Text: Jeremiah 7:5-6
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 20:13
Subject: murder prohibition applied to social justice
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Anchor Text: Exod 20 — The Decalogue
Significance: Exodus 20:13 prohibits murder (לֹא תִרְצָח, lo tirtsach), and Jeremiah 7:5-6 extends the principle: "Do not shed innocent blood (דָּם נָקִי, dam naqi) in this place" and "do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow." Jeremiah broadens the sixth commandment's scope from individual acts of killing to systemic social violence—exploitation of the vulnerable is a form of bloodshed. The prophet's temple sermon demands not merely abstinence from murder but active justice (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) toward the powerless, demonstrating that true obedience to the Decalogue encompasses both prohibitive and positive dimensions.