Topical Encyclopedia
Assassination, the deliberate and premeditated killing of a prominent or influential person, is a concept that, while not explicitly named in the Bible, is illustrated through various narratives and teachings. The act is often associated with treachery, betrayal, and the violation of divine commandments, particularly the commandment "You shall not murder" (
Exodus 20:13).
Biblical Instances of Assassination:1.
Ehud and Eglon: One of the earliest examples of assassination in the Bible is found in the Book of Judges. Ehud, a judge of Israel, assassinated Eglon, the king of Moab, as part of delivering Israel from Moabite oppression. Ehud's act is described in
Judges 3:21: "And Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly" . This act, while violent, is portrayed within the context of divine deliverance for Israel.
2.
Joab and Abner: Joab, the commander of King David's army, assassinated Abner, the commander of Saul's army, in a personal act of vengeance. This is recorded in
2 Samuel 3:27: "Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway to speak with him privately, and there he stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died for the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother" . Joab's actions were condemned by David, highlighting the treacherous nature of assassination.
3.
Ish-bosheth: The assassination of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, is another example. Two of his own captains, Rechab and Baanah, killed him while he was resting in his home. This act is recounted in
2 Samuel 4:7: "They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom. After they struck and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah" . David condemned this act, executing the assassins for their treachery.
4.
Jezebel: Although not an assassination in the traditional sense, the death of Jezebel, orchestrated by Jehu, involved a calculated and violent overthrow. In
2 Kings 9:33, Jehu commands, "'Throw her down!' So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses, and Jehu trampled her underfoot" . This act was seen as divine retribution for Jezebel's idolatry and wickedness.
Moral and Theological Implications:The Bible consistently portrays assassination as an act of moral and spiritual corruption. It is often associated with betrayal, as seen in the actions of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, leading to His crucifixion. Although not an assassination in the political sense, Judas's betrayal is a profound example of treachery (
Matthew 26:14-16).
Assassination violates the sanctity of life, a core biblical principle. Human life is created in the image of God (
Genesis 1:27), and the unlawful taking of life is condemned throughout Scripture. The Bible emphasizes justice and righteousness, urging believers to trust in God's sovereignty and justice rather than resorting to violence and murder.
Conclusion:While the Bible contains narratives involving assassination, these acts are often depicted as contrary to God's will and justice. The biblical worldview upholds the sanctity of life and calls for trust in divine justice rather than human vengeance.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) A killing by treacherous violence, usually referring to the murder of a political or public figure.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ASSASSINATIONa-sas-i-na'-shun.
1. Meaning of the Term:
The language of Scripture distinguishes less clearly than the modern juridical between assassination and murder. "Murderer" = rotseach (Numbers 35:16-19, 21, 30, 312 Kings 6:32Job 24:14); horegh, from haragh = "to slay," "kill," the King James Version translation "murderer" inHosea 9:13; but "slayer" inEzekiel 21:11. Where the Revised Version (British and American) renders "slayers," we find ratsach, inNumbers 35:11, 25-28Deuteronomy 4:42;Deuteronomy 19:3, 4, 6Joshua 20:3, 5, 6;Joshua 21:13, 21, 27, 32, 38, irrespective of whether willful, deliberate killing is spoken of, or hasty or merely accidental; and nakhah = "to strike," "wound," "kill," "slay," inNumbers 35:24. The prohibition against killing is all-inclusive, even to suicide, placing the ban not only on deliberate, purposeful slaying (Exodus 21:12, 14, 18), but on all endangering of life through negligence (Deuteronomy 22:8) or recklessness (Leviticus 19:14) or hatred, anger and revengefulness (Leviticus 19:17).
