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Exodus 21 sets the penalty for injury as eye for eye and tooth for tooth. The Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos translates it literally, unusual for a translation that elsewhere reinforces Rabbinic rulings, which interpret the penalty as a payment.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 21:24
Hebrew Bible
22 “If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no serious injury, the one who hit her will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides. 23 But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Onkelos Exodus 21:24
Targum
22 If men contending strike a woman with child and she miscarry, but die not, fined he shall be fined, as the husband of the woman may set upon him, and he shall give according to the sentence of judgment. 23 But if death take place, thou shalt give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burning for burning, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
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Notes and References
“... LIFE FOR LIFE. There is a division of opinion in the Babylonian Talmud (Bava Kamma 83a-b) as to whether the death penalty is imposed if the woman died. On the one hand, there was no thought of murdering her. On the other hand, there was an intent to kill if necessary, so it is a case of ‘he intended to murder one person, but murdered another.’ The halakhah is that this is not considered murder. By rendering the phrase literally, the Targum is contrary to the halakhah. 24. EYE FOR EYE. This verse and the next contain the laws of retribution called lex talionis. Although there are opinions that the Bible is to be understood literally, the preponderant view, and the accepted one, is that ‘monetary retribution’ is meant. There is absolutely no record that the court ever meted out any punishment in civil litigation other than monetary damages. The phrase ‘eye for eye’ was meant to convey the idea that the payment awarded must be exactly and precisely determined. ...”
Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner
Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text
(p. 139) Gefen, 2006
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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