Deuteronomy 19:21

Wycliffe Bible

Thou schalt not haue mercy on hym, but thou schalt axe lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Hebrew Names Version
Your eyes shall not pity; life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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

Lexham English Bible
You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

English Standard Version
Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New Century Version
Show no mercy. A life must be paid for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.

New English Translation
You must not show pity; the principle will be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

Amplified Bible
"You shall not show pity [to the guilty one]: it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New American Standard Bible
"So you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore thine eye shall have no compassion, but life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foote for foote.

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus your eye shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Complete Jewish Bible
Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Darby Translation
And thine eye shall not spare: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Don't feel sorry about punishing someone who does wrong. If a life is taken, a life must be paid for it. The rule is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot—the punishment must equal the crime.

George Lamsa Translation
And your eye shall not pity; but life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Good News Translation
In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

Literal Translation
And your eye shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thine eye shall not pitie him. Soule for soule, eye for eye, tothe for tothe, hande for hande, fote for fote.

American Standard Version
And thine eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Bible in Basic English
Have no pity; let life be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And thine eye shall haue no copassion, but lyfe for lyfe, eye for eye, toothe for toothe, hande for hande, foote for foote.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

King James Version (1611)
And thine eye shall not pitie, but life shall goe for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thine eye shall not spare him: thou shalt exact life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

English Revised Version
And thine eye shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Berean Standard Bible
You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Young's Literal Translation
and thine eye doth not pity -- life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Update Bible Version
And your eyes shall not pity; life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thy eye shall not pity; [but] life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

World English Bible
Your eyes shall not pity; life [shall go] for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New King James Version
Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New Living Translation
You must show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New Life Bible
Do not pity him. It will be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New Revised Standard
Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
neither shall thine eye pity, - life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not pity him, but shalt require life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Revised Standard Version
Your eye shall not pity; it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ Thou schalt not take, and turne ouer the termes of thi neiybore, which the formere men settiden in thi possessioun, which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee in the lond, `which lond thou schalt take `to be weldid. ¹⁵ O witnesse schal not stonde ayens ony man, what euer thing it is of synne and of wickidnesse; but ech word schal stonde in the mouth of tweyne ethir of thre witnessis. ¹⁶ If a fals witnesse stondith ayens a man, and accusith hym of brekyng of the lawe, bothe, ¹⁷ of whiche the cause is, schulen stonde bifor the Lord, in the siyt of preestis, and of iugis, that ben in tho daies. ¹⁸ And whanne thei sekynge moost diligentli han founde that the fals witnesse seide a leesyng ayens his brothir, ¹⁹ thei schulen yelde to hym, as he thouyte to do to his brother; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro the myddis of thee, that othere men here, ²⁰ and haue drede, and be no more hardi to do siche thingis. ²¹ Thou schalt not haue mercy on hym, but thou schalt axe lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thine eye: Deuteronomy 19:13

life shall: Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:17-21, Matthew 5:38, Matthew 5:39

Reciprocal: Genesis 45:20 - regard not Exodus 21:20 - smite Exodus 21:24 - General Leviticus 24:19 - General Leviticus 24:20 - General Deuteronomy 7:16 - thine eye Deuteronomy 25:12 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:7
Whether not if thou schalt do wel, thou schalt resseyue; but if thou doist yuele, thi synne schal be present anoon in the yatis? but the desir therof schal be vndur thee, and thou schalt be lord therof.

Genesis 12:2
and Y schal make thee in to a greet folk, and Y schal blisse thee, and Y schal magnyfie thi name, and thou schalt be blessid;

Genesis 18:24
if fifti iust men ben in the citee, schulen thei perische togidere, and schalt thou not spare that place for fifti iust men, if thei ben ther ynne?

Genesis 19:8
Y haue twey douytris, that knewen not yit man; Y schal lede out hem to you, and mys vse ye hem as it plesith you, so that ye doon noon yuel to these men, for thei entriden vndur the schadewe of my roof.

Genesis 19:9
And thei seiden, Go thou fro hennus. And eft thei seiden, Thou entridist as a comelyng; wher that thou deme? therfor we schulen turment thee more than these. And thei diden violentli to Loth ful greetli. Thanne it was nyy that thei wolden breke the doris; and lo!

Genesis 19:15
And whanne the morewtid was, the aungels constreyneden hym, and seiden, Rise thou, and take thi wijf, and thi twey douytris whiche thou hast, lest also thou perische to gidere in the synne of the citee.

Genesis 19:16
While he dissymelide, thei token his hond, and the hond of his wijf, and of his twey doutris; for the Lord sparide hym.

Psalms 34:15
The iyen of the Lord ben on iust men; and hise eeren ben to her preiers.

Psalms 102:17
He bihelde on the preier of meke men; and he dispiside not the preier of hem.

Psalms 145:19
He schal do the wille of hem, that dreden him, and he schal here the biseching of hem; and he schal make hem saaf.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thine eye shall not pity,.... The false witness when convicted; this is directed to the judges, who should not spare such an one through favour or affection, but pronounce a righteous sentence on him, and see it executed, in proportion to the crime, and that according to the law of retaliation:

but life shall go for life; in such a case where the life of a person must have gone, if the falsehood of the testimony had not been discovered, the false witness must suffer death; in other cases, where a member would have been lost, or the price of it paid for, the same penalty was to be inflicted:

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot; that is, the price of an eye an eye, &c. see Exodus 21:23.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 19:21. Life - for life, eye for eye, c. — 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 offences. 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.