The exact saying, “An eye for an eye fixed will make the entire world blind,” is nowhere within the Bible. Rather, this saying is usually attributed to Gandhi, though there isn’t concrete evidence he said it either.
However, the principles behind this saying are rooted in Scripture and force us to acknowledge the complete context of this famous saying.
Where Does the Phrase “An Eye for an Eye” Come From?
The phrase “an eye fixed for an eye fixed” references the Old Testament, specifically Exodus 21:22-25 (NIV), which says, “If persons are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and he or she gives birth prematurely but there isn’t any serious injury, the offender have to be fined regardless of the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there’s serious injury, you might be to take life for all times, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
What Does “An Eye for an Eye” Mean within the Bible?
When we see “an eye fixed for an eye fixed” in Scripture, it is supposed as a civil law for the kids of Israel. Moses was the leader of a whole lot of hundreds of newly freed individuals who needed an in depth understanding of God’s laws, especially as they wandered within the desert and habitually fell into sin. In Exodus 21, God is giving Moses specific instructions regarding personal injuries, whether intentional or not, and the way to perform consequences and seek justice.
For the longest time, I had a tough time reconciling this passage in Exodus with the New Testament, when Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I let you know, don’t resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the correct cheek, turn to them the opposite cheek also. And if anyone desires to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well” (Matthew 5:38-40, NIV).
These two Scriptures seem opposite of each other, but when our God is love (1 John 4:8), He doesn’t lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18), and He gave His only begotten Son to not abolish the law, but to satisfy it (Matthew 5:17-20), how are we to know such seemingly dichotomous teachings?
Christianity hinges on Christ’s enduring, perfect love that led Him to die on the cross, bearing the wrath of God for our sins, and rising again, defeating sin, Satan, death, and hell once and for all. But before Christ got here to earth, God’s people were under the law, which meant their calling as believers in God wasn’t centered on the liberty of Christ’s grace but on the bondage of habitual animal sacrifices to seek out forgiveness for failing God’s law.
This might make the Old Testament believer appear to have it harder, especially with a whole lot of rules to follow and limitless animal sacrifices, however the New Testament believer has the next calling, as they aren’t called to live under the law but to live outside themselves within the name of grace. The Old Testament believer was expected to remain contained in the boundaries of the law, however the New Testament believer is to know no boundaries in how much they may sacrifice and the way deeply they may love in response to Christ’s unmatchable sacrifice.
“An eye for an eye fixed” was God’s civil law set in place to instill a way of morality in individuals who had never experienced the salvation of a New Testament believer. The Israelites of Exodus didn’t have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, guiding them towards selflessness, so to maintain order, to maintain justice preserved, God set rules that were “scary enough” to maintain even probably the most ethically immoral people in check. In other words, it wasn’t that God thought people should kill each other, but that individuals would, indeed, kill one another if there weren’t fatal consequences.
Once again, we see that the God of the Old Testament, if we glance deep enough, is a loving protector of wayward children.
“An Eye for an Eye Will Make the Whole World Blind”: Biblical or Just Moral?
Since “an eye fixed for an eye fixed will make the entire world blind” isn’t verbatim within the Bible, it’s hard to contemplate it a biblical principle. However, it’s definitely an ethical concept that we must always wrestle with.
As New Testament believers, we’re given a lot grace—and the very presence of God Himself within the Holy Spirit—that we’re to take to heart when Scripture says, “When someone has been given much, much will probably be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, much more will probably be required” (Luke 12:48, NIV). This means we’re held to the next standard within the name of humility and love.
This standard calls us to acknowledge that if we return one sin for an additional, we’re, as Paul says, abusing God’s grace (Romans 6:1-2). We are trampling the very Gift that has saved us from an everlasting hell we rightly deserved.
And while this saying isn’t directly in Scripture, the moral standard it demands reveals the depths of biblical living we’re to stick to.
What Did Jesus Say about Retaliation—What Does This Mean for Us Today?
As mentioned earlier, Jesus said in Matthew 5 that we aren’t to hunt revenge, but to supply our other cheek. We aren’t to tolerate abuse, but we’re to reveal ourselves to each opportunity to like when it costs.
God also makes it clear that vengeance is His (Romans 12:17-19) and that we’re to trust His character enough to walk away from a situation where we truly think we need to get even.
Global icons like Taylor Swift have glamorized revenge, selling a smoke-and-mirrors idea about its aftermath. After all, to get even with one other is to act in a way that imitates them. And in the event that they are the very one who hurt you most, the one you just about despise, why grow to be that very person yourself?
Jesus doesn’t want us to fall for Satan’s lie that revenge is good. He doesn’t want us caught within the mess that’s undoubtedly created when two imperfect people let their anger steer their thoughts, words, and deeds. Jesus doesn’t want us to sell ourselves out to the very people we’ve said we never wish to be like. He wants far, much more for us.
Just as God wanted more for us than animal sacrifices and a surface-level understanding of justice, He wants us to know that our salvation is an injustice, something we could never earn or preserve, so why should we live under the law of justice, stuck in our stubborn ways, once we could extend that very same beautiful injustice of undeserved grace to others?
Of course, this doesn’t mean God wants us to reveal ourselves to individuals who have proven their selfish, destructive, and sometimes abusive ways. You weren’t called to be a doormat, but you were called to let God open the doors of your heart to patience and forgiveness when “an eye fixed for an eye fixed” sounds more appealing.
In a fallen world that lives as if it needs harsh laws to force people into obedience, should we not consider that our gifts of mercy and style as New Testament believers have freed us to radically love and forgive? And in that forgiveness and love, will we not use the peace, hope, and self-understanding everyone else on this world so desperately chases?
Photo credit: Unsplash/Peter Forster
