Exodus 21:22-25 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 21:22-36

Observe here, I. The particular care which the law took of women with child, that no hurt should be done them which might occasion their mis-carrying. The law of nature obliges us to be very tender in that case, lest the tree and fruit be destroyed together, Exod. 21:22, 23. Women with child, who are thus taken under the special protection of the law of God, if they live in his fear, may still believe themselves under the special protection of the providence of God, and hope that they shall be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:22

If men strive ,.... Quarrel and fight with one another, which is to be understood of Hebrews, as Aben Ezra observes: and hurt a woman with child ; who being the wife of one of them, and also an Israelitish woman, interposes to part them, or help her husband; but the other, instead of striking his antagonist as he intended, gives her a blow: so that her fruit depart from her ; or, "her children go forth" F26 ויצאו ילדיה "et egressi fuerint nati ejus", Pagninus, Montanus,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:23

And if any mischief follow ,.... According as that is, so shall it be done to the smiter: if death follows: then thou shalt give life for life ; if death to the woman, so Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret it; to which agrees the Targum of Jonathan,"but if there is death in her, then ye shall judge or condemn the life of the murderer for the life of the woman;'about which, Jarchi says, there is a difference among their doctors; some say life properly, absolutely the person himself; others... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 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 F4 Antiqu. l. 4. c. 33. 35. 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, &c.;'Jarchi on the place observes,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:25

Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. This is to be understood of burning a man's flesh with fire; of wounds made by any means, so that the blood is let out; and of blows, and the prints and marks of them; of stripes and weals where the blood is settled, and the part is turned black and blue: the Targum of Jonathan is, the price of the pain of burning for burning, &c.; and indeed, in everyone of these cases, the law could not be well literally executed; for it would be... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:22

And hurt a woman with child - As a posterity among the Jews was among the peculiar promises of their covenant, and as every man had some reason to think that the Messiah should spring from his family, therefore any injury done to a woman with child, by which the fruit of her womb might be destroyed, was considered a very heavy offense; and as the crime was committed principally against the husband, the degree of punishment was left to his discretion. But if mischief followed, that is, if the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:24

Eye for eye - This is the earliest account we have of the lex talionis , or law of like for like, which afterwards prevailed among the Greeks and Romans. Among the latter, it constituted a part of the twelve tables, so famous in antiquity; but the punishment was afterwards changed to a pecuniary fine, to be levied at the discretion of the praetor. It prevails less or more in most civilized countries, and is fully acted upon in the canon law, in reference to all calumniators: Calumniator,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:22

Verse 22 22.If men strive, and hurt a woman. This passage at first sight is ambiguous, for if the word death (39) only applies to the pregnant woman, it would not have been a capital crime to put an end to the foetus, which would be a great absurdity; for the foetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, (homo,) and it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:2-35

The slave laws. Slave laws belong to all communities, and not to some only, slavery being really a universal and not a partial institution. In the most civilised communities of modern Europe, there are two large classes of slaves—lunatics and criminals. The law openly condemns these last to penal servitude, which may be for life; and this "servitude," as Lord Chief Justice Coleridge has repeatedly pointed out, is simply a form of slavery. Ancient communities differed from modern— 1 .... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:18-36

Bodily injuries. The laws in this section may be thus classified:— I. INJURIES BY MAN . 1 . Strivers ( Exodus 21:18 , Exodus 21:19 ). The man who injured another in strife was required to pay for the loss of his time, and to cause him to be thoroughly healed. Had the man died, the case would have come under the law of Exodus 21:12 . As it was, blame attached to both parties, and the law waived the right to further satisfaction. Note— 2 . Servants ( Exodus 21:20... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 21:22-36

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:23

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:25

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:22

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:24

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:22

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:2-35

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:18-36

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