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Leviticus 24:20

“fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has inflicted a defect on a human being, so it shall be inflicted on him.”

Leviticus 24:20 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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With the Hebrew beneath

20

Allusion · Exodus 21:24

Go to Exodus 21:24

Both texts give the rule “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.”

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

  • עַיִןayinH5869עַיִןayinH5869“eye”
  • שֵׁןshenH8127שֵׁןshenH8127“tooth”

Leviticus 24:20, word by word

fractureשֶׁבֶרshever

fracture

When a bone or a pot gives way.

Where else “shever” appears
eyeעַיִןayin

eye

The organ with which one sees; so "lift the eyes" means to look.

Where else “ayin” appears
toothשֵׁןshen

tooth

The hard piece in the mouth used to bite and chew.

Where else “shen” appears
he has inflictedיִתֵּןyiten

give

To hand something over to someone: a gift, a payment, a charge or a land.

Where else “yiten” appears
a defectמוּםmum

blemish

A flaw in the body that mars it or makes it unfit.

Where else “mum” appears
on a human beingאָדָםadam

human being

All humankind, men and women, as creatures God formed.

Where else “adam” appears

Translation note

Jesus quotes “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” in Matthew 5:38 and continues: “not to resist the evil person” (5:39). It can be understood that this law set a limit: the punishment could not be greater than the harm.

The context

19And if a man inflicts a defect on his neighbor, as he has done, so it shall be done to him:

20 · This verse (above)

21And whoever strikes a beast shall make it good, but whoever strikes a human being shall be put to death.

Read all of Leviticus 24

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