In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. In this episode we look at commandment 6 about Murder. The text of the Bible distinguishes between murder, which is the intentional, unlawful killing of a human, which often entails a malicious intent to harm with premediation; and manslaughter, which is the unintentional killing of a person usually because of an accident and especially without hatred or premediated intent. Critics are shocked that graphic stories are included in a “holy bible”. This feigned outrage is standard fare for Bible haters. The Bible Bard has often noted that the Bible is both literature (when it discusses humanity) and a holy book (when it discusses God). Looking at the text from a literary standpoint reveals important facts that most people do not consider.
