Let’s talk about a phrase we’ve all heard – “an eye for an eye.” It’s tossed around in conversations about justice, revenge, and what people think it means to “get what’s coming to them.” But have we ever really stopped to ask: What did this actually mean back then – and how did we twist it into something it was never meant to be?
Most people don’t realize that “an eye for an eye” wasn’t about revenge – it was about restraint.
In the Old Testament – Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, and Deuteronomy 19:21 – this law was part of a system meant to create balance. If someone injured another person, the punishment had to match the crime – not exceed it. It was a way of saying: Justice must be fair and proportionate. You don’t take someone’s life because they broke your arm. You don’t destroy a family because someone hurt your pride.
The intention was to stop people from letting their anger push them into escalating violence. It wasn’t a free pass to go around handing out payback – it was a boundary. A way to ensure that justice didn’t slip into unchecked cruelty.
But here’s the problem: We don’t use it that way anymore.
Today, “an eye for an eye” has become a rallying cry for revenge.
We see it everywhere – from global conflicts to social media drama. Someone wrongs us, so we hit back harder. A country attacks, so the other retaliates. A person makes a mistake, and suddenly their entire life needs to be burned to the ground.
It’s not about balance anymore – it’s about domination.
We’ve moved from justice to vengeance – from restoring order to feeding the fire.
And let’s be honest: that cycle never ends well.
When we respond to harm with more harm, we don’t heal anything – we just multiply the pain. It’s a false sense of power. It might feel good for a moment, like we’ve “taught them a lesson,” but all we’ve done is invite more destruction into the room.
So what’s the shift?
The real question isn’t “How do I make them pay?” – it’s “How do we create accountability without causing more damage?”
Justice without wisdom is just more violence in disguise.
In the next post, we’ll dig into how this revenge culture is showing up right now – in politics, global conflicts, and even in the way we cancel people online. But for today, I want to leave you with this:
Are you confusing justice with payback?
When you see someone face consequences, do you want balance – or do you want to see them suffer?
And most importantly – are you willing to let go of the need to “win” if it means real healing can happen?
Because the truth is – you can’t build peace while you’re sharpening your sword.
Let’s talk about it.