Exodus 21:24

“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.] This is “lex talionis”, the law of retaliation, and from whence the Heathens had theirs; but whether this is to be taken strictly and literally, or only for pecuniary mulcts, is a question; Josephus f655 understands it in the former sense, the Jewish writers generally in the latter; and so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it; “the price of an eye for an eye, etc.” Jarchi on the place observes, that, “he that puts out his neighbour’s eye must pay him the price of his eye, according to the price of a servant sold in the market, and so of all the rest; for not taking away of members strictly is meant, as our doctors here interpret…”

“The rule would seem to refer to a case in which the wife of a man interfered in a quarrel. This law, “the jus talionis,” is elsewhere repeated in substance, compare the marginal references. and Genesis 9:6. It has its root in a simple conception of justice, and is found in the laws of many ancient nations. It serves in this place as a maxim for the magistrate in awarding the amount of compensation to be paid for the infliction of personal injury. The sum was to be as nearly as possible the worth in money of the power lost by the injured person. Our Lord quotes Exodus 21:24 as representing the form of the law, in order to illustrate the distinction between the letter and the spirit Matthew…”

“Eye for eye - The execution of this law is not put into the hands of private persons, as if every man might avenge himself, which would introduce universal confusion. The tradition of the elders seems to have put this corrupt gloss upon it. But magistrates had an eye to this rule in punishing offenders, and doing right to those that are injured. Next: Exodus Chapter 22”

“This is the earliest account we have of the ταυτοπαθεια, tautopatheia, Lex Talionis, law of like for like. Exo 21:26, Exo 21:27; Lev 24:19, Lev 24:20; Deu 19:21; Jdg 1:6, Jdg 1:7; Sa1 15:33; Mat 5:38-40, Mat 7:2; Luk 6:38; Rev 16:6 Exodus 21:26”