Murder The act of wilfully and feloniously killing a person upon malice or forethought. Heart murder is the secret wishing or designing the death of any man; yea, the Scripture saith, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, " 1 John 3:15. We have instances of this kind of murder in Ahab, 1 Kings 22:9. Jezebel, 2 Kings 19:2. the Jews, Mark 11:18. David, 1 Samuel 1:25-22. Jonah 4:1; Jonah 4:4. Murder is contrary to the authority of God, the sovereign disposer of life, Deuteronomy 32:39; to the goodness of God, who gives it, Job 10:12; to the law of nature, Acts 16:28; to the love a man owes to himself, his neighbour, and society at large. Not but that life may be taken away, as in lawful war, 1 Chronicles 5:22; by the hands of the civil magistrate for capital crimes, Deuteronomy 17:8; Deuteronomy 17:10; and in self-defence.
See SELF- DEFENCE. According to the divine law, murder is to be punished with death, Deuteronomy 1:19-12. 1 Kings 1:2-29. It is remarkable that God often gives up murderers to the terrors of a guilty conscience, Genesis 4:13; Genesis 4:15; Genesis 1:4-24. Such are followed with many instances of divine vengeance, 2 Samuel 1:12-10; their lives are often shortened, Psalms 55:23; and judgments of their sin are oftentimes transmitted to posterity, Genesis 49:7. 2 Samuel 21:1.