How seldom do people take this less offensive road during human interactions which may very well prevent disputes and arguments from spirally out of control.Īnd as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 26:62-63, And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. Perhaps a good example of this was during his own cross examination following false accusations made against him from the Jews as noted in Matt. In short, Jesus is saying instead of getting even so to speak when someone has wronged you, he is advocating more virtuous godly motives toward such individuals with meekness, kindness, compassion and charity. Let us now see how the deeper meaning of an eye for an eye now starts to come into perspective. As with the earlier teachings of Jesus on other commandments such as thou shalt not kill and thou shalt not commit adultery, the above verse reflects a deeper meaning and more inward motivation toward such offences. It likely served as a deterrent for offences in the first place, as fairness in legal and civil settlements and as a prevention for vengeance and retaliation thereafter. The first part of the above noted verse as originally written, is a representation of justice in balance ( eye for an eye, etc.,). 19:21, further illustrating the importance of them to the Israelites. These commandments and laws were documented near verbatim in Lev. 21:23-25, And if mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.īut I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: Matthew 5:39a Where did the saying an eye for an eye come from? Well the above verses from scripture reflect commandments given to the Israelites when the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai as noted in Ex.
What is the meaning of the idiom an eye for an eye and who said an eye for an eye and where did the saying an eye for an eye come from? As you may have discovered over the last number of Bible studies, most of the teachings from Jesus have their roots in Israelite commandments from the Lord God as recorded in the Old Testament.