Exodus 21 Footnotes

21:23-25 Does the Bible teach that people should retaliate or that they should “turn the other cheek” (see Mt 5:38-39; Lk 6:27-29)? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasted a popular interpretation of the law of Moses with his own teachings. In doing this he was not saying that OT law was wrong, only that his adversaries’ way of applying it to situations was wrong; they had missed its true intent by emphasizing the letter of the law.

The “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” passage did not require people to pay someone back for a wrong done to them. Its purpose was to establish limits for retaliation. The most one could do in response to knocking out a tooth was to knock out the other person’s tooth; a person could not be killed for injuring someone’s eye. As Jesus pointed out, a person who was wronged by another could choose not to retaliate for what had been done to him. Often such a response would be the best way to deal with the problem. In every case, it should be the first option considered.

21:29-30 This passage indicates that the person responsible for the death of another might be able to ransom his life; Nm 35:31, on the other hand, suggests that the death penalty could not be commuted. Biblical commentators have long noted that these two passages complement, rather than contradict, each other. The passage teaches that a person whose negligence caused someone else’s death would have to be punished, but their life might be spared. The passage in Numbers directs that anyone who has willfully taken someone else’s life must be executed.