{"id":402,"date":"2014-09-22T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/?p=402"},"modified":"2014-08-30T21:27:06","modified_gmt":"2014-08-30T21:27:06","slug":"matthew-538-42-an-eye-for-an-eye-historical-backgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/2014\/09\/matthew-538-42-an-eye-for-an-eye-historical-backgrounds.html","title":{"rendered":"Matthew 5:38-42; An Eye for an Eye (Historical Backgrounds)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The legal for basis for lex talionis<\/em> (\u201claw of retaliation\u201d) that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:38 was well established in Jewish history and in the Law of Moses.<\/p>\n

The \u201ceye for an eye\u201d concept first appeared in Genesis 9:6, just after the Great Flood when God told Noah, \u201cWhoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.\u201d It was more clearly spelled out in Exodus 21:22-24 as the judicial penalty for one who caused serious injury to a pregnant woman and\/or her unborn child. Leviticus 24:19-20 expanded the judicial scope of both Genesis 9:6 and Exodus 21:22-24 to include \u201cAnyone who injures their neighbor.\u201d And Deuteronomy 19:21 added that even the intent to injure (through the means of bearing false witness) was worthy of lex talionis<\/em>, while also indicating that it was intended as a deterrent to violent crime.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, this seemingly-primitive law of physical retaliation was actually quite progressive for its time and even well into Jesus\u2019 day. Jewish theologians tell us that lex talionis<\/em> \u201chad the important function of limiting private revenge, especially family or tribal feuds. Further, the Torah treats injuries to rich and poor, male and female, completely alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also significant to note that, despite it Scriptural and historical endorsement, the Bible doesn’t record a single instance in which someone was actually maimed or blinded under the justification of lex talionis<\/em>. Why? Legal and religious authorities in ancient Israeli interpreted talionis<\/em> as meaning that \u201cfinancial compensation, and not literal, physical talion<\/em>, was the intent of the law.\u201d Thus in common practice, \u201ccompensation [was] scaled to the degree of the injury: the value of an eye for the loss of an eye, the value of a limb for its loss, and so forth.\u201d To that end, Jewish law had encoded \u201cdetailed stipulations for monetary compensation, much as modern insurance contracts are wont to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/a>:<\/p>\n

[BKC, 31; TOR, 571-572]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2126\u2126\u2126<\/p>\n

About: For Bible Study Nerds\u2122<\/a><\/p>\n

About: Mike Nappa<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2014 to present by\u00a0Nappaland Communications Inc<\/a>. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The legal for basis for lex talionis (\u201claw of retaliation\u201d) that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:38 was well established in Jewish history and in the Law of Moses. The \u201ceye for an eye\u201d concept first appeared in Genesis 9:6, just after the Great Flood when God told Noah, \u201cWhoever sheds human blood, by humans…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":571,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,2],"tags":[163,164,162,111],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historicalbackgrounds","category-matthew","tag-eye-for-an-eye","tag-leviticus-2419-20","tag-lex-talionis","tag-sermon-on-the-mount"],"yoast_head":"\nMatthew 5:38-42; An Eye for an Eye (Historical Backgrounds) - For Bible Study Nerds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matthew 5:38-42; An Eye for an Eye (Historical Backgrounds) - For Bible Study Nerds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The legal for basis for lex talionis (\u201claw of retaliation\u201d) that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:38 was well established in Jewish history and in the Law of Moses. 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