But if a serious injury results
This phrase introduces a condition that escalates the situation from a lesser offense to one of grave consequence. The Hebrew word for "serious injury" is "אָסוֹן" (ason), which implies a calamity or fatality. In the context of ancient Israelite law, this phrase sets the stage for the principle of proportional justice. The seriousness of the injury dictates the severity of the response, reflecting a deep concern for justice and the sanctity of life. This principle underscores the importance of accountability and the moral responsibility to protect life.

then you must require
The phrase "you must require" indicates a legal obligation. The Hebrew verb "נָתַן" (natan) is often translated as "to give" or "to require," suggesting a mandated action rather than a discretionary one. This reflects the structured legal system of ancient Israel, where justice was not left to personal vendetta but was administered through established legal processes. It emphasizes the community's role in upholding justice and ensuring that the punishment fits the crime.

a life for a life
This phrase is the essence of the lex talionis, or the law of retaliation, which is a foundational principle in ancient legal systems. The Hebrew "נֶפֶשׁ תַּחַת נָפֶשׁ" (nefesh tachat nefesh) literally means "soul under soul," indicating a direct equivalence in retribution. This principle is not about vengeance but about justice and deterrence. It serves to protect society by ensuring that the punishment is commensurate with the offense, thereby upholding the value of human life. In a broader biblical context, this principle points to the seriousness with which God views the taking of life and the need for justice to be served in a fallen world.

Verse 23. - Then thou shalt give life for life. "Life for life" seems an excessive penalty, where the injury was in a great measure accidental, and when there was certainly no design to take life. Probably the law was not now enacted for the first time, but was an old tribal institution, like the law of the "avenger of blood." There are many things in the Mosaic institutions which Moses tolerated, like "bills of divorce" - on account of "the hardness of their hearts." Verses 23, 24. - Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, etc. Aristotle says in the Nicomachean Ethics, that this was the rule of justice which Rhadamanthus was supposed to act on in the judgment after death (book 5, see. 3), and that it had the approval of the Pythagoreans. Solon admitted it to a certain extent into the laws of Athens, and at Rome it found its way. into the Twelve Tables. There is a prima facie appearance of exact equality in it, which would captivate rude minds and cause the principle to be widely adopted in a rude state of society. But in practice objections would soon be felt to it. There is no exact measure of the hardness of a blow, or the severity of a wound; and "wound for wound, stripe for stripe," would open a door for very unequal inflictions "Eye for eye" would be flagrantly unjust in the case of a one-eyed man. Moreover, it is against public policy to augment unnecessarily the number of mutilated and maimed citizens, whose power to serve the state is lessened by their mutilation. Consequently in every society retaliation has at an early date given way to pecuniary compensation; and this was the case even among the Hebrews, as Kalisch has shown satisfactorily. If the literal sense was insisted on in our Lord' s day (Matthew 5:38), it was only by the Sadducees, who declined to give the law a spiritual interpretation.

Parallel Commentaries ...


But if
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

a serious injury
אָס֖וֹן (’ā·sō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 611: Mischief, evil, harm

results,
יִהְיֶ֑ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

then you must require
וְנָתַתָּ֥ה (wə·nā·ṯat·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

a life
נֶ֖פֶשׁ (ne·p̄eš)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

for
תַּ֥חַת (ta·ḥaṯ)
Preposition
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

a life—
נָֽפֶשׁ׃ (nā·p̄eš)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion


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OT Law: Exodus 21:23 But if any harm follows then you (Exo. Ex)