“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’
Parallel translations
- WEB “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
- KJV Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
- BSB You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’
- NKJV “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
- NLT “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
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
Jesus recalls the principle, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' It introduces His teaching on personal retaliation.
Overview
The 'eye for an eye' law (lex talionis) was given to limit and make just the penalties administered by courts. By Jesus' day it had been twisted into a license for personal revenge. He prepares to correct this, calling His disciples to a different way of responding to wrong.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Lev 24:19–20If anyone injures his neighbor; as he has done, so shall it be done to him:
- Deut 19:21Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
- Exod 21:22–27“If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.
- Deut 19:19then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
- Matt 5:27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 5:38 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.