Exodus 21:26

26 “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 in Other Translations

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.

26 "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.

26 “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.

26 "If a slave owner hits the eye of a slave or handmaid and ruins it, the owner must let the slave go free because of the eye.

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

26 "Whenever an owner hits his male or female slave in the eye and the slave is blinded, he must let the slave go free to make up for the loss of the eye.

26 "When a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his eye.

26 "Suppose a man hits his male or female servant in the eye and destroys it. Then he must let the servant go free to pay for the eye.

Exodus 21:26 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 21:26

If a man smite the eye of his servant
Give him a blow on the eye in a passion, as a correction for some fault he has committed:

or the eye of his maid, that it perish;
strike her on that part in like manner, so that the eye is beaten or drops out, or however loses its sight, and "[is] blinded", as the Septuagint version; or "corrupts" it {k}, it turns black and blue, and gathers corrupt matter, and becomes a sore eye; yet if the sight is not lost, or corrupts so as to perish, this law does not take place; the Targum of Jonathan, and to Jarchi restrain this to a Canaanitish servant or maid:

he shall let him go free for his eye's sake;
or "them", as the Septuagint; his right to them as a servant was hereby forfeited, and he was obliged to give them their freedom, let the time of servitude, that was to come, be what it would. This law was made to deter masters from using their servants with cruelty, since though humanity and goodness would not restrain them from ill usage of them, their own profit and advantage by them might.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (htxv) "et corruperit eum", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; so Ainsworth.

Exodus 21:26 In-Context

24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26 “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.

27 And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

28 “If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible.