Leviticus 24:17-22

The Lex Talionis (cf. Exodus 21:23; Matthew 5:38). An early and simple form of the assessment and administration of judicial penalties. For Leviticus 24:17, cf. Genesis 9:5: in Exodus 21:20, the principle is not yet allowed full scope. Another early system was that of fines (assessed in a sort of tariff) for crimes (cf. Anglo-Saxon law and Code of Hammurabi; cf. also Exodus 21:18). A middle course is taken in the guilt offering when an extra one-fifth is to be restored; but this is, of course, impossible in the case of bodily injuries contemplated here. For Leviticus 24:22, cf. Leviticus 24:16; Leviticus 19:34. The whole code is markedly stronger in humanitarian than in judicial reform (but note the significant distinction in Leviticus 25:46).