The "law of retaliation" in Deuteronomy 19:21 is also highlighted in Exodus 21:23-25 and Leviticus 24:17-22. This law was not about personal retaliation, however. It was for the assembly to use as they decided the punishment for certain crimes. It was actually meant to limit punishment to only what fit the crime. In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount he corrects the widespread misunderstanding of the law of retaliation: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5:38-39)
The People's Bible author for Deuteronomy, Mark Braun, goes on to say, "Jesus didn't reject the principle embodied in this law, but he condemned the misuse of this law as an excuse for personal revenge. In private relationships he appealed to the higher law of love, which he modeled throughout his life. Saint Paul, quoting the Old Testament book of Proverbs, suggested a surprising way of getting even with those who hurt us: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head' (Romans 12:20).
"If someone injures us, it isn't necessarily our privilege or our responsibility to demand compensation. God doesn't grant private citizens the liberty of personal revenge. The responsibility for deciding the proper punishment for crime remains with the governing institutions God has placed over us."
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