But, fully in keeping with His Excellencies, what is plain-faced human logic becomes elevated by divine intention.
DOES THE BIBLE SAY AN EYE FOR AN EYE CODE
The code even stipulated the death penalty for property crimes in several cases instead of “life for a life” as God states in the Bible.īy the revelation of God to Moses, we discover that God had a higher purpose in authorizing a similar Law.
Crimes against social “betters” were punished more severely than crimes against those of a lower class. Hammurabi’s Code is one such code that incorporates a primal sense of lex talionis but it limits its applicability within classes but not across classes. The logical consistency of lex talionis was evident to the ancients. One of the primary jobs of human government is to adjudicate justice and fix penalties with just compensations. God establishes the dispensation of human government with these words: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man….” Before you know it, cities begin to be founded in Genesius 10, the Tower of Babel is judged in Genesis 11, and the nation/states become separated. However, there is a sublime lesson found in God’s Word that is badly needed by our culture.įirst, some historical perspective-the advent of government among men is revealed in the Bible as occurring at the conclusion of the flood narrative in Genesis 9:6.
It seems to seek justice by making an offender pay dearly for their offense. When someone says eye for and eye, they tend to be speaking in context of vigilantism, vengeance, and malicious revenge. Our prejudiced culture sees lex talionis as draconian because the passage is largely misunderstood, both in its historical context and its scriptural context. I would call its wisdom time-proven, instructive, and balanced. Eye for an eye seems archaic, brutal, and rigid (or, as our culture would likely declare, old fashioned, masculine, and prejudicial). It is often abbreviated to the phrase “an eye for an eye.” The concept seems to be terribly out of step as our culture steadily drifts into a post-Christian fog of immorality and relativity. The passage quoted above is known as the lex talionis. I have thought of this story often when I have read through Exodus 20 and 21. Justice was served and mercy was satisfied. Actually, if a drop of blood is taken along with the flesh, then Venetian law required that all the lands and goods of the aggressor would be forfeit, possibly even his own life! Needless to say, the debt was settled with the repayment of the principle of the loan, if I remember correctly. Of course, the pound of flesh is never taken because there is just no way to assure that exactly a pound will be cut out, besides the fact that along with the pound of flesh, there is bound to be blood lost.
Needless to say, he would be sacrificing his life as well, therefore the price would be much higher than the bargain struck. Judgment is given that indeed the borrower was obligated to allow his debt to be paid by sacrificing a pound of his flesh. Money is borrowed and the cost of a loan default was a “pound of flesh.” Eventually, the dialogue centers on this pound of flesh. The qualities of vengeance, justice, and mercy are themes in that play. Besides David Copperfield, we had to read The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Our English class had to read several classic books during our eleventh grade year. “But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:23–25
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