SPECIAL TOPIC: "EYE FOR EYE"

The "eye-for-an-eye" justice of Israel (i.e. Lev. 24:20), which seems so cruel (i.e. Lex talionis, which is also characteristic of the Code of Hammurabi, see Old Testament Times, by R. K. Harrison, pp. 57-61) was in reality meant to stop "revenge wars" between families and tribes (see SPECIAL TOPIC: BLOOD AVENGER) as well as maintain the ritual purity of God's covenant people.

One wonders about how literally this law was actually carried out. It seems that physical mutilation was replaced by appropriate compensation. This is based on the surrounding context of the parallel in Exod. 21:23-25. The immediately preceding and following contexts deal with compensation. The later rabbis assigned appropriate compensation for actions resulting in personal damage. However, murder retained its religious taboo. It negatively impacted the covenant of blessings from YHWH and had to be dealt with appropriately!