2. Punishment of the Act:
The Mosaic law presupposes the punishment of all killing of human beings on the ground ofGenesis 9:6, and repeatedly reiterates it (Exodus 21:12, 14Leviticus 24:17, 21Numbers 35:33Deuteronomy 19:11), the reason assigned being that man is made in the image of God; hence to slay a man is paramount to lifting the hand against the Creator. And while the degrees of guilt are not indicated by the language, they are closely distinguished by the punishments prescribed. Not only notorious enmity against the slain and deliberate lying-in-wait on the part of the murderer (Exodus 21:13Numbers 35:20Deuteronomy 19:4, 11), but also the nature of the instrument was taken into account to determine the nature of the crime (Numbers 35:16). SeeCRIMES.
Frank E. Hirsch
Greek
1748. enedreuo -- to lie in wait for, to plot... lay wait for. From enedra; to lurk, ie (figuratively) plot
assassination -- lay
wait for. see GREEK enedra. (enedreuontes) -- 1 Occurrence.
...Library
Calamities Suffered by the People after the Expulsion of John. The...
... Book VIII. Chapter XXI."Calamities suffered by the People after the Expulsion
of John. The Plots against him ofAssassination....
Affairs in the West
... That act of dastardlyassassination was chiefly due to the hypocritic Olympius,
whom he himself had first raised from the dust, who had insinuated himself into...
Paul is Again Ejected from the Church by Constantius, in...
... The Emperor Constantius, on being informed of theassassination of Hermogenes, set
off on horseback from Antioch, and arriving at Constantinople immediately...
To the Rev. A. Brandram
... and partly with demons. There is famine, and such famine; there is
assassination, and such unnaturalassassination. There you see...
Smerdis the Magian.
... him. Now the return of Smerdis was publicly and generally known, while
hisassassination by Prexaspes was kept a profound secret....
Lorimer -- the Fall of Satan
... "The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence The life o' the building.".
[Footnote 1: Theassassination of President Garfield.]....
The Accession of Darius.
... statue. For several days after theassassination of the magi the city
was filled with excitement, tumults, and confusion. There...
Accession of Cyrus to the Throne.
... without reserve. He loads a favorite with kindness and caresses at one
hour, and directs hisassassination the next. He imagines...
The Last Years of Knox: 1567-1572
... lay members of the General Assembly could not have faced that ordeal, and Randolph
later accused Lethington, in a letter to him, of advising herassassination....
Paul Before Felix.
... Impatient of control, he procured theassassination of Jonathan the high-priest,
whose only crime it was, that he had freely remonstrated against his...
Thesaurus
Assassination (1 Occurrence)...ASSASSINATION.
... 1. Meaning of the Term: The language of Scripture distinguishes less
clearly than the modern juridical between
assassination and murder.
...Nadab (21 Occurrences)
... Theassassination of Nadab was followed by that of his whole house, and thus
this great Ephraimite family became extinct (1 Kings 15:29)....
Gedaliah (31 Occurrences)
... 3. His TreacherousAssassination: But evil spirits were at work against him. Baalis,
king of Ammon, had determined upon his life (Jeremiah 40:13-16)....
Assassinated (10 Occurrences)
Assassins (2 Occurrences)
Zealots
... great zeal for the observance of the "law." According to Josephus (BJ, IV, iii,
9; v, 1; VII, viii, 1) they resorted to violence andassassination in their...
Zealot (4 Occurrences)
... great zeal for the observance of the "law." According to Josephus (BJ, IV, iii,
9; v, 1; VII, viii, 1) they resorted to violence andassassination in their...
Talmai (6 Occurrences)
... When Absalom fled from David after theassassination of Amnon he took refuge with
Talmai at Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3; 2 Samuel 13:37 1 Chronicles 3:2)....
Ephod (45 Occurrences)
... Abiathar, who became high priest after theassassination of his father by Doeg,
probably brought to the camp of David the ephod worn by the high priest in his...
Crime (45 Occurrences)
... An injury to the creature is regarded as obnoxious to the Creator. Specific forms
of crime are the following: Adultery. See separate article.Assassination....
Resources
What does the Bible say about sedition? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Mordecai in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Esther in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgAssassination: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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