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)
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 ).
Other languages that have idioms based on the Hebrew that is translated “an eye for an eye” in English include:
- Latin: Oculus pro oculo
- Spanish: Ojo por ojo
- Danish: Øje for øje
- German: Aug(e) um Aug(e)
- Portuguese: Olho por olho
- French: Œil pour œil
- Italian: Occhio per occhio
- Dutch: Oog om oog
- Russian: Глаз за глаз (Glaz za glaz)
- Japanese: 目には目を (Meniwa meo)
- Swahili: Jicho kwa jicho
In Alekano it is translated as “if someone gouges out your eye, gouge out his eye,” since in that language body parts need to have an obligatory possessive designator attached. (Source: Larson 1998, p. 42)