, to commit murder: Greek φονεύω (phoneuō) serves as the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew רָצַח (ratsach), both denoting unlawful killing/murder as opposed to other killing terminology; the Greek term directly translates the Hebrew's core semantic range across legal and narrative contexts.

Semantic domains 1 entry

Dead002001001018: Exodus 20:13 commands "you shall not murder," and Numbers 35:16 declares that "the murderer must be put to death," richly and directly attesting the sense of killing.

Word family 2 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

רָצַחrâtsach · H7523רֶצַח retsach · H7524 · murder, great distress, agony · 2×

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H7523. ratsach רָצַח verb murder, slay (Late Hebrew (rare, also in derivatives) =…

H7523. ratsach
רָצַח verb murder, slay (Late Hebrew (rare, also in derivatives) = Biblical Hebrew; compare Arabic , break, bruise, crush); —
Qal Perfect3masculine singular consecutive ׳וְר Num 35:27, וּרְצָחוֺ Deu 22:26; Deu 22:2masculine singular (הֲ)רָצַחְתָּ 1Ki 21:19; Imperfect3masculine singular יִרְצַח Num 35:30; Deu 4:42; Deu 4:2masculine singular (צ־ַחׅ תִּרְצָ֑ח Exo 20:13 = Deu 5:17; Infinitive absolute רָצֹהַּ Hos 4:2; Jer 7:9; Participle active רֹצֵחַ Deu 19:3 +, ׳רוֺ Deu 4:42 +; — murder, slay, with premeditation, Exo 20:13 (E) = Deu 5:17; Hos 4:2; Jer 7:9; 1Ki 21:19 (all absolute); with accusative of person Deu 22:26, unawares Deu 4:42; slay as avenger Num 35:27, Num 35:30 (P; || חֵמִית Num 35:19; Num 35:21); especially participle as substantive = slayer, manslayer, without intent, Deu 4:42; Deu 19:3-4, Deu 19:6; also in P: Num 35:6, Num 35:11, Num 35:12, Num 35:25, Num 35:26, Num 35:27, Num 35:28; Jos 20:3, Jos 20:5, Jos 20:6; Jos 21:13, Jos 21:21, Jos 21:27, Jos 21:32, Jos 21:26 (van d. H., Baer, Jos 21:38 Gi; all P); murderer, with intent, Num 35:16 (twice in verse); Num 35:17 (twice in verse); Num 35:18 (twice in verse); Num 35:19, Num 35:21 (twice in verse); Num 35:30; Numbers 30:31; also Job 24:14.
Niph`al Imperfect1singular אֵרָצֵחַ Pro 22:13 I shall be slain; Participle feminine singular as adjective הַנִּרְצָחָה אִשָּׁה Jdg 20:4 the murdered woman.
Pi`el (intensive) murder, assassinate:3masculine plural יְרַצְּחוּ Hos 6:9 (absolute), יְרַצֵּ֑חוּ Psa 94:6 (accusative of person, || הָרַג); Psa 62:4 see below; Participle מְרַצֵּחַ, as substantive 2Ki 6:32 murderer, assassin; plural מְרֵצְּחִים Isa 1:21assassins.
Pu`al Imperfect, 2 masculine plural תְּרָצְּחוּ Psa 62:4, so Baer Gi, van d. H. תְּרָצְחוּ, but Ben Naphtali
Pi`el תְּרַצְּחוּ (Baer143), so Vrss Hup-Now De Che Bae and others ye murder (or batter, shatter).

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

Topical studies with this word 1 entry

Dead47 occurrences

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Sources

eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0