OT: The Fifth Commandment

[Judy]

Neri said:
> To my best knowledge as a Hebrew speaker, the root R-TZ-CH (that is
> used in the commandment `Loh tirtzach") *always* means "murderer" or
> "to murder" and *never* killing that isn't murder. At least I'm
> certain about that in regard to modern Hebrew, slightly less so in
> regard to biblical Hebrew since I'm hardly an expert...
> in this specific case CMC is quite
> right: "Loh tirtzach" means precisely "do not murder".

Ah!  I forgot that we had a Hebrew speaker here!  Neri, I certainly 
accept your word for it that in modern Hebrew, the root R-TZ-CH 
always refers to murder. 

I'm not ready to concede defeat when it comes to Biblical Hebrew, 
though.  The same chapter of Numbers uses "yirtzach" as the word 
meaning "to execute" or "put to death" a murderer. (Numbers 
35:30: "Lefi eidim yirtzach et ha-rotzei'ach.")  This passage is 
usually translated as saying that a murderer should be put to death.  
But if R-TZ-CH always means murder, then Numbers 35:30 would say that 
a murderer should be *murdered*, and that certainly doesn't sound 
right. 

Also, Numbers 35:27 uses R-TZ-CH to refer to someone who gets revenge 
by killing a murderer, and says that this avenger is not guilty "of 
blood."  So, it seems that this act of revenge isn't considered 
murder, yet the word used to refer to the killing is R-TZ-CH, same as 
in the Fifth Commandment. (See 
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/7/1139373303-1477.html )

However, I will definitely concede that most translators agree with  
you and CMC, and consider the Fifth Commandment as refering 
specifically to murder.

-- Judy