Commentary - Exodus 21:26-27

Bird's-eye view

In Exodus 21:26-27, we are given a clear and potent application of justice within the master-servant relationship under the Mosaic covenant. These verses are not standalone oddities; they are part of the "book of the covenant," the case law that flows directly from the principles of the Ten Commandments. Here, God legislates a severe penalty against a master for what a modern, sentimental age might consider a "lesser" injury. If a master permanently injures his slave, even by knocking out a tooth, that slave is to be set free. This is a radical piece of legislation. It establishes that the bondservant, while in a position of servitude, is not mere property. He is a human being, made in God's image, and possesses a dignity that the law must protect. This law functions as a powerful disincentive against abuse and stands in stark contrast to the chattel slavery practiced by the surrounding pagan nations, where a slave was often little more than a tool with no legal recourse. This passage, therefore, is a testament to the inherent justice and humanity of God's law, which always aims to protect the vulnerable and restrain the sinful impulses of powerful men.

The overarching principle is that of restitution and liberty. The penalty for the injury is not a fine paid to the court, but freedom granted to the injured. The loss of an eye or a tooth is "paid for" with the master's loss of the slave's labor. This is a form of lex talionis, or "eye for an eye," but applied in a beautifully asymmetrical way. The master doesn't lose his own eye, but he loses his claim on the man whose eye he destroyed. This points to a deeper reality: the ultimate payment for injustice is freedom. For the Christian, this resonates with the gospel. We were slaves to sin, and the injury that sin inflicted upon us was total. Christ, our master, did not injure us, but rather took our injuries upon Himself, and by His stripes, He purchased our freedom. This Old Testament law, therefore, is a signpost pointing to the great manumission accomplished at the cross.

Outline

Context In Exodus

These verses are situated in the heart of the Covenant Code (Exodus 20:22-23:33), which immediately follows the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai. This section is not a collection of abstract principles but rather a series of specific case laws designed to apply God's holy standard to the everyday life of Israel. The context is crucial. God has just redeemed His people from brutal slavery in Egypt. Their former masters treated them as disposable property. Now, as a free people under God's rule, they are given laws that radically redefine social structures, including servitude. The laws governing slavery in Israel were fundamentally different from the chattel slavery of Egypt or other ancient Near Eastern cultures. They were designed to be temporary, protective, and humane, reflecting the character of the God who liberated them. Verses 26-27 are a prime example of this, providing legal protection and recourse for the most vulnerable members of the household.

Key Issues

Commentary

26 And if a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and ruins it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.

The first clause sets the scene: "if a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave." The law is impartial regarding the sex of the servant; the protection applies equally to both. The action is one of violence from a superior to a subordinate. The result is severe and permanent: he "ruins it." The Hebrew word implies destruction, a total loss of the organ. This is not a black eye; this is a blinding. In a world where physical ability was directly tied to survival and productivity, the loss of an eye was a catastrophic injury.

Now, what is the prescribed penalty for this act of violent carelessness or outright cruelty? The master does not pay a fine to the Levites. He is not flogged in the city square. The penalty is directly tied to the injured party and is profoundly personal. "He shall let him go free on account of his eye." The freedom of the man is the price of his eye. This is a stunning piece of jurisprudence. The law declares that a master's authority is not absolute. It is conditional. If he abuses his power to the point of causing permanent harm, his authority is forfeited. The slave's body is not his to damage with impunity. This law embeds the principle that a person's physical integrity is worth more than their economic value as a laborer. The master loses his investment entirely. This is not just a penalty; it is a powerful deterrent. A master who knows that a moment of anger could cost him the entire value of a servant will be much more inclined to restrain his temper.

27 And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

Lest anyone think the previous law only applied to the most grievous of permanent injuries, this verse immediately follows with a lesser, though still significant, example. A tooth is not an eye. One can live and work without a tooth far more easily than without an eye. And yet, the principle holds. The loss is permanent. A tooth, once knocked out, does not grow back. And so the penalty is identical: "he shall let him go free on account of his tooth."

This is what we call arguing from the lesser to the greater. If a master must grant freedom for a tooth, how much more for a hand, a foot, or any other permanent, debilitating injury? The law gives two examples, an eye and a tooth, and expects the judges of Israel to apply the principle, the "general equity," to all similar cases. It establishes a baseline of protection. The message is that any permanent physical disfigurement inflicted by a master on a servant dissolves the bonds of servitude. The servant's body is ultimately the Lord's, not the master's. This is a far cry from the pagan systems where a master could maim or even kill a slave with no legal consequences. The law of God injects a radical humanity into the master-servant relationship, constantly reminding the Israelite that his bondservant is his brother, not his beast of burden.

Application

We are not living under the Mosaic civil code, but the principles of God's law are eternal because they flow from His unchanging character. First, this passage demolishes any attempt to use the Bible to justify abusive authority. God hates tyranny, whether in a king, a president, a pastor, or the head of a household. Authority is a stewardship, and when it is used to harm and maim instead of protect and nurture, it is forfeited. God's law here builds a bulwark around the vulnerable. Christians, of all people, should be the first to defend the weak and oppose the abuser, because our God is a God who sets the oppressed free.

Second, we see the high value God places on the human body. The slave's eye, his tooth, his very personhood, is protected by God's law. This stands against our modern Gnostic tendencies to devalue the physical in favor of the "spiritual." Our bodies matter. They are temples of the Holy Spirit, and they are destined for resurrection. How we treat the bodies of others, therefore, is a matter of grave spiritual importance.

Finally, this law is a beautiful, if faint, picture of the gospel. We were all slaves to sin, and that cruel master blinded our eyes and broke us. But Jesus Christ came, and through His broken body and shed blood, He purchased our freedom. He did not just set us free on account of an eye or a tooth; He set us free from total bondage at the cost of His own life. The freedom granted to an injured slave in ancient Israel was a foretaste of the glorious liberty of the children of God, a liberty purchased not because we were injured, but because our Redeemer was. We were freed not from a thoughtless master, but from the just wrath of a holy God, a wrath that was fully satisfied in His Son. Our freedom, therefore, should lead us not to license, but to a life of grateful service to the One who paid the ultimate price to set us free.