eye
for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Exodus 21:24
Exodus 21 [20.] “If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Notwithstanding, if he gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for he is his property.
Exodus 21 [22.] “If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow. But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21 [26.] “If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.
Meaning:
Exodus 21-23 contains the “ordinances” God gave Israel at Sinai, practical laws for life in the community. This verse belongs to a case about men fighting and injuring a pregnant woman. If serious harm followed, the penalty was to match the injury: “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” This principle, often called the law of retaliation, is one of the best known lines of the Old Testament.
- A law of just limits
In the ancient world, revenge easily escalated. Lamech boasted that he had killed a man for wounding him (Genesis 4:23-24). God’s law put a boundary around punishment: the penalty must fit the crime and may not exceed it. An eye could not be repaid with a life. In this way the law protected even the guilty from excessive vengeance and stopped feuds from spiraling.
- Equal justice for all
The same principle appears in Leviticus, which adds, “You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born” (Leviticus 24:20-22). Rich and poor, Israelite and foreigner, were to receive the same justice. No one could buy an exemption or demand a harsher penalty because of rank.
- Administered by judges
The principle was given to the courts, not to individuals taking matters into their own hands. In Deuteronomy, the judges were to investigate carefully, and false witnesses were to receive the penalty they had intended for others: “Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deuteronomy 19:18-21).
In practice the law did not always require literal injury. The very next verses say that a master who destroyed his servant’s eye “shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.” Compensation could take the place of physical punishment, as Jewish interpreters later understood more widely.
- Jesus and the law of retaliation
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus quoted this law: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil” (Matthew 5:38-39). Jesus did not abolish justice in the courts, but he forbade his followers to use this principle as a license for personal revenge. The law itself already pointed that way: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).
The Significance of Exodus 21:24
- God loves justice
This verse shows that God cares about fair and proportionate justice. Societies today still rely on the idea that punishment should fit the offense.
- Mercy beyond justice
Christians affirm justice, but they are also called to go beyond it in personal relationships, leaving vengeance to God and answering evil with good, following the example of Christ.
Cross-References:
Matthew 5:38: "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’" Jesus quotes this law.
Deuteronomy 19:18-21: "Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth," The law applied by judges.
Leviticus 19:18: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people;" No private revenge.
Conclusion: Exodus 21:24 sets out the principle of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Far from encouraging cruelty, it limited punishment to what was just, applied equally to all, and was administered by judges rather than by private revenge. Jesus later taught his disciples not to use it for personal retaliation, calling them to a love that goes beyond justice.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible