What does the Bible say about killing in war?

Top passages, ranked by readers

Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible

• Matthew 26:52

  Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.

• Romans 13:1-14

  [1] Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. [2] Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment. [3] For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same, [4] for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn't bear the sword in vain; for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil. [5] Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake. [6] For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are ministers of God's service, attending continually on this very thing. [7] Give therefore to everyone what you owe: taxes to whom taxes are due; customs to whom customs; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor. [8] Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. [9] For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not give false testimony," "You shall not covet," and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [10] Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. [11] Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed. [12] The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let's therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let's put on the armor of light. [13] Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

• Exodus 21:23

  But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,

• Luke 6:27

  "But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

• Exodus 22:2

  If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.

• Romans 13:4

  for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn't bear the sword in vain; for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.

• Exodus 20:13

  "You shall not murder.

• Matthew 10:34

  "Don't think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn't come to send peace, but a sword.

• Matthew 5:44

  But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

• Numbers 31:1-54

  [1] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, [2] Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward you shall be gathered to your people. [3] Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm you men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian. [4] Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall you send to the war. [5] So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. [6] Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. [7] They warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they killed every male. [8] They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword. [9] The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. [10] All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. [11] They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal. [12] They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho. [13] Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp. [14] Moses was angry with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. [15] Moses said to them, Have you saved all the women alive? [16] Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh. [17] Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. [18] But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. [19] Encamp you outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. [20] As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves. [21] Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses: [22] however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, [23] everything that may abide the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water. [24] You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp. [25] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, [26] Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the congregation; [27] and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. [28] Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both] of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks: [29] take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's heave-offering. [30] Of the children of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tent of Yahweh. [31] Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses. [32] Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, [33] and seventy-two thousand oxen, [34] and seventy-one thousand donkeys, [35] and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. [36] The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep: [37] and Yahweh's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. [38] The oxen were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh's tribute was seventy-two. [39] The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh's tribute was sixty-one. [40] The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty-two persons. [41] Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's heave-offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses. [42] Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred [43] (now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, [44] and thirty-six thousand oxen, [45] and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, [46] and sixteen thousand persons), [47] even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tent of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses. [48] The officers who were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; [49] and they said to Moses, Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our charge, and there lacks not one man of us. [50] We have brought Yahweh's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh. [51] Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all worked jewels. [52] All the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. [53] ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) [54] Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.

Related topics

• going to war
• killing in self defense
• killing animals
• time for war
• just war
• world war 3
• the middle east war
• war