Deuteronomy 19 · Verse 21

Deuteronomy 19:21

And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deuteronomy 19:21, King James Version

Deuteronomy 19:21 in other translations

BSBYou must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
WEBYour eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
ASVAnd thine eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
YLTand thine eye doth not pity--life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
DARBYAnd thine eye shall not spare: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
BBEHave no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
WebsterAnd thy eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

What does Deuteronomy 19:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 19:16-21

De 19:16-21. Punishment of a False Witness. 16-21. But if convicted of perjury, it will be sufficient for his own condemnation, and his punishment shall be exactly the same as would have overtaken the object of his malignant prosecution. (See on Ex 21:23; see also Le 24:20).

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 19:16-21 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 Life - for life, eye for eye, etc. - The operation of such a law as this must have been very salutary: if a man prized his own members, he would naturally avoid injuring those of others. It is a pity that this law were not still in force: it would certainly prevent many of those savage acts which now both disgrace and injure society. I speak this in reference to law generally, and the provision that should be made to prevent and punish ferocious and malevolent offenses. A Christian may always act on the plan of forgiving injuries; and where the public peace and safety may not be affected, he should do so; but if law did not make a provision for the safety of the community by enactment against the profligate, civil society would soon be destroyed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 19:15-21

Sentence should never be passed upon the testimony of one witness alone. A false witness should suffer the same punishment which he sought to have inflicted upon the person he accused. Nor could any law be more just. Let all Christians not only be cautious in bearing witness in public, but be careful not to join in private slanders; and let all whose consciences accuse them of crime, without delay flee for refuge to…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 19:15-21 →

Deuteronomy 19:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
תָח֖וֹסta.Chosit will look with pityH2347
עֵינֶ֑ךָ'ei.Ne.khaeye yourH5869
נֶ֣פֶשׁNe.feshlifeH5315
בְּנֶ֗פֶשׁbe.Ne.feshfor lifeH5315
עַ֤יִן'A.yineyeH5869
בְּעַ֙יִן֙be.'A.yinfor eyeH5869
שֵׁ֣ןshentoothH8127
בְּשֵׁ֔ןbe.Shenfor toothH8127
יָ֥דyadhandH3027
בְּיָ֖דbe.Yadfor handH3027
רֶ֥גֶלRe.gelfootH7272
בְּרָֽגֶל\׃\ \סbe.Ra.gelfor footH7272

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 19:21

  • Matthew 5:38-39

    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: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

  • Exodus 21:23-25

    And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

  • Deuteronomy 19:13

    Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

  • Leviticus 24:17-21

    And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
thine eye.
13
life shall.
Ex 21:23-25; Le 24:17-21; Mt 5:38,39

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 19:20

    And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

  • Deuteronomy 19:21

    And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Read all of Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy 19:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y no perdonará tu ojo: vida por vida, ojo por ojo, diente por diente, mano por mano, pie por pie.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ton œil n’épargnera point: vie pour vie, œil pour œil, dent pour dent, main pour main, pied pour pied.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und dein Auge soll nicht schonen: Leben um Leben, Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn, Hand um Hand, Fuß um Fuß!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Non misereberis ejus, sed animam pro anima, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, manum pro manu, pedem pro pede exiges.