Exodus 20:13 (GNV)

Passage

Thou shalt not kill.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:11 For in sixe dayes the Lord made the heauen and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seuenth day: therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy dayes may be prolonged vpon the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee.

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adulterie.

Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steale.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "shalt", and "kill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "shalt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Honour thy father and thy mother that..." into verse 14's "Thou shalt not commit adulterie...", so "thou" and "shalt" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thou" and "shalt" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.