Abortion

by David Shannon

Some have misunderstood the value God places on the unborn due to Exodus 21:22-25 being read from the New American Standard Version.

22 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.
23-25 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.

Some have read this passage believing it teaches that if the child in the womb is killed due to violence the person is to be fined, but if the mother experiences any other mischief (perhaps her death) then the penalty should become death. Is the Bible teaching the worth of the mother to be greater than a child in the womb?

Let us view the text carefully and notice a mistake in translation.
The English word "miscarriage" communicates the death of a child in the womb. The Hebrew word is yatsa' which means "to depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out." In other words the delivery of the baby due to violence was pre-mature, but not deadly. Other translations use words such as "her fruit depart" (KJV) or "gives birth prematurely" (NKJ or NIV), which correctly communicate the original text. Keep in mind there is a Hebrew word for "miscarriage or abort" as in Job 3:16; "Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants what never saw light." The Hebrew word is "nephel" which means "something fallen, i.e. an abortion:--untimely birth."

The conclusion from Job 3:16, is that God in His word, called the being in a womb of a woman, an infant. It isn't worth less than the mother. It has the right to live due to the fact it is made by God after His image ( Genesis 9:6). If anyone caused an early delivery under the Old Law, they were to be fined by the husband. If anyone caused death, they were to die! Over 4,000 people died in the womb today and God views them as valuable as you!