phrase
An Eye for an Eye
Strict proportional retribution.
Origin
From the Old Testament (Exodus 21, Leviticus 24): punishment should match the crime. In context, the law was actually a *limit* on retaliation โ preventing escalation โ but the phrase is usually invoked as license for revenge.
Modern usage
Common in arguments about justice, sentencing, and personal grudges. Gandhi famously countered that 'an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.'
Tags
justice
revenge