Bible Commentary: Children and the Bible: Status of Children in Old Testament Laws

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August 17, 2007 at 1:28 pm

(1) tracieh says:

Hey–don’t forget this one, the pro-life bane:

Exodus 21:22-25

22 “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [e] 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, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

But wait! That sounds like he’s saying that if the baby dies–it’s the death penalty, right?

Wrong. Note the little footnote [e] in that passage after “she gives birth prematurely.” The word used here isn’t _quite_ the equivalent of a premature birth. You see, in Hebrew this word means ANY premature birth–even on resulting in a dead baby. According to the NIV, the footnote reads: “Or she has a miscarriage.”

So let’s read that again, understanding that the premature birth actually INCLUDES a miscarriage:

22 “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [e] 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, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

So, if she MISCARRIES–but there is no serious injury? How can that be? Well, it can’t be–if we’re talking about the BABY. Ergo–we’re not talking about the BABY. We’re talking about the MOTHER. If the woman is hit–and loses the child, but she’s not injured beyond that–there is a fine to be paid. But if the woman is injured as well–it’s X for X up to and including the life of the offender.

So, in the Bible, fetus lives have a set price. But HUMAN lives can only be compensated for by another FULLY HUMAN life.