New International Version “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ New Living Translation “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ English Standard Version “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Berean Standard Bible You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ Berean Literal Bible You⁺ heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ King James Bible Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: New King James Version “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ New American Standard Bible “You have heard that it was said, ‘EYE FOR EYE, and TOOTH FOR TOOTH.’ NASB 1995 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ NASB 1977 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ Legacy Standard Bible “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ Amplified Bible “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH [punishment that fits the offense].’ Berean Annotated Bible You⁺ have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth <Exo 21:24>.’ Christian Standard Bible “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Holman Christian Standard Bible “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. American Standard Version Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: Contemporary English Version You know you have been taught, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." English Revised Version Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: GOD'S WORD® Translation "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' Good News Translation "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' International Standard Version "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' NET Bible "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' New Heart English Bible "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' Webster's Bible Translation Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Weymouth New Testament "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleYou have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ World English Bible “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionYou heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth; Berean Literal Bible You⁺ heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ Young's Literal Translation 'Ye heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth; Smith's Literal Translation Ye have heard, that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleYou have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Catholic Public Domain Version You have heard that it was said: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ New American Bible “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ New Revised Standard Version “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleYou have heard that it is said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Aramaic Bible in Plain English You have heard that it was said, “An eye in exchange for an eye, and a tooth in exchange for a tooth.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentYou have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Godbey New Testament Haweis New Testament Ye have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth:” Mace New Testament Ye have heard that it hath been said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Weymouth New Testament "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Worrell New Testament Worsley New Testament Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context Love Your Enemies37Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one. 38You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;… Cross References You have heard that it was said, Matthew 15:4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ Mark 7:10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ John 12:34 The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ Exodus 21:23-25 But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— / eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, / burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe. Leviticus 24:19-20 If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: / fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him. Deuteronomy 19:21 You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. Exodus 21:24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Romans 12:17-19 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. / If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. / Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you. Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.” Luke 6:29-30 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well. / Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people. 1 Corinthians 6:7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means that you are thoroughly defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Isaiah 50:6 I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. Lamentations 3:30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach. Treasury of Scripture You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: An eye. Exodus 21:22-27 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine… Leviticus 24:19,20 And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; … Deuteronomy 19:19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. Jump to Previous An Eye Heard ToothJump to Next An Eye Heard ToothMatthew 5 1. Jesus' sermon on the mount:3. The Beattitudes; 13. the salt of the earth; 14. the light of the world. 17. He came to fulfill the law. 21. What it is to kill; 27. to commit adultery; 33. to swear. 38. He exhorts to forgive wrong, 43. to love our enemies; 48. and to labor after perfection. You have heard that it was said, Jesus addressed teachings familiar to His Jewish audience and corrected interpretations that had fallen short of God’s intent. He did not set aside the Law but revealed its full righteousness and authority. Mat 15:4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’…… ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ God gave this standard to Israel’s courts to ensure that penalties were just and proportionate, restraining excessive retaliation. It was not permission for private revenge. Jesus would go on to forbid personal retaliation and call His followers to respond to wrongdoing with mercy and trust in God’s justice. Exo 21:23-25 But if a serious injury results, then you require a life… Persons / Places / Events 1. Jesus ChristThe speaker of this verse, delivering the Sermon on the Mount, which is a foundational teaching moment in the New Testament. 2. The Disciples and the Crowd The immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, representing both His followers and the broader Jewish community. 