Was God's Law to Israel Just and Fair?

Did God's Law Authorize Revenge?

The words "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" found in the Bible, have caused no little contention.  (Exodus 21:24) To some people, it is nothing less than divine approval of revenge.  But such thinking conflicts with God's command:  "You must not take vengeance nor hold a grudge against the sons of your people." (Leviticus 19:18)  How, then, are we to understand those words in Exodus?

Exodus 21:22 presents a scenario in which two men are fighting and one of them strikes a pregnant woman, causing her to deliver prematurely. If mother and baby survived, the injured woman's husband would not be authorized to strike back.   Rather, the man who struck the new mother would have to "pay the damages imposed on him by the husband of the woman; and it must pay it through the judges." In other words, the judges in court would make the striker pay a fine to the husband of the injured mother. If she or her child died because of injuries, those same judges would have the perpetrator put to death. 

Note: I remember it this way from the Bible: "Revenge is mine saith the Lord." -2 Samuel 4:8, for example;  This other is to take to court or settle out of court, if the person who caused the injury is willing.  This is God's Job in other words. He has the right to bring us into this world and only he has the  right to take us out. 

In this case, the court, not the victim, applied for "life for life," eye for eye, both for tooth for tooth."  (Exodus 21:23, 24)  That principle reminded judges that punishment should neither excessive nor insufficient. Bible scholar Richard Elliot Friedman states:  "The basic principle appears to be that  punishment should correspond to the crime and never exceed it."

What gave rise to the idea that God's Law authorized personal acts of revenge?  It is noteworthy that at Matthew  5:38, 39, we find Jesus' words:  "You heard it was said:  'Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' However I say to you: Do not resist the one who is wicked, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him."  It seems that  by Jesus' day, some religious teachers had included the 'law of retaliation' in their oral tradition as approval for personal vengeance.  Jesus, however, made clear that such a teaching has not support in God's Law to Israel.  That law is still valid for All of us today, because that is what Jehovah God and Jesus Christ wanted and intended for all of us; not just the people back then; because all of us are related  through Adam and Eve. 

Next time: How Do Bible Principles Benefit Us? /1. Why do we need guidance?

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