AN EYE FOR AN EYE, BIBLICAL MEANING
An eye for an eye according to the Bible
“An eye for an eye” originates from the Code of Hammurabi and is found in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Leviticus. It is also referred to in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is found in the New Testament. Its meaning in the Bible was simply, the punishment or sentence must equally match the crime.
From Scripture, Exodus 21:23-25 says: “But if there be death, then you shall pay life for life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for bang”.
An eye for an eye in the Bible was NOT intended to advocate personal revenge
For both passages, the phrase is used in the case of a court case before a civil authority such as a judge. Therefore, the “eye for an eye” was intended to be an ethical guide for legislators and judges; he did not intend to advocate personal vendetta.
Furthermore, Jesus condemns the practice of personal retaliation in the Sermon on the Mount saying: “You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you: do not resist him who is evil; before, whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and whoever wants to sue you and take your tunic, leave him your cloak too; and whoever compels you to carry a load one mile, go with him two. To the one who asks you, give him; and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn him away” (Matthew 5:38-42).
SO WHAT IS THE MEANING OF AN EYE FOR AN EYE IN THE BIBLE?
An eye for an eye, which means in the Bible
The importance of this principle is the sheer longevity of its relevance. Our modern judicial systems still abide by this guiding precept when determining a judicial sanction. “An eye for an eye” has literally influenced the appropriate sanction decisions in millions of legal cases for thousands of years, and with good reason.
What may surprise you about this judicial precept, although many would now consider it common sense, is that not all countries use it. Even today, there are places in the world where the punishment does not reasonably match the crime.
“An eye for an eye” is a principle worth appreciating and understanding for its historical significance, stemming from God’s wisdom.
An eye for an eye seems to be a simplistic form of justice that focuses on retribution. However, this phrase is found three times in the Old Testament and is quoted by Jesus in the New Testament.
Many people wonder if “an eye for an eye” was literally used to carry out Biblical judgments. Both Jewish and Christian scholars believe that judges used “an eye for an eye” to create proportionate penalties for harm caused to other people or animals, and that people were not maimed in the application of this law.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT- Exodus 21:24
The expression eye for an eye
The first time that the expression “an eye for an eye” is used, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, is in Exodus 21:24. He’s on a battery and battery warrant series. The previous chapter of Exodus contains the Ten Commandments. God gave Moses these commandments just three months after the Hebrews escaped from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 19:1). More than 600,000 men, not including women and children, left Egypt, and scholars estimate that around 2.5 million people were in the Exodus (Exodus 12:37).
Successfully traveling across the desert meant having a common set of rules and standards for everyone in the community. In Egypt, the Israelites had been slaves to Pharaoh. Egyptian rulers were arbitrary and unfair.
The people of Israel were different from the nations that surrounded them. They had no king or pharaoh. The law was to be their guide and standard. The weakest or poorest person among them had the same rights as the richest or strongest.
Moses spent much of the 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). Biblical scholars believe that Exodus 21 contains the summary of judgments in specific situations that form a type of jurisprudence to make future decisions.
If people fight and beat a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there are no serious injuries, the assailant should be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is a serious wound, you will take life for life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow (Exodus 21:22-25).
EYE FOR A MISUNDERSTANDED EYE
In context, the above verse (Exodus 21:22-25) is in response to a particular situation in which a woman gives birth prematurely after being beaten by someone who is fighting with another person. If the baby or the pregnant woman were injured or even killed due to the carelessness of the people around her, her husband had the right to seek restitution for the damage caused to her family.
In the ancient Jewish commentary, “Jonathan’s Targum paraphrases it; ‘the price of an eye for an eye’… ‘he who takes out the eye of his neighbor must pay him the price of his eye, according to the price of a servant sold in the market, and so on. everyone else; not to remove limbs is strictly intentional, as our doctors here interpret it.’”
The ESV Study Bible explains that “as the preceding and following laws show (vv.26-37), ‘an eye for an eye’ was not taken literally. It was simply a formula for proportionate punishment or compensation. However, one implication is that the death of the baby seems to be judged according to the same principle that applies to the death of another person (for example, the death of the mother).”
The punishment for shedding blood or taking the life of the mother and baby comes from the fact that all people are created in the image of God.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God is man made” (Genesis 9:6).
Every person has value – Leviticus 24
This verse was to secure a proportionate penalty for loss of life, limbs, and lost future profits. Jewish tradition explains: “Whoever injures another ‘is subject to five types of penalties: for damage, for pain, for medical expenses, for loss of livelihood and for humiliation.”
The concept of restitution is also found in Leviticus 24:18: “Whoever hurts an animal must make restitution, animal for animal. And whoever causes injury to his neighbor, as he did, so be it done to him: break for break, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; according to the injury he has done to another, so shall it be done to him.”
Biblical law not only addresses punishment for physical harm to people and animals, but also applies to potential harm caused by a false witness.
“Then you will do to him as he thought to do to his brother; and you will put away the evil from among you. And those who are left will hear and fear, and will do no more such wickedness among you. And you will not pity him; life for life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot” (Deuteronomy 19:19-21).
This law had the dual purpose of punishing a person who intended to harm someone by falsely testifying against them with the same punishment and warning the community against using the courts as a pawn to carry out false justice.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – Matthew 5:38
What the New Testament tells us about an eye for an eye
The application of “an eye for an eye” had changed during the 1,300 years between the law given to Moses and the time of Jesus on earth. By the time of Jesus, it had become a means of justifying petty retaliation between individuals and an obligation not to overlook an insult or harm, rather than a standard by which judges award damages after a loss.
“The law that authorized reprisals (a principle on which all primitive peoples acted) was civil. It was given to regulate the procedure of the public magistrate to determine the amount of compensation in each case of injury, but it did not encourage feelings of private revenge. Later Jews, however, mistook it for a moral precept and were corrected by our Lord.”
“You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you: do not resist him who is evil; before, whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and whoever wants to sue you and take your tunic, leave him your cloak too; and whoever compels you to carry a load one mile, go with him two. To the one who asks you, give him; and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not refuse him” (Matthew 5: 38-42).
Jesus is calling his followers to resist seeking revenge for small and temporary insults. This passage is followed by Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.” chase”.
The examples of Jesus being slapped on the cheek, being sued for a shirt, or walking a mile are relatively minor compared to the original “an eye for an eye” context found in Exodus. Jesus was calling his followers to rise above their desire for revenge in these minor and temporary situations.
What does this mean?
As Christians, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard than the law. We must hold ourselves to the standard of love that Jesus gave us. However, Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek as well” or “give up your coat as well” should not be used to excuse abuse, extortion, or breaking the law.
Under Jewish law, the legal standards of proportionate justice found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy for crimes such as murder, physical abuse, harming a baby, or framing someone for a crime would still apply in court. However, the death penalty was applied by the Romans during the time of Jesus, not by the Jewish courts (John 18:31). Many of our modern expectations of equal justice and redress find a basis in ancient Jewish law.
The judge took into account the demands of the husband, but the final judgment would be made by a judge as the court allows. The law was intended to prevent arbitrary self-defense justice that quickly…