Note 3 at Mt 19:18: This verse is often cited to illustrate the inaccuracy of the King James translation. The same Greek word "PHONEUO" that is translated "murder" in this verse is translated "kill" in Mr 10:19 and Lu 18:20. Should the commandment that Jesus was quoting from in Ex 20:13 actually be, "Thou shalt not murder"? Many people propose that and use this example to show that the King James Version contradicts itself.

There are nine Hebrew words and six Greek words translated "kill" in the King James Version. These Greek and Hebrew words are much more descriptive than either of our English words "kill" or "murder." If only the word "kill" had been used to express God's intent, then that could have restricted any type of killing such as in war, capital punishment, self-defense, etc. That certainly was not what God meant in Ex 20:13, as can be seen by many examples in God's Word.

On the other hand, if only the word "murder" had been used, this would only limit God's restriction of killing to "unlawful" killing with "malice aforethought." That certainly was not what God intended either.

The only way to faithfully preserve what God originally meant in the translation from a very descriptive language to our English language is to use both of these words and by comparison, glean the full meaning. If the translation is taken as a whole and diligently compared, the apparent contradictions are resolved and are found to actually complement each other.