"Thou Shall Not Murder": The Sixth Commandment, Genesis 9:6, and the Hidden Numerical Defense of Life in the Womb

✧ Introduction

Among the Ten Commandments, the sixth stands as a clear and sober decree:

“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)

On the surface, it appears to be a basic legal injunction. But when analyzed through the lenses of Hebrew language, biblical numerology, and the context of divine law after the Flood, it reveals profound depth—especially regarding the sanctity of life in the womb.

Both Exodus 20:13 and Genesis 9:6 point unmistakably to the protection of unborn life, carrying numerical codes and linguistic structures that align with human biology, divine purpose, and covenant justice.

---

1.  The Sixth Commandment and Its Numerical Message

Exodus 20:13 (Hebrew):

לֹא תִרְצָח (Lo tirtzach) — “You shall not murder.”

This short verse contains only two Hebrew words, but its numerical value (gematria) is 729. This number is far from random. In fact, it is packed with significance:

✦ Breakdown of 729:

·         7 — God (the number of spiritual perfection)

·         2 — The human couple (man and woman)

·         9 — The child in the womb (gestation = 9 months)

✧ 7 (God) speaks to 2 (the couple), commanding them not to shed the life of 9 (the child in the womb).

Furthermore:

·         7 + 2 + 9 = 18, and 1 + 8 = 9 again — reiterating the theme of pregnancy and life.

·         729 = 9 × 9 × 9 = 9³ — a cube of completeness, signifying the fullness of time in the womb.

Thus, the very gematria of the commandment affirms:

To murder the unborn is to violate God’s image, covenant, and purpose.

---

2. 溺 Genesis 9:6 — The Post-Flood Law for All Humanity

After the flood, God reestablished human life and covenant with Noah. In Genesis 9:6, He delivered a universal moral law:

"Whoever sheds the blood of man within man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God He made man." (Literal Hebrew translation)

✦ Hebrew Text (Right to Left):

שֹׁפֵךְ דַּם הָאָדָם בָּאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם

This is not just poetic language, but a legal principle with precise numerical structure and meaning.

---

3.  Numerical Structure of Genesis 9:6

✧ Verse Properties:

·         12 words → Symbolic of completion, divine order (12 tribes, 12 months)

·         Divided into 2 parts:

o        6 words + 6 words = 6 + 6 = 12

o        Echoes the Sixth Commandment, and the creation of man on day six

✧ Number of Letters:

·         40 Hebrew letters = 40 weeks of pregnancy (gestational age from last menstrual period)

·         Also symbolic of testing, fullness, and formation (Moses on Mount Sinai, 40 years in the wilderness)

✧ Total Gematria (All 40 letters): 2,085

·         Digital root: 2 + 0 + 8 + 5 = 15 → 1 + 5 = 6 (again, number of man)

---

4. 喝 Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

Phrase	Meaning	Gematria	Root
שֹׁפֵךְ דַּם הָאָדָם בָּאָדָם	“Whoever sheds the blood of man within man”	981	9
דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם	“his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man”	1,104	6

·         First phrase speaks of abortion — blood of the fetus (man within man) = 9 (gestation)

·         Second phrase asserts the value of the unborn — made in God’s image = 6 (man)

This confirms the equation:

Human life begins in the womb, and to destroy it is to attack the image of God.

---

5.  Legal and Rabbinic Understanding

Jewish tradition also affirms this reading.

 Talmud Sanhedrin 57b:
“A descendant of Noah is liable for feticide, based on Genesis 9:6.”

The Noahide laws, given to all nations, prohibit murder — and the Rabbis explicitly included abortion under this statute.

✡️ Rabbi David Novak: “The person within a person is clearly the fetus.”
✡️ Jewish Encyclopedia (1906): “Feticide is considered a capital offense for Gentiles.”

---

6.  Connection Between Genesis 9:6 and the Sixth Commandment

Aspect	Exodus 20:13	Genesis 9:6
Number	6 (commandment)	6 (verse)
Content	Do not murder	Bloodshed and justice
Focus	Protection of life	Protection of life within life
Numerics	729 = 9³	Structure and gematria point to 9 and 6
Message	God forbids shedding innocent blood	Especially of those in the womb

Together, these two texts form a covenantal wall around unborn life. The sixth commandment sets the moral rule. Genesis 9:6 gives the divine rationale: man is made in God’s image—even from within the womb.

---

 Conclusion: The Womb is Sacred Ground

“You shall not murder” is not just a general prohibition — it is a revelation of divine design.

From gematria, structure, and symbolism, to legal tradition and biological reality, both Exodus 20:13 and Genesis 9:6 testify:

·         The unborn child bears God’s image

·         To destroy that life is murder

·         God has embedded this truth into the very language and number of His Word

This ancient wisdom, revealed through Scripture and confirmed by the structure of life itself, stands as a testimony to the sanctity of life from conception — a truth urgently needed in our modern world.

---

 References

·         The Holy Bible, Hebrew Masoretic Text.

·         Brown, Driver, Briggs. Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament.

·         Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 57b.

·         Novak, David. Jewish Social Ethics.

·         Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), "Feticide".

·         Steinmann, Andrew E. Numerical Themes in the Hebrew Bible.

·         Grant, Michael. The Image of God and the Sanctity of Life.

---