Why did God give the law of "an eye for an eye"?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The law of "an eye for an eye" (known as Lex Talionis), found in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21, must be understood through the lens of Coptic Orthodox Patristic exegesis. It was not a command for personal revenge but a civil law given to Moses to establish justice and restrain human sinfulness.

Here is why God gave this law, according to the Orthodox perspective:

1. The Restraint of Evil and Cruelty

In the ancient world, and specifically among the Hebrews who had just emerged from centuries of slavery in Egypt, human nature was prone to excessive retaliation. If someone lost a tooth, they might kill the offender’s entire family in a fit of rage.

God gave this law to limit punishment. It ensured that the penalty did not exceed the crime. It taught the people that justice must be proportionate. By saying "only an eye for an eye," God was effectively preventing the escalation of violence, which is a mercy in a fallen world.

2. A Pedagogical Tool (The Tutor to Christ)

St. Athanasius and St. Cyril of Alexandria teach that the Law was a "pedagogue" or tutor. The Old Testament was a period of spiritual childhood for humanity. Before mankind could be taught the perfection of the Gospel—to love one's enemies—they first had to be taught the basic concept of justice. You cannot understand "mercy" (which is going beyond justice) if you do not first understand what "justice" (rendering what is due) actually is.

3. The Shift to the New Covenant

In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord Jesus Christ addressed this directly: "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person" (Matthew 5:38-39).

• The Old Law: Aimed at the hand, restraining it from doing more harm than was done.
• The New Law: Aims at the heart, removing the desire for revenge entirely.

The Old Law was not "wrong," but it was incomplete. It was a step toward the spiritual perfection revealed in the Church.

4. Against Heretical and Non-Orthodox Misunderstandings

• The Manichaean Heretics: In the early centuries, heretics like the Manichaeans claimed the God of the Old Testament was "evil" or "cruel" because of this law. The Church Fathers, such as St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom, defended the Law, explaining that it was a physician’s remedy to prevent the greater sickness of uncontrolled blood feuds.
• The Jews: The Pharisaic tradition often focused on the legalistic application of these rules. However, St. John Chrysostom points out in his homilies against the Jews that they often used the Law as a cloak for their own hardness of heart, rather than seeing it as a guide toward the fear of God.
• Protestants: Many modern Protestants view the transition from "eye for an eye" to "turn the other cheek" as a change in God’s character or a total dismissal of the Old Testament. The Coptic Orthodox Church maintains that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Law was the shadow, and Christ is the reality; the Law was the medicine for a specific time of spiritual infancy.

In the Coptic Liturgy, we see the fulfillment of this. We do not ask for "an eye for an eye" against those who persecute the Church (which has been our history for centuries). Instead, we pray the Litany of the Oblations and the Litany of Peace, asking for the salvation of all, even our enemies, following the higher law of grace established by Christ.