Genesis 9:6
“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 9Meaning
The verse links accountability for shedding human blood directly to the fact that humans bear the image of God.
Read carefully
Jewish and Christian traditions differ on how this text relates to later civil penalties; the verse cannot be reduced to a casual license for execution.
Reflection
Human dignity is not based on usefulness or status here, but on a God-given identity that makes violence against persons profoundly serious.