Bible Strands
Exodus 21:12
Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Israel through Moses at Sinai, positioning the command immediately after regulations for a Hebrew servant's release. The statute establishes capital punishment for intentional homicide as a foundational civil ordinance.
The words — The Hebrew מַכֶּה (makkēh) identifies the active striker, while יוּמָת (yumat) is a passive verb meaning he will be put to death. The text explicitly links the physical act of striking to the fatal result before mandating the judicial penalty.
The thread — The same homicide standard appears in Genesis 9:6 and Leviticus 24:17, which both mandate execution for taking a life, and is later detailed in Numbers 35:30 with witness requirements. The legal principle runs consistently through the Pentateuch's murder statutes.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to acknowledge that intentional killing legally forfeits the perpetrator's life under covenant law. It demands direct application of this judicial standard without exception or mitigation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
Cross-references
- Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
- Leviticus 24:17 And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death.
- Numbers 35:30 If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Matthew 26:52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
- Numbers 35:16 If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
- Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.
- Deuteronomy 19:11 If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities,
- 2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.