Eye for an Eye

There are quite a few people out there in the world who either do not like the Bible, or don’t understand it. And to be honest, I can see their reasoning for that. Sometimes the Bible can seem like a very strange text that says things that might not seem very wise or helpful. At times the Bible may even seem contradictory. But it’s my belief that it is not the Bible that is wrong, but our interpretation of what it is saying.

One example of this is the phrase: “an eye for an eye,” which can be found in Exodus 21:24. You’ve probably heard it said that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind (although I think the guy who still has one eye left at the end could easily avoid the other blind people who are trying to gouge it out, but that’s a different story...). The way we have interpreted this scripture does make it seem like horrible advice.

In movies for instance the mentality of “you hurt my girl, so now I’m going to kill everyone you know” is rampant. People tend to play the you-hurt-me-so-now-I’m-gonna-hurt-you-even-more card a lot because they misinterpret what the Bible means by an eye for an eye. We’ve taken it to mean that if someone hurts you in some way, the minimum you should do is do the same thing to them.

Exodus 21:24 says: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”, so why does it give so many examples, each met with its equal? One of my profs here at University explained to me once that this verse was meant to be a limit. God was trying to set a boundary on how people were choosing retribution rather than justice and fairness. However, it would appear that even back in Old Testament times people were a bit confused by this and didn’t quite understand, which is why it is addressed again in Matthew.

In Matthew 5:38-39 Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” So here is a good example of the Bible seeming to contradict itself. First they said an eye for an eye, and now they say turn the other cheek?!

What Jesus is saying is that you should not act out of anger or vengeance towards someone, just let it be. As it says in Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” I think we can certainly trust that God will be just as well as merciful as a judge and won’t make anyone pay any more or less than he or she owes.

This is just one example of how our misinterpretation of the Bible can make it seem backwards as well as contradictory, when really it is our interpretation that is at fault. Now, I don’t claim to have all the answers, and certainly not all the right answers, the Bible confuses me at times too. But I have faith that God is good and just and that His word is true, not matter what.