Why does the bible say..?

Question

The Bible says we should turn the other cheek, then later it says and eye for an eye.. well which one is it?

Answer 1

In John13:34 Jesus says"A new Commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, you Love one another. so the eye for an eye thing is Old Testament,and God gave Jesus the power over us now he paid for us with his own Blood so we listen to His New Laws. And He says to Love.and Forgive as he forgives Us.

Answer 2

"an eye for an eye," in its original context, meant don't let things get out of hand. It was to try to avoid blood feuds & miriad deaths.

"turn the other cheek" goes with "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth"


17
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

38
**25** "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
39
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.
40
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.
41
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.
42
Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

Matthew 5:17-17, 38-42

Footnotes:
"**25 [38-42] See Lev 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.**"

Answer 3

This is another one of the strange paradoxical idioms of the bible. I believe that ‘eye for an eye’ is in the Old Testament. I know ‘turn the other cheek’ is in the New Testament.

As I said in another thread: The message in the Old Testament is very different than in the new.

Answer 4

In the Torah, an eye-for-an-eye is the maximum punishment. All crimes were reviewed by Judges and maximum penalties were seldom imposed, and punishment could never exceed the crime. An eye-for-an-eye was certainly never imposed because who would risk removing an eye if the victim died and you would be punished for murder?

The law is one of the most innovative things about the Torah. No other nation had laws that applied to the most humble as well as to the mighty leaders! No one is above the law in Judaism.

The Torah lists the maximum punishment for all crimes, you must read the Talmud to administer justice -- just as lawyers of today use law libraries to search for precedents.

To read the Torah without the Talmud is comparable to learning Christianity without the New Testament.

Answer 5

The old law was one of strict and swift justice--eye for an eye. When Christ came, he fulfilled the old law and took on the sins of the world, and taught us to forgive others as He has forgiven us--turn the other cheek, so to speak. This does not mean we can do whatever we want and not face consequences, as we live in a society that has laws and God wants us to follow His commandments even now. The difference is that when we sin we can repent and be shown mercy, and show mercy to others when they wrong us.

Answer 6

Before Jesus, the Jews were under the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses did say, "eye for an eye." But when Jesus came he established a new law for both Jews and Gentiles. On the Sermon on the Mount when he is talking to the crowds he says, "You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." "But I tell you, Do not resist and evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." I interpret this as don't return evil for evil.

Answer 7

Actually, you've got that backwards. In the Old Testament (Leviticus, I think) a number of then current legal precepts are noted, one of them being "an eye for an eye", which by the way didn't necessarily mean if somebody gouges out your eye you gouge out theirs. It was a plea for considered, measured punishment, i.e. that the punishment should fit the crime. If your neighbour steals your cow, you don't kill him, his whole family, burn all his property to the ground and butcher all his animals. He should be required to pay you back what he stole, namely a cow, or its monetary equivalent.

Later, in the New Testament, Jesus says "You have heard it said "an eye for an eye" but I say to you if your neighbour does you wrong, do not repay kind for kind but instead turn the other cheek"

Answer 8

The Bible is full of contradictions...and you found the perfect example. Whatever you need to believe...there it is. Everything has an opposite...and this is where free choice comes in. This gives us two ways to look at things...and then at some point; you must decide for yourself what rings true for you.

I have discovered that your spirit will be automatically drawn to that which is most useful to you. So what might be needed by one soul...will not be needed for another. Ironically, it always stings a bit when it hits home...and your first reaction will be to deny what is sitting in front of your face...but your spirit won't let you. When we judge others, we are often making a declaration of ourselves. Isn't that interesting?

Therefore...both can be equally true...equally valid...one does not cancel out the other. The trick is to learn what it is to you...and how does it apply to your everyday life? If it isn't important to you...then it isn't anything you need to learn...but when you find something that sort of rocks your world...it will give you pause...and no matter how hard you try to shove it down...it will resurface again.

Answer 9

"An eye for an eye" was part of the law given to Moses. When Jesus came to earth, he fulfilled the Mosaic Law Covenant and new laws were given to the new "spiritual Israel" Christians are no longer under the laws given to Moses. Jesus said to turn the other cheek to promote peace among his followers. We are also told to be "peaceable with all men."
Any vengeance due will be carried out by Almighty God as Romans 12:19 states: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

Answer 10

Actually, it says an eye for an eye first, I think. The rules of the Old Testament were to prove to humans that we cannot be perfect and follow all the rules, therefore, when Jesus died, He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we don't have to , because He was perfect, and we can't possibly be, no matter how hard we try. An eye for an eye, to me, means that when it comes to justice, our legal system should punish people for their crimes instead of letting them off or rotting in jail.

Answer 11

The first, "an eye for an eye", is a law adapted by early Jews from the Code of Hammurabi in Babylon. It has nothing to do with God; its inclusion (as well as most of the Old Testament) in the religious book is due to the Jewish people managing political, historical, and religious matters in an all-inclusive manner.

The inclusion of these political and historical portions has wrought considerable damage on humanity over the years, as they keep us from fully moving away from the primitive laws of the early Jewish people and promote judgement/war/suffering as an appopriate way to deal with differences.