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An Interpretation of Exodus 21:23-25

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An Interpretation of Exodus 21:23-25
The passage in Exodus 21: Verse 23-25 is a case law instance that directs readers with
specific legal orders for special situations.1 The law is succinctly formulated as a contingency
clause where "if" (Hebrew) is the sign of introduction followed by the description of the situation
and then the command of response to constitute the consequence or punishment.2 In the example,
the writer forms a “protasis” for a situation where people are beating a pregnant woman and in
consequence the child is forced to come out of the womb prematurely. Lastly, apodosis details the
terms of punishment the hero will face according to the extent of consequences. In case of a slight
injury, the husband must be given an amount of money he could decide on and the court permits.
Talion applies only in case of serious injury and death - "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise".
What this ordinance mandates is not just the death but also the confiscation of the land and
property of these people at the same time. If a pregnant woman miscarried or gave birth
prematurely due to the influence or harm of another person, such an event was considered as a
very serious offense, which required a grave indemnity and in some cases retaliation of a similar
degree of corporal damage.3 This "life for life" principle implies that should the strings that are
now cut because of the caesarean section in the neck lead to a stillbirth; the offender's life would
be forfeit. This discloses the deep sense of view of the Israelite community regarding human life,
which went to the lengths of protecting the unborn.

1

Exodus 21:23-25 (primary text being interpreted)
Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
Workbook. 2017.
3
Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
Workbook. 2017.
2

Followers of Christ should view this law as being surpassed in Christ. In turn, this will
help them better understand what Jesus the fulfillment of the law--requires from them. Jesus
references this "eye for eye" principle in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:Though Jesus
repeatedly talks about adherence to the law of Moses but starts to subvert the teaching in his last
speech giving mandate for his followers to turn the other cheek in the event of evil oppression.4
"Jesus illustrates a righteousness which does not hold only the external statement of the duty to
oneself, but the transformation of their hearts too. This goal is achieved by Him, Jesus through the
teaching and sacrificial death, which he shares and breaks the root foundation of human evil and
sin.
For Christians today, passages like Exodus 21: The laws of 23-25, which were not legally
binding as far as for the Israelites under the Mosaic covenant, are not the same anymore. They
might be cherished or disregarded for different reasons, yet they do not hold the same weight their
sanctity under the Mosaic covenant once possessed.5 Yet the deceptiveness of the deeper ethical
principles that underlie the laws still incorp...