What is the meaning of Leviticus 24:18? Whoever kills an animal • The verse addresses anyone—rich or poor, Israelite or foreigner in the camp (cf. Leviticus 24:22)—who causes the death of another person’s livestock. • Animals were vital for food, labor, and sacrifice, so their loss struck at a family’s livelihood (see Exodus 21:33–36). • By naming “whoever,” the law underscores personal accountability before God for even “lesser” lives in creation (compare Proverbs 12:10). must make restitution • Restitution means restoring the owner to the position he held before the loss. Scripture gives clear models: – Monetary payment equal to the animal’s value (Exodus 21:34). – Sometimes additional compensation for negligence (Exodus 21:35; 22:1). • The principle guards community harmony. Instead of escalating conflict, the offender puts things right. • Restitution also teaches that sin and carelessness cost something; the offender bears that cost, not the victim, foreshadowing the gospel truth that debt must be paid (Romans 6:23). life for life • The phrase sets the measure: the full worth of the animal, not a token sum (Deuteronomy 19:21). • It draws a sharp line between animal life and human life. For an animal, repayment suffices; for a human, the penalty was capital punishment (Leviticus 24:21; Genesis 9:6). • “Life for life” affirms the Creator’s value system: every life belongs to Him, and taking it—intentionally or through negligence—demands reckoning. • The standard also restrains revenge: payment equals loss, preventing either abuse of the offender or disregard for the victim. summary Leviticus 24:18 teaches that when a person causes the death of someone else’s animal, God requires full restitution—“life for life.” The verse upholds personal responsibility, protects livelihoods, promotes justice over vengeance, and reflects God’s concern for all His creatures while distinguishing human life as uniquely sacred. |
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