The Use of the Bible in Politics: the Case of the Hebrew Bible’s Lex Talionis and Political Vengeance in Ghana’s Politics

Abstract

ABSTRACT The literal meaning of the phrase is often removed from its context and understood to be the catch-phrase for vengeance and retaliation. This popular understanding is no different in the Ghanaian political arena. It is becoming so patent that this “eye for eye and tooth for a tooth” saying is becoming part of the Ghanaian politics; Ghanaian politicians allude to this biblical law to seek vengeance on political opponents. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the meaning of the biblical maxim “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” in ancient Israel to find out if this biblical law was meant to seek vengeance of any form. The study reveals that this biblical law which is popularly known as lex talionis appears in three portions (Exodus 21:22-25, Leviticus 24:10-23, and Deuteronomy 19:16-21) of the Torah of the Hebrew Bible. Each of the talion comes to serve a distinct purpose in ancient Israel; the talion in Exodus comes to enforce social order by protecting the right of the vulnerable in society, the one found in Leviticus comes to ensure the supremacy of YHWH’s law, while the talion found in Deuteronomy comes to purge evil from society so that certain evil activities would not be repeated again. It was particularly revealed that the lex talionis was given to guide judges in ancient Israel so that punishment would fit the crime. Against this backdrop, considering the purpose the lex talionis comes to serve in all its entirety, Ghanaian politicians do not have any basis to use the lex talionis to seek vengeance on political opponents. In fact, they are wrong to apply the lex talionis in the way they do.