רָצַח (b. h.; cmp. רָצַע) [to perforate, cmp. הרג; חָלָל,] to slay, murder. Midr. Till. to Ps. III (ref. to ארבעתים, II Sam. XII, 6) אתה רָצַחְתָּ אחד שש עשרה נִרְצָחִים יהיו לך thou hast murdered one: there shall be sixteen of thine murdered; Yalk. Sam. 148. Macc. 12ᵃ מי כתיב אם ר׳ it reads not (Num. XXXV, 27), ‘if he slew’ (but, ‘he shall slay’); ib. מי כתיב יִרְצַח it reads not, ‘he shall slay’ (but, if he slays he is not punished); a. e.—Part. רוֹצֵחַ manslayer, murderer. Shebi. X, 8; Macc. II, 8 ר׳ שגלה … ר׳ אני when an involuntary manslayer comes to his place of refuge, and the citizens desire to honor him, he must say, I am a manslayer. Snh. 73ᵃ (ref. to Deut. XXII, 26) מקיש ר׳ … אף ר׳ ניתן להצילו בנפשו the text draws an analogy between the case of one pursued by a murderer and that of the betrothed woman threatened with assault: as it is permitted to save the woman at the cost of the assailant’s life, so it is permitted to save the pursued at the cost of the would-be murderer’s life; Pes. 25ᵇ; a. fr.—[Tosef. Sot. XV, 7, read: רוֹצְעָן.]—Pl. רוֹצְחִים, רוֹצְחִין. Macc. 10ᵃ, v. זָרַח. Ib. 9ᵇ בגלעד שכיחי ר׳ in Gilead cases of manslaughter are frequent; a. fr.
Nif. - נִרְצַח to be slain, murdered. Midr. Till. to Ps. III; v. supra; a. e.
*. - הִתְרַצֵּחַ to commit suicide(?). Pesik. R. s. 24 (ref. to לא תרצח Ex. XX, 13) לא תִתְרַצֵּחַ thou shalt not murder thyself; [prob. to be read: לא תִצָּרֵחַ לא תעשה הדם צוֹרֵחַ עליך thou shalt not be cried about, make no blood cry out against thee].