Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Parallel Translations
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Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
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And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 19:21 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
- Exodus 21:23-25 But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
- Deuteronomy 19:13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
- Leviticus 24:17-21 “ ‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death. He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, it shall be done to him as he has done: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. It shall be done to him as he has injured someone. He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Deu 19:21 And thine eye shall not pity; [but]…
Deu 19:21 And thine eye shall not pity; [but] life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Ver. 21. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.] {See Trapp on "Mat 5:38"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain What punishment he intended or the law allotted to…
What punishment he intended or the law allotted to the accused, if he had been convicted, the same shall the false accuser bear. Of this law see on Exo 21:23; Lev 24:20
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Eye for eye - What punishment the law allotted…
Eye for eye - What punishment the law allotted to the accused, if he had been convicted, the same shall the false accuser bear.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 21. Life - for life, eye for eye,…
Verse 21. Life - for life, eye for eye, c.] The operation of such a law as this must have been very salutary: if a man prized his own members, he would naturally avoid injuring those of others. It is a pity that this law were not still in force: it would certainly prevent many of those savage acts which now both disgrace and injure society. I speak this in reference to law generally, and the provision that should be made to prevent and punish ferocious and malevolent offences. A Christian may always act on the plan of forgiving injuries and where the public peace and safety may not be affected, he should do so; but if law did not make a provision for the safety of the community by enactment against the profligate, civil society would soon be destroyed.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Deu 19:21. An eye for an eye — What…
Deu 19:21. An eye for an eye — What punishment the law allotted to the accused, if he had been convicted, the same was the false accuser to bear.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Pity. This regarded the judge, who must act with…
Pity. This regarded the judge, who must act with impartiality. (Worthington) --- The law admits of no mitigation, but inflicts the same punishment on the calumniating witness, as he intended should fall upon his brother. (Lyranus; &c.) --- Some Rabbins (apud Fag.) pretend that this was executed with rigour, only when the innocent had sustained some real injury. See Exodus xxi. 24. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 21. Thine eye shall not pity — It has…
21. Thine eye shall not pity — It has been said that this is a harsh and cruel requirement. But it must be borne in mind that the usages which prevailed and the condition of society demanded stringent laws. The wise legislator adapts law to the circumstances of the people. Moses found the law of retaliation deeply seated. It has its foundations in the conception of impartial justice. With all his influence over the people he could not eradicate long-established usages. At the present day in the East there is a most cruel feature of the lex talionis. When the murderer cannot be reached the avengers have the right to kill any member of his family. See THOMSON’S Land and Book, vol. i, p. 448. If we turn to the words of Him who spake as never man spake, we see how the Gospel modifies the stern exactions of this law of retaliation. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil.” Mat_5:38-39.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 21. thine eye shall not pity] See on Deu_19:13,…
21. thine eye shall not pity] See on Deu_19:13, Deu_7:16.
life for life, etc.] The jus talionis, more fully in E, Exo_21:24 f.; cp. H, Lev_24:18; Lev_24:20. Very frequently in the Code of Ḫammurabi. See further Driver’s note on Exo_21:25.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The lex talionis was in this case to be…
The lex talionis was in this case to be observed. (cf. Lev_24:20) Practically, however, a pecuniary compensation might be accepted for the offence (cf. Josephus, "Antiq.," 4:8, 35).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 19:21 The legal principle described as life for life…
19:21 The legal principle described as life for life is known as lex talionis (“law of retaliation”), according to which the punishment must fit the crime (see Exod 21:23; Lev 24:20); it should be neither too lenient nor too severe. Appropriate punishment is a necessary function of government (cp. Rom 13:1-7), and it served to maintain Israel’s spiritual integrity as God’s people (see study note on Deut 17:7). But vengeance belongs to God, not individuals (see 1 Sam 25:26, 33; Matt 5:38-39; 1 Cor 6:1-8).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.