Exodus 21:12-27
Life and Injury under the Law
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12Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.
13If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.
15Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
16Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.
17Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.
18If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,
19then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.
20If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.
21However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.
22If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows.
23But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—
24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.
26If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.
27And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
Berean Standard Bible
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These laws distinguish deliberate killing from a death that was not planned. A person who kills unintentionally may flee to a place God appoints. Someone who schemes to kill cannot use even the altar as a refuge from judgment. Kidnapping, striking a parent, and cursing a parent also carry severe penalties in Israel's law.
Other cases require attention to recovery and loss. If an injured person survives a fight and can walk outside again, the attacker must compensate for lost work and provide for healing. The fact that the victim lives does not make the injury costless.
The servant cases are troubling as well as specific. A master is punished if a servant dies under his beating, but the law gives a different result if the servant recovers after a day or two, referring to the servant as his property. We should not conceal that unequal status. The same passage also requires freedom for a servant whose eye is blinded or tooth knocked out by the master.
If fighting causes a pregnant woman to give birth prematurely without further injury, a fine is set under the court's authority. If serious injury follows, the penalty must correspond to the harm: life for life, eye for eye, and so on. Judgment is tied to what happened rather than left to limitless retaliation.
The cases require distinctions that a quick slogan about justice would miss. Intention, injury, recovery, and responsibility all matter before God. These ordinances belong to Israel's covenant law; they do not give a household authority to inflict its own punishments. They require us to face the harm described and take the injured person seriously.
Questions
1 How does the law distinguish planned killing from unintentional death?
AnswerThe unintentional killer may flee to an appointed place. A person who deliberately schemes to kill faces judgment and cannot shelter at the altar.
2 What must an attacker provide when the injured person recovers?
AnswerCompensation for lost work and care for complete healing. Surviving the attack does not erase the loss it caused.
3 How does the pregnancy case distinguish its outcomes?
AnswerPremature birth without further injury brings a court-governed fine. Serious injury calls for a penalty corresponding to the harm. The account does not treat every outcome as a fine alone.
4 What must happen if a master destroys a servant's eye or knocks out a tooth?
AnswerThe servant must be released as compensation. The master cannot injure the servant in that way and retain the same claim over their service.
What This Means for Us
A defense of our intentions does not repair an injury. When your actions hurt someone, listen to what was lost and take responsibility for what you can restore. Help with a cost, replace damaged property, or correct a harmful statement instead of asking the person to move on because you feel sorry.
Severe harm also requires protection and proper accountability beyond a private apology. Seek trustworthy help and leave judgment to the appropriate authorities. Do not use forgiveness or a religious position to prevent an injured person from being heard.
Prayer
We pray: God who values human life, make us careful with both intention and consequence. Give us courage to protect the injured, tell the truth about harm, and accept responsibility when our actions have caused it. Amen.