Violence

Violence appears in Scripture as one of the primary symptoms of a world in rebellion against God. Genesis 6:11 states plainly that the earth was filled with violence in the days before the flood: “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The flood is Yahweh’s judgment on a world that has abandoned his order and replaced it with the violence of the strong against the weak.

The Law addresses violence directly and concretely. The cities of refuge, the prohibition of blood vengeance run wild, the careful regulation of testimony and punishment: all of it reflects Yahweh’s concern for the sanctity of human life made in his image. Violence against a person made in the image of God is an offence against God himself. The death penalty for murder in Genesis 9 is grounded precisely in this: “for in the image of God He made man.”

The New Testament does not remove the seriousness of violence but deepens the standard by which it is measured. Jesus extends the prohibition on murder to include unjustified anger (Matthew 5:21-22), showing that the Law’s concern was always with the heart from which violent acts flow. The articles below trace the theme of violence through several of the biblical passages that address it most directly.