an eye for an eye

The now commonly-used English idiom “eye for an eye” (meaning revenge or retribution) was first coined in 1526 in the English New Testament translation of William Tyndale. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 285)

For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

Likewise in Mandarin Chinese, the phrasing that was coined to translate “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” — yǐyǎn huányǎn, yǐyá huányá (以眼还眼，以牙还牙 / 以眼還眼，以牙還牙) — has also become a Chinese proverb (see here ). (Source: Zetzsche)

See also an eye for an eye.

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 19:21

Your eye shall not pity: see verse 13, and 13.8.

Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot: this should be expressed as concisely as possible, but the meaning should be quite clear. It should be stated generally and impersonally, in the manner of laws; for example, “One life shall be taken to pay for another life, one eye for another eye…,” and so forth. This legislation appears also in Exo 21.23-25; Lev 24.19-20.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .