Exodus 21:26-27 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 21:26

If a man smite the eye of his servant ,.... Give him a blow on the eye in a passion, as a correction for some fault he has committed: or the eye of his maid, that it perish ; strike her on that part in like manner, so that the eye is beaten or drops out, or however loses its sight, and " is blinded", as the Septuagint version; or "corrupts" it F11 שחתה "et corruperit eum", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; so Ainsworth. , it turns black and blue, and gathers corrupt matter, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:27

And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth ,.... Give them such a slap on the face, or a blow on the mouth, as to strike out one of their teeth; this also the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi restrain to a Canaanitish servant or maid: he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake ; both him and her, the servant and the maid; this, though of lesser consequence than the loss of an eye, was punished in the same manner with the loss of the servant man or maid, to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:26

If a man smite the eye, etc. - See the following verse. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:27

If he smite out his - tooth - It was a noble law that obliged the unmerciful slaveholder to set the slave at liberty whose eye or tooth he had knocked out. If this did not teach them humanity, it taught them caution, as one rash blow might have deprived them of all right to the future services of the slave; and thus self-interest obliged them to be cautious and circumspect. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:26

Verse 26 26.And if a man smite the eye. Since, in the sight of God, there is neither slave nor free-man, it is clear that he sins as greatly who smites a slave, as if he had struck a free-man. Still, a distinction is made as regards the civil law and human justice, especially if any one have inflicted a wound on his own slave. For here a tooth for a tooth, or an eye for an eye, is not required, but the superiority, which he has improperly abused, is taken from the master; and in compensation... 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

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:23-26

An eye for an eye, etc. (cf. Matthew 5:38-43 ). The principle here enunciated is that of the jus talionis . Stripped of its concrete form, it is simply the assertion of the dictate of justice, that when a wrong has been done to anyone, and through him to society, an adequate compensation ought to be rendered. So rendered, it is the principle underlying every system of criminal jurisprudence. We need not suppose that (in Jewish society) it was ever literally acted upon. Commutations of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:26-27

Assaults on Slaves . The general law of retaliation was not made to extend to slaves. For ordinary blows the slave was not thought entitled to compensation, any more than the child. They were natural incidents of his condition. In extremer cases, where he was permanently injured in an organ or a member, he was, however, considered to have ground of complaint and to deserve a recompense. But for him to revenge himself upon his master by inflicting the same on him was not to be thought of. It... read more

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:26

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:27

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:26

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:27

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:26

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:2-35

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:18-36

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:23-26

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 21:26-27

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