Exodus 21:26 kjv

And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.

Exodus 21:26 nkjv

"If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye.

Exodus 21:26 niv

"An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye.

Exodus 21:26 esv

"When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.

Exodus 21:26 nlt

"If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye and the eye is blinded, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye.

Exodus 21 verses

Exodus 21 26 Meaning

Exodus 21:26 dictates that if a master strikes and permanently destroys the eye of a male or female servant, the injured servant must be granted immediate freedom as restitution. This statute elevates the physical integrity and personal liberty of the servant above the master's proprietary rights, establishing that grave bodily harm by a master necessitates emancipation rather than monetary compensation.

Exodus 21 26 Context

Exodus chapter 21 introduces specific civil laws or "judgments" (mishpatim) immediately following the Ten Commandments, demonstrating how these broader moral principles are applied in daily life within the Israelite community. This chapter addresses various forms of personal injury, property rights, and master-servant relationships. Verse 26, specifically concerning permanent injury to a servant's eye, stands in contrast to the surrounding Ancient Near Eastern legal codes (like the Code of Hammurabi), which often viewed slaves as mere property, with compensation for injury going to the master rather than to the injured servant as freedom. The Mosaic Law, in this verse, provides a significant protective measure for servants, indicating God's concern for their physical well-being and basic human dignity even while servitude was a social reality of the time.

Exodus 21 26 Word analysis

• וְכִֽי־יַכֶּה֙ ( v'khi yakkeh ): "And if he strikes." This phrase introduces a conditional legal clause, common in ancient Near Eastern law codes. Yakkeh implies a decisive, often violent blow.
• אִ֗ישׁ ( ish ): "a man." Refers to the master.
• אֶת־עֵין֙ ( et-`ein ): "the eye of." Specifies the precise injury. The eye is vital, representing sight and capacity for work and life.
• עַבְדּוֹ֙ ( `avdo ): "his male servant" or "his slave." The term eved (servant/slave) in ancient Israel referred to a person in servitude, but often carried distinct legal protections compared to slaves in other cultures.
• אוֹ֙ ( o ): "or." Indicates an alternative option for the object of injury.
• אֲמָתוֹ֮ ( `amato ): "his female servant" or "his maidservant." This inclusion shows equity in protection for both male and female servants.
• וְשִֽׁחֲתָהּ֒ ( v'shikhatah ): "and destroys it." From the root shachath, meaning to corrupt, ruin, destroy. It implies permanent, irreversible damage, not a minor injury.
• לַחָפְשִׁ֥י יְשַׁלְּחֶ֖נּוּ ( laḥofshi yeshalleḥennu ): "he shall let him go free for freedom" / "he shall send him away for freedom." This is the prescribed punishment and remedy. Ḥofshi means "free state" or "freedom," emphasizing complete release. Yeshalleḥennu means to send away, release, or dismiss.
• בְּעֵינ֖וֹ ( b'eino ): "for his eye." Literally "in his eye," but contextually means "because of his eye" or "as compensation for his eye." It ties the act of emancipation directly to the specific injury sustained.

• "If a man strikes... his servant... and destroys it": This clause highlights the severity of the master's act, indicating it goes beyond mere discipline to permanent, debilitating harm. The use of "destroys" implies that the injury renders the eye completely useless.
• "he shall let him go free for his eye": This crucial phrase establishes a unique form of compensation that stands apart from the typical "eye for an eye" (lex talionis) applied elsewhere (Ex 21:24). Instead of the master losing an eye, the servant gains freedom. This signifies that the physical integrity and personal liberty of the servant hold a value far greater than the economic loss the master incurs, overriding their property rights in favor of human dignity. It implies that a master who would inflict such a permanent injury has forfeited the right to hold that person in servitude.

Exodus 21 26 Bonus section

The command in Exodus 21:26 was revolutionary for its time. In societies like Mesopotamia, injuries inflicted on a slave usually resulted in fines paid to the master, reflecting the slave's status as mere chattel. However, the Mosaic Law established a completely different principle: the value of the slave's physical person and liberty outweighed the master's ownership. This statute provided a powerful legal recourse and protection for those in servitude, reinforcing the idea that even slaves were image-bearers of God, deserving of fundamental human dignity and legal safeguards. It served as a powerful check on a master's absolute power and foreshadowed later biblical teachings on justice and freedom for all.

Exodus 21 26 Commentary

Exodus 21:26 offers a profound insight into God's law regarding justice and the dignity of human life, even in the context of servitude. Unlike other ancient Near Eastern laws that primarily provided financial compensation to the master for injury to a servant, God's law here stipulates immediate freedom for the injured servant. This unique provision dramatically elevates the personal worth of the servant beyond that of mere property. It teaches that permanent injury to a vital organ like an eye constitutes such a grievous harm that continued servitude is an unacceptable outcome; the ultimate compensation must be the servant's liberty. This law served as a potent deterrent against abusive masters, ensuring that Israelite society, even with the institution of servitude, upheld a baseline of humane treatment and the intrinsic value of every person made in God's image. It sets a precedent for prioritizing the physical and personal well-being of the vulnerable.