The latest episode

This week, I tackled an issue in the Old Testament law that brings a lot of scrutiny from Biblical critics- and oftentimes Christians as well. We studied the concept of slavery in Old Testament Israel. This is the second in a three-part series on weird Old Testament laws.

If you missed that episode, you can catch it right here:

Do you want a part 4? Let me know if you do!

Did Donald Trump fulfill any biblical prophecy with his Middle East peace deal?

I also recorded a fun but experimental YouTube episode this week, discussing some recent events from a prophecy perspective. If you’d like to check it out, you can click below.

But be warned, I’m one of those weird premill dispies. I want you to know that upfront because some people really don’t like premill dispies, and I’m not trying to push an eschatology on you if you don’t want it. But if you do like premill dispy nonsense, here you go:

Rabbit Trail: The Mosaic Law and Life in the Womb

I would have liked to cover this on this week’s podcast episode, but didn’t have time. But that’s OK- that’s what the newsletter is for!

We spent some time in Exodus 21, which contains a series of laws regarding interpersonal relationships- especially conflict management.

I skipped over it in that episode, but Exodus 21 contains a confusing command about how to handle it if a pregnant woman is injured during a conflict and what to do if her unborn child is hurt or killed.

Exodus 21:22-25 (ESV) - ²² “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. ²³ But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

There’s some ambiguous language there, which stems from the translators being unsure how to render some of these words. For example, it says if the children “come out, but there is no harm,” which seems to imply that the child is born prematurely, or born with no issues such as physical damage. It later says “if there is harm” in verse 23, and then gives penalties if there is harm to the child.

The NASB muddies the waters a bit: And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no [further] injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any [further] injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

In the King James Version, verse 23 reads “And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life…”

The NIV version reads in verses 22-23, “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. ²³ But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life…”

So what are we talking about here- a miscarriage or a premature birth? An injured child or an injured mother? Does the child’s life have any value beyond a judge’s idea of its price?

This causes some to claim that the Bible doesn’t give equal value to the life of a child in the womb because, if a pregnant woman’s baby is hurt, there is a mere fine for the “infraction.” This has been used by progressives and even atheists to argue that Christians should accept abortion, since a child’s life is “devalued” in these verses.

Rightly dividing the Word

So let’s examine the Hebrew. Again, it’s obscure, but we should note that the word “miscarriage” is not in the original Hebrew. Rendered literally, the Hebrew would say “and the child comes forth.” The NASB is an outlier here by calling it a miscarriage.

So verse 22 is not speaking a child who is born dead. It says the child comes out, “but there is no harm” as the ESV says it. (Note that it does not use either of the two Hebrew words for miscarriage- nepel and sakal- so the NASB is likely off-base this time in its translation.)

The text then says that a judge should impose a fine on the person who hit her. This means that hitting a pregnant woman is an action so wrong that you will face a punishment for it- even if there is no harm done to the child- even if it was on accident. That’s how seriously God takes it when a pregnant woman is abused in any way. Why? There are two individual human lives at risk concerning that body.

Verse 23 and on speaks of a contrasting situation- if a woman is struck and “there is harm” when her child comes out. If that would be the case, the person who hit her must face whatever punishment matches the harm done to the child or woman. The first thing mentioned there is “life for life.”

This means that if you cause an unborn child’s death, the Scripture assigns you the death penalty for that.

Verse 23 (ESV) - But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life

Rather than devaluing the life in the womb, it actually places pre-born life on the same level as any other human life, as this is the same standard applied to all people.

Life in the womb is sacred, and the Old Testament law affirms this. Hopefully, someday, all of our modern laws will as well.

Until next time, have a great week- and a Weird Wednesday!

-Luke