Deuteronomy 19:21

21 {You must show no pity}: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Deuteronomy 19:21 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 19:21

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 a person must have gone, if the falsehood of the testimony had not been discovered, the false witness must suffer death; in other cases, where a member would have been lost, or the price of it paid for, the same penalty was to be inflicted:

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot;
that is, the price of an eye an eye see ( Exodus 21:23 Exodus 21:24 ) ( Leviticus 24:19 Leviticus 24:20 ) .

Deuteronomy 19:21 In-Context

19 then you shall do to him as he meant to do to his brother, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

20 {And the rest} shall hear and shall fear, and {they shall not continue to do such a thing again} as this evil thing in your midst.

21 {You must show no pity}: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "And not take pity your eye"