![]() Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed for in the image of God has God made mankind ( Genesis 9:6). The penalty from shedding blood or taking the mother's life and the baby's life comes from all people being made in the image of God. One implication, however, is that the death of the baby seems to be judged according to the same principle that applies to the taking of other human life (e.g. It was simply a formula for proportionate punishment or compensation. The ESV Study Bible explains “as the preceding and following laws show (vv.26-37) ‘eye for eye’ was not taken literally. In the ancient Jewish commentary, “Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it ‘the price of an eye for an eye,’ Rashi, a 12 th-century Jewish Rabbi also known as Jarchi wrote, ‘he that puts out his neighbour's eye must pay him the price of his eye, according to the price of a servant sold in the market, and so of all the rest for not taking away of members strictly is meant, as our doctors here interpret it.’” Bible scholars believe that Exodus 21 contains the summary of judgments in specific situations that form a type of case law for making future decisions. Moses had spent significant time during the first three months of the Exodus settling disputes among the people by informing them of God's decrees and instructions ( Exodus 18:13-23). The weakest or poorest person among them had the same rights as the wealthiest or strongest. The law was to be their guide and standard. The people of Israel were different than the nations around them. The expression, “Might makes right” summarizes the rule of law in ancient times. The Egyptian rulers were arbitrary and unjust. In Egypt, the Israelites had been slaves of Pharaoh. Successfully traveling across the desert with 2.5 million relatives meant having a common set of rules and standards for everyone in the community. Imagine a three-month camping trip with almost everyone who lives in the city of Chicago! Over 600,000 men, not including women and children, left Egypt, and scholars estimate about 2.5 million people were in the Exodus ( Exodus 12:37). God gave Moses these commands only three months after the Hebrews escaped slavery in Egypt ( Exodus 19:1). The previous chapter of Exodus contains the Ten Commandments. It is in a series of commands regarding assault and injury. The first time the expression “ an eye for an eye” is used in the Bible is in Exodus 21:24. An Eye for an Eye in the Old Testament - Exodus 21:24 ![]() Both Jewish and Christian scholars believe that “eye for eye” was used by judges to create proportionate penalties for harm caused to other people or animals, and that people were not maimed in the application of this law. ![]() Many people wonder if “eye for eye” was used literally in carrying out biblical judgments. Yet this phrase is found three times in the Old Testament and is quoted by Jesus in the New Testament. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.An eye for an eye seems to be a simplistic form of justice that is focused on retribution. ![]() It’s old school and he has a better way.Ī lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 700-page website to encourage people to explore the Bible. But the one thing for sure is that Jesus dismisses the idea of an eye for an eye. Is this a passive-aggressive response, a prohibition against retaliation, a command for generosity, a ploy to embarrass your enemies, or a lesson to let people take advantage of you? It’s hard to know, however, exactly what he means by all this. He says to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, and give more than required. Regardless of the interpretation, Jesus dismisses the concept entirely. No, an eye for an eye may mean that the punishment must be proportional to the offense. Or you broke my arm, so I’ll kill you and your family. However, putting it into an historical context, some scholars say it was actually a command for moderation, to have the response match the injury.Īn excessive reaction to you stole my sheep is I’ll take all your animals and burn down your barn. In these verses it seems that Moses grants us permission to seek revenge. The first three are in the Old Testament, in the Law of Moses. The phrase “an eye for an eye” occurs four times in the Bible.
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