R. Hartono Posted December 13, 2022 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 775 Topics Per Day: 0.34 Content Count: 6,953 Content Per Day: 3.05 Reputation: 1,985 Days Won: 1 Joined: 02/15/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted December 13, 2022 Lev. 24:19-21 speaks about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What made God change the Law ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne Posted December 13, 2022 Group: Royal Member Followers: 16 Topic Count: 108 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3,825 Content Per Day: 1.29 Reputation: 4,815 Days Won: 2 Joined: 03/31/2016 Status: Offline Share Posted December 13, 2022 Most people, Christian or not, have heard the phrase, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". Unfortunately, when pulled out of context like this - most take it to mean that God meant a command for retribution - for revenge. That if one person was responsible for another's leg being broken that the first person's leg must be forcibly broken as a punishment. That you MUST do to the other person what he did. This is seeming how the Hebrew people took it, too, and hence, why Jesus had to "re-teach" the concept in his Sermon on the Mount. That isn't what the verse in its entirety is talking about. I believe it is speaking of fair compensation and justice. In other words, the punishment should fit the crime. No cruel or unusual punishments. No letting someone go with a slap on the wrist. Just and fair punishments. If you take this passage, which I believe is God speaking of restricting how far punishments should go and couple it with THIS passage, I think you'll see a little better that God is not speaking of exact revenge but God was teaching a proper punishment and a limit on that punishment. Exodus 21:26 and 27 - If a man had a slave and hit him or her so hard that an eye was gouged out or a tooth knocked out, the slave was to be given his or her freedom. Not that the master should have his own eye gouged out or tooth knocked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S33k3r Posted December 13, 2022 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 164 Content Per Day: 0.31 Reputation: 9 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/05/2022 Status: Offline Share Posted December 13, 2022 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Hartono Posted December 14, 2022 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 775 Topics Per Day: 0.34 Content Count: 6,953 Content Per Day: 3.05 Reputation: 1,985 Days Won: 1 Joined: 02/15/2018 Status: Offline Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 12 hours ago, Jayne said: Most people, Christian or not, have heard the phrase, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". Unfortunately, when pulled out of context like this - most take it to mean that God meant a command for retribution - for revenge. That if one person was responsible for another's leg being broken that the first person's leg must be forcibly broken as a punishment. That you MUST do to the other person what he did. This is seeming how the Hebrew people took it, too, and hence, why Jesus had to "re-teach" the concept in his Sermon on the Mount. That isn't what the verse in its entirety is talking about. I believe it is speaking of fair compensation and justice. In other words, the punishment should fit the crime. No cruel or unusual punishments. No letting someone go with a slap on the wrist. Just and fair punishments. If you take this passage, which I believe is God speaking of restricting how far punishments should go and couple it with THIS passage, I think you'll see a little better that God is not speaking of exact revenge but God was teaching a proper punishment and a limit on that punishment. Exodus 21:26 and 27 - If a man had a slave and hit him or her so hard that an eye was gouged out or a tooth knocked out, the slave was to be given his or her freedom. Not that the master should have his own eye gouged out or tooth knocked out. That is the Law that is suitable to protect justice in modern nations isn't it ? Otherwise crimes Will flourish and killers Will escape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roymond Posted December 15, 2022 Group: Senior Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 782 Content Per Day: 1.52 Reputation: 238 Days Won: 1 Joined: 12/15/2022 Status: Offline Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) On 12/13/2022 at 1:48 AM, R. Hartono said: Lev. 24:19-21 speaks about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What made God change the Law ? Remember first that what we translate as "Law" is better translated as "instruction". "Law" has the connotation of being unchanging while "instruction" suggests that once a certain lesson is learned there will be progression. We know this is what the Torah was for because that's what the prophets do with it, pointing out over and over that the people were supposed to have learned mercy and compassion and faithfulness but failed to do so. So "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" is a change from earlier law which let someone put out both eyes of the guy who ruined one of theirs, and knock out a whole row of teeth in punishment for just one: it was a limitation that said, "Don't be cruel; a punishment must not be worse than the crime". And there are hints of a better way still, that an injury can be compensated for in goods or money, so people don't go around harming others just because they got harmed. Another aspect here is that the statement is guidance for judges: they weren't to go beyond that limit, but they were also to enforce that limit as deterrence against people beating others up. But again in the background is the hint at a more merciful way -- and "be more merciful" was the real lesson all along. Edited December 17, 2022 by Roymond corrected a typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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