Éxodo 21:26

26 Y cuando alguno hiriere el ojo de su siervo, o el ojo de su sierva, y lo dañare, le dará libertad por razón de su ojo

Éxodo 21:26 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 21:26

If a man smite the eye of his servant
Give him a blow on the eye in a passion, as a correction for some fault he has committed:

or the eye of his maid, that it perish;
strike her on that part in like manner, so that the eye is beaten or drops out, or however loses its sight, and "[is] blinded", as the Septuagint version; or "corrupts" it {k}, it turns black and blue, and gathers corrupt matter, and becomes a sore eye; yet if the sight is not lost, or corrupts so as to perish, this law does not take place; the Targum of Jonathan, and to Jarchi restrain this to a Canaanitish servant or maid:

he shall let him go free for his eye's sake;
or "them", as the Septuagint; his right to them as a servant was hereby forfeited, and he was obliged to give them their freedom, let the time of servitude, that was to come, be what it would. This law was made to deter masters from using their servants with cruelty, since though humanity and goodness would not restrain them from ill usage of them, their own profit and advantage by them might.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (htxv) "et corruperit eum", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; so Ainsworth.

Éxodo 21:26 In-Context

24 Ojo por ojo, diente por diente, mano por mano, pie por pie

25 quemadura por quemadura, herida por herida, golpe por golpe

26 Y cuando alguno hiriere el ojo de su siervo, o el ojo de su sierva, y lo dañare, le dará libertad por razón de su ojo

27 Y si sacare el diente de su siervo, o el diente de su sierva, por su diente le dejará ir libre

28 Si un buey acorneare hombre o mujer, y a causa de ello muriere, el buey será apedreado, y no se comerá su carne; mas el dueño del buey será absuelto