Deuteronomy 19:21
Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This isn't just about revenge; it's about the exact penalty the false witness intended to inflict if their lie had succeeded. The "eye for an eye" here is specifically about ensuring that a deceiver suffers the same fate they plotted for another, preventing injustice by making the punishment a direct mirror of the intended harm.
This verse is the culmination of instructions concerning false witnesses. If someone falsely accused another, leading to a potential death sentence or severe injury, the punishment for the false accuser was to be the exact same penalty they tried to inflict. This wasn't about revenge, but about establishing justice and deterrence within the community, ensuring that no one's life or well-being was trifled with.
Ever wonder why the Old Testament seems so harsh? This verse deals with a serious crime: bearing false witness. Discover what God ordained to protect truth and justice.
Protecting the Innocent
This law in Deuteronomy is designed to protect the innocent from malicious false accusations. In ancient Israel, a false witness could lead to severe consequences for the accused, even death. God didn't want innocent people to suffer because of lies.
The Principle of Retaliation
The core principle here is lex talionis, or the law of retaliation. It means the punishment should directly match the crime. If a false witness's lie would have cost someone their life, then the false witness was to forfeit their own life. If the lie would have resulted in the loss of an eye, the false witness would lose an eye.
This wasn't about revenge; it was about establishing justice and a clear deterrent. The severity of the penalty underscored the gravity of undermining justice through deceit.
When Jesus talks about 'turning the other cheek,' how does that relate to this Old Testament command? Let's explore the deeper meaning and application.
A Higher Standard of Justice
While Deuteronomy 19:21 lays out a principle of strict justice for the community, Jesus introduces a radical new dimension in the New Testament. In Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus quotes 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth' and then says, 'But I tell you, do not resist an evil person! If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.'
Shifting the Focus
Jesus isn't abolishing God's intent for justice, but he's redirecting his followers from a system of human retribution to one of divine justice and personal forgiveness. The Old Testament law aimed to prevent excessive punishment and ensure justice within a community structure. Jesus calls his followers to a path that seeks reconciliation and demonstrates God's mercy, trusting God to ultimately bring about perfect justice.
Understand the original words
nephesh · Hebrew Noun
The vital principle of existence, used here in the context of the *lex talionis* (law of retaliation), emphasizing the gravity of taking a human life created in God's image. Throughout Scripture, it denotes both physical existence and spiritual communion with God.
ayin · Hebrew Noun
The sensory organ used metonymically for the inner disposition or attitude, often associated with the ability to show mercy or compassion. In this context, the command prohibits the interference of personal sentiment in the administration of God's objective justice.
chasas · Hebrew Verb
The act of showing compassion, sympathy, or forbearance. In legal contexts, it is the emotional inclination to waive a deserved penalty; here, it is strictly forbidden to ensure the integrity of the judicial process.
This passage lays out the principle of 'life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth' as a judicial standard for intentional harm, which Deuteronomy 19:21 applies specifically to the severe crime of false witnessing.
Leviticus 24:19-20This reiterates the law of retaliation for injury, emphasizing that the measure of punishment should be precisely the harm inflicted, a principle directly mirrored in the consequence for a false witness.
Matthew 5:38-39Jesus directly addresses the 'eye for eye' principle, reinterpreting it from a legal standard to a call for radical, selfless love that refuses to retaliate injury for injury.
2 Corinthians 13:10Paul speaks of using his apostolic authority not to destroy, but to build up, which contrasts with the punitive and retributive justice detailed in Deuteronomy, highlighting a shift in God's redemptive plan.
calvinDeuteronomy 19:16-21: "If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;"
- If a false witness rise up against any man. Because the fear of God does not so prevail in all men, as that they should voluntarily abstain from the love of slander, God here appoints the punishment to be inflicted for perjury: for political laws are enacted against the ungodly and disobedient, in order that those who despise God's judgment should be brought before the tribunal of…
gillDeuteronomy 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."
And thine eye shall not pity,.... The false witness when convicted; this is directed to the judges, who should not spare such an one through favour or affection, but pronounce a righteous sentence on him, and see it executed, in proportion to the crime, and that according to the law of retaliation: but life shall go for life; in such a case where the life of…
This isn't just about revenge; it's about the exact penalty the false witness intended to inflict if their lie had succeeded. The "eye for an eye" here is specifically about ensuring that a deceiver suffers the same fate they plotted for another, preventing injustice by making the punishment a direct mirror of the intended harm.
This verse is the culmination of instructions concerning false witnesses. If someone falsely accused another, leading to a potential death sentence or severe injury, the punishment for the false accuser was to be the exact same penalty they tried to inflict. This wasn't about revenge, but about establishing justice and deterrence within the community, ensuring that no one's life or well-being was trifled with.
This verse is the culmination of instructions concerning false witnesses. If someone falsely accused another, leading to a potential death sentence or severe injury, the punishment for the false accuser was to be the exact same penalty they tried to inflict. This wasn't about revenge, but about establishing justice and deterrence within the community, ensuring that no one's life or well-being was trifled with.
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This doesn't mean there are no consequences for wrongdoing in the New Covenant. Governments still bear the sword to punish evil (Romans 13:4). However, for believers, the primary response to personal offense is not to demand equal punishment, but to reflect Christ's self-sacrificing love and forgiveness.
"Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." — This isn't just about revenge; it's about the exact penalty the false witness intended to inflict if their lie had succeeded. The "eye for an eye" here is specifically about ensuring that a decei…
