Exodus 21:26-27

Exodus 21:26-27

[26] 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. [27] And if he smite  out his manservant's  tooth,  or his maidservant's  tooth;  he shall let him go  free  for his tooth's  sake.

What does Exodus 21:26-27 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

In contrast to Exodus 21:27, the Code of Hammurabi prescribed that in such a case the offender had to pay the slave"s master half the price of the slave. [1] If a master blinded his own slave, this code required no penalty. The Torah shows greater concern for the slave. This law would have discouraged masters from physically abusing their slaves.