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“An Eye for an Eye” in the Old Testament

The law of equal retribution.

Question: Does the Old Testament set forth “an eye for an eye” as a way of life?

A. Where / how often does the expression “an eye for an eye” occur in the Old Testament?

It occurs a total of __ .

B. What is the general impression associated with the expression?

This expression has become a slogan meaning:

Jesus seems to be trying to correct that notion in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:38–42):

• “If someone strikes you on the right cheek . . .”.
• “If someone sues you to take your tunic . . .”.
• “Give to the one who begs from you . . . do not refuse the one who would borrow from you”.

The fact that Jesus mentions such examples as these give the impression that . . .

• Q: But does such a view accurately reflect the OT’s use of this expression?

C. In general, does the OT call on people to be generous, merciful, and to overlook insults?

• Exod 23:4-5 Help someone’s ox or donkey, even if(!) the person is your adversary.

• Micah 6:6 “ . . . to love mercy . . .”.

• Prov 12:16 “. . . a fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”

• Prov 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

• Prov 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

• Ps 37:21, 25-26

  21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. [ . . . ]

  25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.

  26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

• Prov 20:22 & 24:29

  “Do not say, ‘I will return evil for evil / I will do to him as he has done to me’.” .

• Ps 34:12-16 [This passage is quoted in I Peter 3:10-12, in contrast to(!) returning insult for insult.]

  12 Whoever of you loves life, and desires to see many good days,

  13 keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

  14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

  15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;

  16 the face of the LORD is against evil-doers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Yes, the Old Testament calls upon people to be generous, merciful, and to not(!) repay evil for evil. So no, “an eye for an eye” is not the Old Testament’s prescription for a way of life.

Rather, in general, the Old Testament commends the same basic manner of conduct as does the New Testament. Shock!

But this naturally raises the question:

• Q: In what sort of contexts does the expression “an eye for an eye” occur in the Old Testament?

D. When does the OT authorize “an eye for an eye”? This phrase occurs only 3x in the OT:

• Exod 21:24 Reckless injury to . . .

• Lev 24:17–21 (esp. vv. 19 & 20)

  17 “And whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. 18Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. 19If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. 21Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, but whoever kills a person shall be put to death. The rest of the OT makes it clear that the injury described above is not accidental. So it was either deliberate, or else perhaps it was due to careless or reckless behavior.

• Deut 19:21 This is the punishment for . . .

In these three passage, the injury is either deliberate, or the result of reckless, careless behavior. Other OT passages shed light on the question of when they would impose “an eye for an eye.”

E. Other Old Testament passages which shed light on the “eye for eye” principle:

• Exod 21:13 Accidental death ( “God lets it happen . . .”) does not incur capital punishment; instead, the offender will flee to a city of refuge (see Numbers 35).

• Exod 21:14 But deliberate murderers are to be taken even from God’s altar and put to death.

• Exod 21:18,19 If two men quarrel and fight– it does not require “equal clubbing”; instead the one must pay the other for loss of time, and see to it that he is healed.

• Exod 21:26 A slave goes free if a master strikes him and he loses the use of an eye, or,

• Exod 21:27 loses a tooth.

• Exod 21:28 If an ox gores someone to death, the owner is not held liable.

• $ Exod 21:29,30 29 If, however, the ox has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the ox must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death. 30 However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded.

• Lev 19:17,18

  17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor . . . . 18You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge . . . , but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

• Num 35:6-33 The cities of refuge, to which a person may flee for accidental death.

• Num 35:16-22 But again, deliberate murderers are to be put to death.

• $ Num 35:31 They cannot(!) accept a ransom or payment for the life of a murderer.

• Deut 4:41,42 [See similarly Deut 19]

  41 Then Moses set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan. 42 that the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being hostile toward him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life:

In Sum:

In the case of accidental injury, or even death, the text does not require “an eye for an eye.”

Rather, compensation can be paid, even for death in the case of an ox-goring (because there was no intent). And for accidental death, a person can flee to a city of refuge (there will still be a trial).

F. Specific Conclusions Re: “an eye for an eye” in the Old Testament:

• It is not(!) . . .
• It is not . . .
• Rather, it is for . . .