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How is this "an eye for an eye" thing meant ?

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Posted by: Frederik

On the first look it seems to encourage revenge, but that cannot be, so what's the real meaning of it ?


Posted by: StarChilde

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frederik
On the first look it seems to encourage revenge, but that cannot be, so what's the real meaning of it ?

First, look at the original verse
Exodus 21:24-25) 24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25. Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
-- Living Bible
Leviticus 24:20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Whatever anyone does to another shall be done to him."
from Grey Home Bible Commentary:Headings: - Laws of Personal Security
Text: -Exodus 21: 12-32 This section is an expansion of the 5th commandment. Vv. 12-14. What distinction is made between premediated and unpremediated murder? See Numbers 35:9-32. Vv. 23-25. This law of retaliation has been misunderstood as though it encouraged revenge, but it refers to the administration of justice at the hand of the magistrate (6).


The thing is, Jesus cancelled this: Matt.5:38-48) 38. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
My commentary says thisn Matt. 5, v38-42 "The plain instruction is, Suffer any injury that can be borne, for the sake of peace, committing your concerns to the Lord's keeping. And the sum of all is, that Christians must avoid disputing and striving. If any say, Flesh and blood cannot pass by such an affront, let them remember, that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and those who act upon right principles will have most peace and comfort."
Hope this helps you. Perhaps getting a good Bible commentary would help you with studying your Bible. There are several good ones, and I know they have certainly helped me over the years to get a better understanding of the Bible.


Posted by: Frederik

No, I don't think Jesus cancelled anything.
Jesus said that he didn't come to change the law but to fulfill it.


Posted by: StarChilde

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frederik
No, I don't think Jesus cancelled anything.
Jesus said that he didn't come to change the law but to fulfill it.

Did you get anything out of what I researched on this besides that?
REVENGE
Matthew 5.38-42)Matt.5:38-48) 38. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

This is what it says in my SwordSearcher proigram about this:

"The law is found in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24 and Deut.19. This law was given to the nation of Israel to prevent them from going too far in dispensing of punishment. The law was meant to keep the punishment in line with the crime. It was also NOT A RULE FOR PERSONAL REVENGE BUT TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM WITHIN ISRAEL. Here Jesus is NOT talking to soldiers and policemen but to the personal abuses of this law and in the spirit of vengeance.The Christian is to be giving, gracious and kind while taking into account those who will take advantage. But even if you are commandeered and made to do something by force, ot is still possible to show kindness."


Posted by: jedijeb

Frederik, the law of eye for an eye was origionally put forth to keep vengence from becoming a never ending expanding cycle. It used to be that if someone kicked you then you stabbed them, then they would cut off your arm then you killed them, then their brother killed you and your brother, then your father killed their brother, father, and mother, and so on and so forth till every one and their families were dead.

This law said that if you were to kill someone because they broke your arm then you were to be punished by the government. Just as Starchilde said it is to stop the escilation of retribution. It was a foreshadow of what Jesus later said, love your enemy, do good to those that hate you, and turn the other cheek. These say not to go above and beyond what was done to you but to try to stop the cycle of hate and revenge. As you said, Jesus came to fulfill the law not do away with it, but look where they question Him about divorce, Moses said give a certificate of divorce and send her away, Jesus said that you should not divorce and that law was only given because men were so weak that they couldnt do what was right. With Jesus we now have the strength, through the Holy Spirit, to do what is right, to forgive others as He forgives us. If we grow in Christ to the point of total forgivenness we would not want to harm others who harm us or to divorce someone who may cheat on us, we become like Christ and want to bring them to Him in love and to look past the imperfections of others because we are just as imperfect as everyone else under our own power.

I hope I helped a little, and sorry for getting carried away there, sometimes I do that .


Posted by: cgirl

I heard a sermon on this once. But I forgot who preached it. He said that verse meant that you don't pay more than what you did wrong. For instance someone can't demand a leg for an eye or an arm for an eye. The preacher said it was there so that people won't pay more for their mistakes than they have to.