Is it in the Bible?
Is “An eye for an eye” in the Bible?
Yes. “An eye for an eye” is in the Bible, at Exodus 21:24. It is part of the law God gave Israel through Moses, in the rules for judges.
A free tool from Lumin, the Bible AI that cites every verse.Get the app
The answer
Where it is, and what it means there.
From the Bible
Yes. It is in the Bible.
The verse is Exodus 21:24.
It is part of the law God gave Israel through Moses, in the rules for judges.
The verse
But if there is serious injury, you are to give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Exodus 21:23-25 · open the chapter →
What it means there
It set a limit: the penalty could match the harm and go no further. Jesus quotes it in Matthew 5:38-39 and tells his followers not to pay back a wrong at all.
Also in the Bible
… fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The injury they have inflicted on another person must be inflicted on them.
Leviticus 24:20 · open the chapter →
Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deuteronomy 19:21 · open the chapter →
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
Matthew 5:38 · open the chapter →
Check another word or saying
Ask about it
Have a question about this saying?
Lumin answers in a few sentences and names the verses it rests on, shown in full so you can read them yourself.
Keep going
Keep asking in the Lumin app.Keep this conversation going on the web.
The same short answers with the verse beside each one, plus your saved questions, prayer, and the whole Bible to read in.
Make a free Lumin account and this conversation opens in Ask, ready for your next question. Your saved questions, prayer, and the whole Bible come with it.
Keep checking
More words and sayings people check.
From the Bible
Is “Fight the good fight” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “Holier than thou” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “Jesus wept” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “Let there be light” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “Love your neighbor as yourself” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “No rest for the wicked” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “A prophet is not without honor” in the Bible?
From the Bible
Is “A soft answer turns away wrath” in the Bible?
Made by Lumin
The Bible AI that keeps the verse beside every answer.
Ask a Bible question, study a chapter with a guide, pray, and carry Sunday’s sermon into the week. Every answer names Scripture you can open.
See what Lumin doesCommon questions
Plain answers.
Is “An eye for an eye” in the Bible?
Yes. “An eye for an eye” is in the Bible, at Exodus 21:24. Word for word, the saying is in Matthew 5:38 in the Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible. It is part of the law God gave Israel through Moses, in the rules for judges.
Where in the Bible is “An eye for an eye”?
In Exodus 21:24, and also Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21 and Matthew 5:38. In the Lumin Translation, Exodus 21:23-25 reads: “But if there is serious injury, you are to give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
Who said “An eye for an eye”?
It is part of the law God gave Israel through Moses, in the rules for judges.
What does “An eye for an eye” mean in the Bible?
It set a limit: the penalty could match the harm and go no further. Jesus quotes it in Matthew 5:38-39 and tells his followers not to pay back a wrong at all.
Free tools from Lumin
More free tools.
If you want a Christian AI that cites its sources
Lumin keeps the verse open beside the answer.
Free to start on iPhone and iPad. Every answer names Scripture you can check.