Verse 21
21. Thine eye shall not pity It has been said that this is a harsh and cruel requirement. But it must be borne in mind that the usages which prevailed and the condition of society demanded stringent laws. The wise legislator adapts law to the circumstances of the people. Moses found the law of retaliation deeply seated. It has its foundations in the conception of impartial justice. With all his influence over the people he could not eradicate long-established usages. At the present day in the East there is a most cruel feature of the lex talionis. When the murderer cannot be reached the avengers have the right to kill any member of his family. See THOMSON’S Land and Book, vol. i, p. 448. If we turn to the words of Him who spake as never man spake, we see how the Gospel modifies the stern exactions of this law of retaliation. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil.” Matthew 5:38-39.
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