What is the meaning of Exodus 21:24? eye for eye “Eye for eye” (Exodus 21:24) introduces the principle of proportional justice. In ancient courts it prevented excessive punishment and personal vengeance. Leviticus 24:19–20 echoes the same measure, protecting both victim and offender by insisting on fairness—not cruelty. Jesus later cites this line in Matthew 5:38–39, showing that civil justice must remain proportionate while personal relationships should be marked by mercy. Key ideas: • The judge was to match penalty to injury, never allowing escalation. • Victims were assured their loss would not be ignored. • Society learned reverence for life, for every eye reflects God’s image (Genesis 1:27). tooth for tooth A “tooth” may seem minor compared with an eye, yet the law treats it with equal seriousness (Deuteronomy 19:21). God values the whole person, large and small damages alike. This clause reminded Israelites that: • No injury is trivial when it diminishes someone made in God’s likeness. • Even the powerless—servants, widows, orphans—could expect just compensation (Exodus 22:22–24). • Justice must never be dismissed as “too small to bother”; God notices every wrong (Proverbs 20:10). hand for hand The hand symbolizes work, provision, and worship (Psalm 90:17). If someone crippled another’s hand, he threatened that person’s livelihood. The statute guaranteed: • Economic protection—one who destroyed another’s capacity to work had to reckon with equal loss. • Reverence in worship—hands lift offerings; injuring them desecrated a sacred act (Psalm 141:2). • Communal stability—fair restitution discouraged cycles of retaliation and kept neighbors from turning into enemies (Proverbs 17:13). foot for foot Feet carry a person’s journey and calling (Isaiah 52:7). “Foot for foot” safeguarded freedom of movement and service to God. It signaled: • Mobility matters—preventing someone from walking was as weighty as blinding an eye. • Equal standing—status never excused maiming; kings and commoners alike answered to the same rule (2 Chronicles 19:7). • Forward hope—restoring balance allowed the injured to continue walking in God’s ways (Psalm 119:105). summary Exodus 21:24 establishes God-given boundaries that uphold life, dignity, and measured justice. Every part of the verse—eye, tooth, hand, foot—affirms that all human capacities are precious. The command restrains vengeance, demands proportionate restitution, and points us to the consistent character of God, who balances righteousness with mercy (Romans 12:19; Micah 6:8). |
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