But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—
Parallel translations
- WEB But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,
- KJV And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
- NKJV But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,
- NASB But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,
- NLT But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If serious harm does follow, the penalty is life for life. Justice must be proportionate to the wrong done.
Overview
Here the principle of strict equivalence governs grievous harm, ensuring punishment fits the crime rather than escalating into blood feud. This 'life for life' standard upholds the sanctity of human life. It also magnifies the wonder of the gospel, where Christ gives His life for ours, satisfying justice while granting mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Deut 19:21You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
- Num 35:31You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.
- Lev 24:19If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him:
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The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 21:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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