3. The Mosaic Law The original context of the "eye for eye" principle, found in the Old Testament, specifically in the laws given to the Israelites. 4. Mount of Beatitudes The traditional location where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered, symbolizing a place of divine teaching and revelation. 5. The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law Religious leaders of the time who often interpreted and enforced the Mosaic Law, sometimes with a focus on legalism. Teaching Points Understanding the Law's PurposeThe "eye for eye" principle was meant to limit retribution and ensure justice, not to encourage personal vengeance. Jesus' Radical Call Jesus challenges His followers to transcend the old law by embracing forgiveness and non-retaliation. The Heart of the Law True righteousness goes beyond legalistic adherence to the law and seeks the spirit of love and mercy. Practical Non-Retaliation In daily life, believers are called to respond to wrongs with grace and forgiveness, reflecting Christ's love. Living Counter-Culturally Jesus' teaching invites Christians to live in a way that contrasts with worldly values of revenge and retribution. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Matthew 5:38?2. How does Matthew 5:38 challenge the concept of "an eye for an eye"? 3. What does Jesus teach about retaliation in Matthew 5:38? 4. How can Matthew 5:38 be applied in personal conflicts today? 5. How does Matthew 5:38 connect to Romans 12:17-21 on vengeance? 6. In what ways can Matthew 5:38 promote peace in our communities? 7. What does "An eye for an eye" mean in Matthew 5:38? 8. How does Matthew 5:38 challenge the concept of justice? 9. Why does Jesus reference "An eye for an eye" in Matthew 5:38? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 5? (38) An eye for an eye.--Here again the scribes first took their stand on the letter, regardless of the aim and purpose, of the Law, and then expanded it in a wrong direction. As originally given, it was a check on the "wild justice" of revenge. It said, where the equilibrium of right had been disturbed by outrage, that the work of the judge was not to do more than restore the equilibrium, unless, as in the case of theft, some further penalty was necessary for the prevention of crime. It was, in its essence, a limit in both directions. Not less than the "eye for an eye," for that might lead to connivance in guilt; not more, for that would open a fresh score of wrong. The scribes in their popular casuistry made the rule one not of judicial action only, but of private retaliation; and it was thus made the sanction of the vindictive temper that forgives nothing.Verses 38-48. - The two remaining examples of the current teaching of the Law are very closely connected together, and, in fact, our Lord's corrections of them are intermingled in Luke 6:27-36. Yet the subjects are really distinct. In the first (vers. 38-42) our Lord speaks of the reception of injuries, in the second (vers. 43-48) of the treatment of those who do them. Godet's remarks (in his summary of Luke 6:27-45) on the use made by St. Luke of these examples are especially instructive. "These last two antitheses, which terminate in Matthew in the lofty thought (ver. 48) of man being elevated by love to the perfection of God, furnish Luke with the leading idea of the discourse as he presents it, namely, charity as the law of the new life." Verses 38-42. - The reception of injuries. The Law inculcated that the injured should obtain from those who did the wrong exact compensation (on this being properly a command, not merely a permission, vide Mozley, 'Ruling Ideas,' etc., pp. 182, sqq.). Our Lord inculcates giving up of all in-sistance upon one's rights as an injured person, and entire submission to injuries, even as far as proffering the opportunity for fresh wrongs. Verse 38. - An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. No short phrase could more accurately describe the spirit of the Mosaic legislation. Offences against individuals were to be punished by the injured individual receiving back, as it were, the exact compensation from him who had injured him. While this was originally observed literally, it was in Mishnic times (and probably in the time of our Lord) softened to payment of money (vide Lightfoot, 'Hor. Hebr.'). The phrase comes three times in the Pentateuch (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). Notice: (1) The LXX. has the accusative in each case, although only in the first does a verb precede. Probably the expression had already become proverbial in Greek even before the translation of the LXX. (2) The Hebrew of Deuteronomy 19:21 is slightly different from that of the other two passages, and as the preposition there used (ב) is not so necessarily rendered by ἀντί, that passage is perhaps the least likely of the three to have been in our Lord's mind now. It seems likely, however, that he was not thinking of any one of the three passages in particular. The words served him as a summary of the Law in this respect. Matthew 5:38 recalls a God-given statute designed for equitable, courtroom justice. Jesus affirms its truth yet exposes how it was twisted into personal retaliation. Properly understood, “Eye for eye and tooth for tooth” restrains vengeance, upholds human worth, and points believers to entrust judgment to God while responding to wrongs with grace—an ethic fully revealed in the Savior who bore our sins without striking back.Parallel Commentaries ... Greek You have heardἨκούσατε (Ēkousate) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear. that ὅτι (hoti) Conjunction Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because. it was said, ἐρρέθη (errethē) Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 2046: Probably a fuller form of rheo; an alternate for epo in certain tenses; to utter, i.e. Speak or say. ‘Eye Ὀφθαλμὸν (Ophthalmon) Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Strong's 3788: The eye; fig: the mind's eye. From optanomai; the eye; by implication, vision; figuratively, envy. for ἀντὶ (anti) Preposition Strong's 473: A primary particle; opposite, i.e. Instead or because of. eye ὀφθαλμοῦ (ophthalmou) Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 3788: The eye; fig: the mind's eye. From optanomai; the eye; by implication, vision; figuratively, envy. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. tooth ὀδόντα (odonta) Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Strong's 3599: A tooth. Perhaps from the base of esthio; a 'tooth'. for ἀντὶ (anti) Preposition Strong's 473: A primary particle; opposite, i.e. Instead or because of. tooth.’ ὀδόντος (odontos) Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 3599: A tooth. Perhaps from the base of esthio; a 'tooth'. Additonal Resources Matthew 5:38 Blue Letter BibleMatthew 5:38 Bible Gateway Matthew 5:38 Bible.com Matthew 5:38 NIV |
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