Leviticus 24:18
“He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life.”
What does Leviticus 24:18 mean?
When someone kills another person's animal, they're responsible for replacing it with one of equal value. The phrase "life for life" doesn't mean the person dies, but rather that the loss must be made whole, just as it would be if property damage happened in any other context. This law protected people's livelihoods in an agricultural society where animals were essential resources, not luxuries. It's a straightforward principle: if you damage what belongs to someone else, you restore what was lost.