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17 “‘If a man beats any person to death,[a] he must be put to death. 18 One who beats an animal to death[b] must make restitution for it, life for life.[c] 19 If a man inflicts an injury on[d] his fellow citizen,[e] just as he has done it must be done to him— 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he inflicts an injury on another person[f] that same injury[g] must be inflicted on him. 21 One who beats an animal to death[h] must make restitution for it, but[i] one who beats a person to death must be put to death. 22 There will be one regulation[j] for you, whether a resident foreigner[k] or a native citizen, for I am the Lord your God.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:17 tn Heb “And if a man strikes any soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] of mankind.” The idiom seems to derive from the idea of striking a fatal blow to the very “life” (literally, “soul”) of a human being, not just landing a blow on their body (HALOT 698 s.v. נכה hif.2). On the difficulty of the meaning and significance of the term נֶפֶשׁ see the notes on Lev 17:10-11.
  2. Leviticus 24:18 tn Heb “And one who strikes a soul of an animal.”
  3. Leviticus 24:18 tn Heb “soul under soul.” Cf. KJV “beast for beast”; NCV “must give…another animal to take its place.”
  4. Leviticus 24:19 tn Heb “gives a flaw in”; KJV, ASV “cause a blemish in.”
  5. Leviticus 24:19 tn Or “neighbor” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); TEV, NLT “another person.”
  6. Leviticus 24:20 tn Heb “in the man [אָדָם, ʾadam].”
  7. Leviticus 24:20 tn Heb “just as he inflicts an injury…it must be inflicted on him.” The referent (“that same injury”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Leviticus 24:21 sn See the note on v. 18 above.
  9. Leviticus 24:21 tn Heb “and,” but here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is adversative, contrasting the consequences of beating an animal to death with those of beating a person to death.
  10. Leviticus 24:22 tn Heb “a regulation of one”; KJV, ASV “one manner of law”; NASB “one standard.”
  11. Leviticus 24:22 sn On the Hebrew גֵּר (ger, “resident foreigner”) see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11. Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16) or similar obligations (Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14).

An Eye for an Eye

17 ‘Now (A)if someone [a]takes any human life, he must be put to death. 18 But (B)the one who [b]takes the life of an animal shall make restitution, life for life. 19 If someone injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so shall it be done to him: 20 (C)fracture for fracture, (D)eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a person, so shall it be [c]inflicted on him. 21 So the one who [d]kills an animal shall make restitution, but (E)the one who [e]kills a person shall be put to death. 22 There shall be only (F)one [f]standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:17 Lit strikes
  2. Leviticus 24:18 Lit strikes
  3. Leviticus 24:20 Lit given
  4. Leviticus 24:21 Lit strikes down
  5. Leviticus 24:21 Lit strikes down
  6. Leviticus 24:22 Lit judgment

17 “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death.(A) 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution(B)—life for life. 19 Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.(C) The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution,(D) but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.(E) 22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner(F) and the native-born.(G) I am the Lord your God.’”

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