What the Bible means by an eye for an eye is that if a man was found responsible for causing bodily harm to another by whatever means, a similar treatment was to be meted out to him by the authorities (Leviticus 24:19–22).
This is the law concerning violence as given by God to the children of Israel. Note that the law was equally applicable to strangers living in the midst of the children of Israel, meaning there were to be no exceptions.
‘An eye for an eye’ law in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, this law was applied in order to avenge those who had been injured, harmed, or hurt by their fellow brethren or strangers living in their midst. The law was used to deal with those who intentionally caused bodily harm, hurt, or injury to their fellow brethren. It was also applied to deter would-be offenders from the punishment they would receive if they chose to walk in disobedience.
We first encounter this law in Leviticus 24:19–22, where it says:
“If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him—fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. And whoever kills an animal shall restore it, but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your country; for I am the LORD your God.”
In Exodus 21:22–25, we find the same law stated in the following way:
“If men fight and hurt a woman with a child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
In Deuteronomy 19:16–21, the law of an eye for an eye was also to be applied to a person who falsely accused his brother concerning a particular offense. If found out, the false witness was to be given the punishment that the accused would have received. This is what the Scripture records:
“If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you. And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
The main reason for this law was to deter anyone from falsely accusing their brethren concerning any given matter.
In the book of Genesis 9:5–6, we find God commanding that whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will also be shed by man. The same punishment was to be applied to animals if they caused the death of a human being. This is what the scripture says:
“Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of a man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.”
‘An eye for an eye’ law in the New Testament
In the New Testament, we notice a paradigm shift with regards to the ‘an eye for an eye’ law. This is because, the message propagated here is that of forgiveness and bearing with one another. According to Jesus, the issue of revenge should not arise; instead, we should learn to forgive those who wrong us. This is recorded in Matthew 5:38–48, which says:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away.”
From this passage, you’ll agree with me that turning the other cheek is easier said than done. In fact, it is next to impossible for any of us to comply with any, let alone all, of the above requirements that Christ set for us. So where does this leave us? This is where the Holy Spirit comes in.
By ourselves, we cannot do it. Only the Spirit of God working in us and through us can help us die to ourselves and walk according to the commandments given in Matthew 5:38–48.
Similar sentiments are echoed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:17–19, which says:
“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Here, Paul is exhorting us never to take matters into our own hands whenever we are offended by fellow men. Instead, he encourages us to leave everything in the hands of God, who has promised to fight all our battles.
In Proverbs 20–22, we find the following words:
“Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; wait for the LORD, and He will save you.”
This message is similar to what we have seen in Romans 12:17–19.
Equally similar sentiments are expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, where we read:
“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”
Let us wind up with the words found in 1 Peter 3:8–10, which say:
“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers; be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
Conclusion
In this article, we established that when the Bible talks about an eye for an eye, it is actually talking about vengeance meted out to offenders because of their wrong deeds. In the Old Testament, this was done so that the offended and the offender could get even. However, in the New Testament, Christ has called us into forgiveness and allowed God to avenge us.
I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.
Related Post: Bible verse teaching about forgiveness
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Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/
My name is Nicodemus. I'm a Kenyan by birth. I got saved over 30 years ago while in high school.
I love studying scriptures in order to enhance my comprehension of God and His plan for mankind.
I have an MBA degree in strategic management and a BSc degree in botany and zoology.
I’m married to a loving lady called Leah. God has gifted us three sons: Wayne, Salem, and Michael.
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