An Eye for an Eye
23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. – Exodus 21:23-25
If you have not read that verse, it is inevitable that you have heard the concept of “eye for an eye”. It is used as a cliche’ by many, and they don’t even know the foundation of the original context.
Considered one of the all time comedy movies, The Princess Bride, has a cast of characters, the blistering one-liners, the crazy plot-they’re all part of a masterfully created movie that has drawn almost a cult following.
One plot line involves the actor Mandy Patinkin playing the role of Inigo Montoya, a Spanish swordsman who is on a personal mission to avenge the death of his beloved father. His father was a sword maker, and when Inigo was a small boy, his father was ruthlessly murdered by a man with six fingers on his right hand in what was essentially a business deal gone bad.
When the boy rose up with his father’s sword to fight his father’s killer, the killer laughed at the boy and put scars on his face to warn him that his bravery would do nothing but get him killed. Inigo was indeed scarred for life, in more ways than one, and he vowed that as he grew older he would seek revenge and dedicated his life to studying fencing in order to one day bring justice to his father’s killer.
Inigo’s search for the “six-fingered man” became a lifelong quest, and at some point he decided that when he found him, he would first address him with these now-famous words that he had clearly memorized: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
We hear this line repeated by Inigo over and over, especially in the battle that ensues when he successfully finds and engages the killer. As the fight rages on, Inigo repeats his crisply prepared formal greeting with all the gusto he can muster until finally his thirst for revenge is quenched and the battle is over, and the “six-fingered man” is no more.
As the movie comes to a close, Inigo seems relieved but also perplexed. He tells his friend Westley, “It’s very strange. I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it’s over, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my life.”
What a problem, wouldn’t you agree? I realize it’s merely a movie, and it’s meant to be funny, but sadly, it’s not that far from real life. There are people today who are bent on getting revenge for perceived injustices they have suffered.
Have you ever been consumed with revenge? Where maybe after a while you only focused on what you were going to do and actually lost sight of what has been done?
Have you ever been consumed with a passion for action, and don’t remember where it stemmed from?
Though God clearly says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30), this is often ignored or overlooked by those who have personal vendettas or by those who simply can’t wait for justice to be done. They are tempted to take matters in their own hands, and even though God has clearly established governing authorities on the earth to restrain evil and to dispense justice in criminal cases (Romans 13), many refuse to wait for this process to come to fruition. These end up being some of the more serious cases of revenge that sometimes make the news.
Yet even in those cases that are not newsworthy, when someone feels wronged or has been hurt, there is often a temptation to retaliate in some way instead of deciding to forgive or “turn the other cheek,” as Jesus taught. And oftentimes a biblical citation that is used to justify retaliation are some of is found in such places as Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21, which all mention “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” It is a common phrase that is selectively quoted out of context, and it was even misunderstood and misused in Jesus’ day.
Many people feel that it serves as a license for someone to do equal harm to someone else who has harmed them. For example, if you hit my arm, I’ll hit your arm, or if you dent my car, I’ll break your windshield. Even if the initial harm done was by accident, some individuals feel perfectly justified in settling the score, so to speak, and may appeal to this verse.
Actual context
But to understand God’s true intention when he commanded “eye for eye,” we need to go back to the original context, and for our purposes we will go to its first occurrence in Exodus 21. Here is where we find the laws that God gave to Moses as a means of governing the nation of Israel upon their freedom and release from the hand of the pharaoh in Egypt.
Within the pages of these laws, God defines different crimes and commands particular punishments. Yet knowing the sin nature of human beings, God also sought to protect individuals from excessive punishment when such justice was to be delivered. Putting it into today’s terms, God was concerned that the punishment must fit the crime.
For example, it would be an abuse of justice if someone was given twenty years in prison for going ten miles over the speed limit. First off, we’d all be in prison. But second, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Therefore, in order to avoid that type of injustice, God made it clear that the punishment should never exceed the damage done, and thus the phrase eye for eye.
Have you ever been on the receiving end of a situation where someone was “paying you back”? Was equal with what you were accused of doing? Was is reasonable treatment?
It would do us well to look at the wider context, because within this passage there are some other interesting details. The text falls into a section of laws regarding violence, and the relevant paragraph is found in Exodus 21:22-25
22 “Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. 23 But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, 24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise. – Exodus 22-25 NLT
It’s interesting scenario to be sure — spelling out the appropriate punishment if a pregnant woman or her baby is harmed by two men fighting.
Yet in this law given to Moses, depending on the circumstances, it seems clear that the death penalty was not out of the question in cases where the brawl was serious enough to cause the death of either the woman or the child. (Interestingly, the Bible is ascribing personhood to the unborn child that was forced to be born prematurely, which ought to teach us that any developing unborn baby has equal value when compared to the life of an adult.)
When we come to the New Testament, Jesus addresses this principle and affirms its legitimacy as a means to limiting punishment, but he was also concerned about the similar kind of misuse of this verse that is still happening today. It was never meant to be a so-called proof text to legitimize personal vengeance within interpersonal relationships. This verse was primarily meant to guide the judges and the courts.
Addressing those seeking vengence
In a effort to correct the misuse of the verse, Jesus sets forth a significant new way of thinking and relating for anyone who is tempted to use this as grounds for personal retaliation:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41 Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. – Matthew 5:38-42 NASB
In essence, Jesus is encouraging the offended party to back down when wronged and is even suggesting that he or she give up their “right” to resist or fight back when offended. In other words, leave the justice to the courts, and in the context of the personal relationship, be willing to forgive and turn the other cheek. In fact, Jesus is suggesting that even in the face of being wronged a person should seek to respond with a gracious, benevolent generosity: if someone “takes your shirt, let him have your coat also”.
Do you have an example of where you have been wronged or violated and have the justification to “get even”, but you elected to turn the other cheek?
So, if someone insults you, not only should you not insult them back, you should seek to reply with uncharacteristic kindness. Such is the manner of love that should be trait of those who follow Christ. It is nothing short of an imitation of the Savior, who loved us “even while we were yet sinners” – Romans 5:8
The apostle Paul further capitulated and summarized this teaching by Christ when he instructed the church in Rome in a similar fashion:
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 5:19-21
This, then, rightly sheds light on the biblical teaching concerning retaliation. As Christians, we should allow for the courts to do their job, and with response to the personal aspects of it. we should seek to respond in a Christlike manner.
Bibliography
ISBN:0764209361
- Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
- New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.