Exodus 21:22 - Meaning and Application

Observe here,

I. The law gave special care to women who were pregnant, so that no harm should come to them that might cause a miscarriage. The law of nature itself calls us to be very careful in such a case, so that mother and child are not destroyed together (Exodus 21:22-23). Women who are under this special protection in God’s law may also trust that they are under his providence, if they live in his fear, and may hope for his help in childbirth.

On this point comes in the wider rule of fair punishment, which our Savior refers to, “An eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38). But this does not put revenge into the hands of private people, as if every person might avenge himself. That would bring chaos, and make people like the fish of the sea. The elders’ tradition seems to have twisted the law that way, and against that mistake our Savior tells us to forgive injuries and not to nurse revenge (Matthew 5:39). God often carries out this rule in his providence, making punishment fit the sin in many cases (Judges 1:7; Isaiah 33:1; Habakkuk 2:13; Matthew 26:52). Magistrates, civil rulers, must also keep this rule in view when they punish wrongdoers and make things right for those injured.

They must consider the kind of wrong, its seriousness, and how much harm was done, so that proper payment or punishment may follow. In some cases an eye must go for an eye, or the damaged eye must be paid for with money. The point is plain: whoever does wrong must expect to receive in some way what his wrong deserves (Colossians 3:25). God sometimes brings violent acts back on the heads of those who did them (Psalm 7:16). Civil rulers serve God’s justice here, for they are avengers of wrongdoing and do not carry the sword for nothing (Romans 13:4).

II. God also showed care for servants. If their masters injured them, even by knocking out a tooth, they were to go free from service (Exodus 21:26-27). This was meant, first, to protect them from abuse. Masters would be careful not to strike them, because they might lose their labor. It was also meant to comfort servants if they were mistreated, since the loss of a limb would be answered by gaining freedom. That freedom would at least partly balance the pain and shame they had suffered.

III. Does God care about oxen? Yes, as the laws that follow in this chapter show, he does, and he does so for our sake (1 Corinthians 9:9-10). Israel was told what to do if an ox, or any other animal, caused harm. If an ox killed a man, woman, or child, the ox was to be stoned (Exodus 21:28). Since the highest honor of lower creatures is to serve people, the guilty animal was denied that honor, and its meat was not to be eaten. In this way God kept before his people a deep hatred of murder and of every brutal act.

The law also made people careful that their animals would do no harm. If the owner knew his beast was dangerous, he had to answer for the injury it caused. Depending on the case, he might be put to death, or he might buy back his life with money (Exodus 21:29-32). Some old English law books treated this as felony under common law, saying that a man who lets a known dangerous animal run free shows he was willing for harm to be done. The lesson is clear: it is not enough that we do no harm ourselves. We must also see that no harm is done by those we have power to restrain, whether people or animals.

IV. The law also dealt with hurt done to oxen and other cattle. If an animal fell into a pit and died there, the one who opened the pit had to make good the loss (Exodus 21:33-34). We must be careful not only to avoid doing what is clearly harmful, but also to avoid doing what may become harmful. It is not enough not to plan evil. We must also try to prevent evil, or we become partly responsible for our neighbor’s loss. Harm done out of malice is a great sin, but harm done through carelessness and lack of thought is still blameworthy and should be regretted. Above all, we must be careful not to make ourselves part of other people’s sin by putting temptation in their way (Romans 14:13).

If cattle fought and one killed the other, the owners were to share the loss equally (Exodus 21:35). But if the animal that caused the damage was known to be dangerous, its owner had to make restitution, because he should have kept it under control or destroyed it (Exodus 21:36). These judgments are so fair that they explain themselves, and they give rules of justice that were useful then and remain useful now for similar disputes.

I think these cases were named, not because they were the only ones that mattered, but because they were actual cases before Moses. In the wilderness, where the people camped closely together and kept flocks and herds among them, such accidents were likely to happen. What we learn from all these laws is this: we should be very careful to do no wrong, whether directly or indirectly. And if we have done wrong, we should be willing to make it right, and should desire that no one lose by us.