What does the quotation "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" mean?

[Capt Jack]

Is it still relevant?

Do we need to know any context in order to understand it?
Largre Rat, jefe and rocket- no that's not it.
angel_of_caffeine and The nerd are closest. It's obvious that people don't understand the context or that if you are Christian you MUST take it in context with the teaching of turn the other cheek.
http://www.november.org/razorwire/rzold/04/0407.html

[Large Rat]

It means do unto others as they do unto you. For example if they punch you in the face do it to them!

[rocket]

Simple You smack me so I smack you back.

[retstocks]

It is a quote from the bible.
The context is an instruction to the judicial system of the Israeli society.
The meaning is to limit the punishment so it fits the crime. Many justice systems lean toward revenge and overkill punishments like chopping off a hand for stealing an apple from a fruit stand. An apple is not worth a hand. God is saying that a just system should make the punishment fit the crime. This instruction was not given to individuals to seek justice for themselves, only to the justice system in Israel. If the justice system does its job then people do not seek justice on their own.
The American justice system was based on this principle at one time and the people had great respect for the system. Today we turn criminals loose over & over again without making them endure any just punishment and as a result most people have lost faith in our justice system. This leads to more and more examples of "vigilante" type justice which is prone to error & revenge.
A judicial system with integrity will embrace this concept, a corrupt judicial system will abandon this concept.

[Rain]

Meaning

The notion that for every wrong done there should be a compensating measure of justice.

Origin

From the Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi was King of Babylon, 1792-1750BC. The code survives today in the Akkadian language. Used in the Bible, Matthew 5:38 (King James Version):
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

[Mitch]

It was originally used in ancient warfare. if an opposing clan took something from you, you would take something of equal or greater value from them.

is it still relevant? unfortunatley yes.

[CrG]

I think this quote came from the book of Numbers in the OT.
It was an old Jewish law that meant if you get into a fight and someone knocks your tooth out and the party who did it was found guilty, he had to lose a tooth. Ditto for an eye.

[conan_troutman1975]

you take my eye in a fight I will take yours same apllies for teeth. but more so if you commit murder you will be trialed and hanged, basically it means what you do you will recieve the same back.

[The Nerd]

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" is part of an Old Testament ruling. It was reguarding the appropriateness of certain punisments for crimes. Originally used to describe cases of domestic violence, it was in a passage describing the fine payed to a husband if when a beating of his pregnant wife/slave resulted in a miscarriage, thus illustrating that a fetus was not "a life for a life", but rather property to be paid for when destoryed. The quote is also mentioned in musical "The Fiddler on the Roof" when Tevya says "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - the whole world will be blind and toothless!"

[Jefe]

It means whatever you have received from someone, they should receive the same punishment.

If you took out an eye from someone, that person deserves to lose his or her own eye.