Does God kill?

Does God kill?

• A. 1 Samuel 2:6
• B. Deuteronomy 32:39
• C. Psalms 68:20
• D. Psalm 23:4

Answer: (B)

The big idea is that God has sovereign authority over life and death; He alone controls when life ends and when it begins, and He can both take life and give it back. Deuteronomy 32:39 states this directly: “I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.” That explicit declaration makes it the clearest answer to the question, showing that God’s authority over life and death is absolute and direct, not merely implied through other themes. The other verses touch related ideas but don’t address the question with the same direct proclamation. One Samuel 2:6 says the Lord can both kill and make alive, but Deuteronomy’s statement is more explicit and integrated into a broader claim of God’s sole sovereignty. The Psalms cited speak to death’s reality, God’s deliverance, or comfort in danger, rather than making a direct, universal claim about God’s control over life and death.

The big idea is that God has sovereign authority over life and death; He alone controls when life ends and when it begins, and He can both take life and give it back.

Deuteronomy 32:39 states this directly: “I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.” That explicit declaration makes it the clearest answer to the question, showing that God’s authority over life and death is absolute and direct, not merely implied through other themes.

The other verses touch related ideas but don’t address the question with the same direct proclamation. One Samuel 2:6 says the Lord can both kill and make alive, but Deuteronomy’s statement is more explicit and integrated into a broader claim of God’s sole sovereignty. The Psalms cited speak to death’s reality, God’s deliverance, or comfort in danger, rather than making a direct, universal claim about God’s control over life and death.