When examining abortion in light of the Bible’s teaching, one central questions must be addressed: # Are the unborn fully human? The biblical literature consistently affirms that humans are made in the **image of God (Imago Dei)**. This is introduced in **Genesis 1:26–27**, where God says, “*Let us make man in our image, after our likeness*.” Being made in God’s image is the defining characteristic of human life, giving it inherent dignity and worth. - If the unborn are fully human, they too bear the image of God and are morally significant. - If they are not, then the moral considerations might be different. Texts like the following only work if you think abortion was murder in advance ([Exodus 20:13](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020%3A13&version=NRSVUE), [Proverbs 24:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2024%3A11-12&version=NRSVUE) and [31:8](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2031%3A8-9&version=NRSVUE)). The Bible doesn’t give us a massive library of texts that explicitly address the unborn, but the ones it does give — plus parallel teaching about children, innocence, and justice — help fill in the picture. The Bible affirms that the unborn are fully human but also that they possess moral status equal to other human beings. This is seen in laws, prophetic calls for justice, and Christ’s own teaching. In fact the quote I shared earlier from  Geisler, he would later go on to change his mind in his newer publications. > [!quote] Christian ethics (2nd Edition,1989) > Scripture texts leave no doubt that an unborn child is just as much a person in God’s image as a little child or an adult is. They are created in God’s image from the very moment of conception, and their prenatal life is precious in God’s eyes and protected by his prohibition against murder. It is this idea that is made famous in sayings like this: > [!quote] Rick Warren > the reason I believe that life begins at conception is because the Bible says it. ## Biblical Perspective ### Scripture Speaks of Life in the Womb The biblical witness consistently presents God as intimately involved in the formation of life within the womb. Passages that describe God’s involvement in the womb. In all these texts, the unborn are not treated as potential persons but as people- humans. > [!bible]+ [Psalm 22:9-10 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/19/22/) > ^**9**Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust [when] upon my mother's breasts. ^**10**Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother's womb. %% #Psalm #Psalm22 %% > [!bible]+ [Psalm 139:13-15 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/19/139/) > ^**13**For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. ^**14**I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. ^**15**My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, [And] skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; %% #Psalm #Psalm139 %% > [!bible]+ [Isaiah 44:2 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/23/44/) > ^**2**Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, 'Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. %% #Isaiah #Isaiah44 %% > [!bible]+ [Jeremiah 1:5 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/24/1/) > ^**5**'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.' %% #Jeremiah #Jeremiah1 %% > [!bible]+ [Ecclesiastes 11:5 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/21/11/) > ^**5**Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones [are formed] in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. %% #Ecclesiastes #Ecclesiastes11 %% The New Testament provides additional confirmation. > [!bible]+ [Luke 1:39-44 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/42/1/) > ^**39**Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, ^**40**and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ^**41**When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ^**42**And she cried out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of your womb! ^**43**'And how has it [happened] to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? ^**44**'For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. %% #Luke #Luke1 %% In Luke 1:39–44, John the Baptist responds with joy while still in Elizabeth’s womb, and the unborn Jesus is already called _“my Lord”_ by Elizabeth. The narrative does not distinguish between unborn children and that of born persons. Instead, both unborn children are portrayed as full persons that can react and recognize other persons. The Greek word _brephos_ is used both of John the Baptist leaping in the womb (Luke 1:41) and of the newborn Jesus lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). The consistent use of the same word suggests that, in biblical thought, there is no categorical distinction between unborn and born children in terms of identity. Later Paul in Romans 9:10–11 appeals to God’s election of Jacob and Esau “before they were born,” treating them as morally significant individuals even in the womb. > [!bible]+ [Romans 9:10-11 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/45/9/) > ^**10**And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived [twins] by one man, our father Isaac; ^**11**for though [the twins] were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to [His] choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, %% #Romans #Romans9 %% If life is defined by this union described in James, then unborn children, who clearly live and grow in the womb, are fully alive and human before God > [!bible]+ [James 2:26 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/59/2/) > ^**26**For just as the body without [the] spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. %% #James #James2 %% ### Children as Innocent and Vulnerable This Psalm sees children as a blessing, “the fruit of the womb.” Just as fruit begins as something small and hidden, growing quietly until it is revealed in its fullness, so also children develop in the womb until the time of birth. Children are not possessions or accidents, but rather **gifts from the Lord**. Just as fruit bears the likeness of the tree it comes from, children bear the likeness of their parents, and more deeply, the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Even hard to read texts like Hosea 9:11–16 says they are "*precious ones of their womb*" > [!bible]+ [Psalm 127:3 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/19/127/) > ^**3**Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. %% #Psalm #Psalm127 %% ### Children as innocent The Bible often speaks of children as a category of the vulnerable and innocent. - **Matthew 18:3–6** — Jesus says unless you become like children you cannot enter the kingdom, and warns against causing children to stumble. - **Mark 10:13–16** — Jesus welcomes little children, saying “*the kingdom of God belongs to such as these*.” - **Deuteronomy 1:39**, God refers to Israel’s children as _“your little ones who this day have no knowledge of good or evil.”_ - **Romans 9:11** says of Jacob and Esau, _“though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad…”_ This consistent picture portrays children — including unborn children — as innocent of personal guilt, even while still impacted by the Fall. This can be seen when David’s child by Bathsheba became ill. When the child died, David fasts, prays, and mourns deeply for the child while alive, and after the child dies, he confesses: _“I will go to him, but he will not return to me”_ (v. 23). This indicates David believed the child went to go be with God in Heaven. The prophet Jonah’s story ends with God’s compassion for the people of Nineveh, including _“120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals”_ (Jonah 4:11). Most interpreters understand this as referring to children too young to discern right from wrong. God singles them out as a reason for His mercy. ### Legal protection: Exodus 21:22–25 provides legal recognition of the unborn, Harming them is condemned: > [!bible]+ [Exodus 21:22-25 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/2/21/) > ^**22**'If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges [decide]. ^**23**'But if there is [any further] injury, then you shall appoint [as a penalty] 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. %% #Exodus #Exodus21 %% Here, harm to an unborn child is treated as a matter of justice, with penalties determined by the extent of injury. Objections to this verse are later in this article "[[Abortion And The Bible#Injury to a Pregnant Woman|Injury to a Pregnant Woman]]" The prophet Amos speaks about Gods justice for those killed in the womb: > [!bible]+ [Amos 1:13 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/30/1/) > ^**13**Thus says the LORD, 'For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon and for four I will not revoke its [punishment], Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead In order to enlarge their borders. %% #Amos #Amos1 %% Here, the deliberate killing of pregnant women and their unborn children is singled out as a heinous act of injustice. God’s wrath is not only directed at the violence of destroying life in the womb. The unborn are included in God’s moral concern, and violence against them is a cause for divine judgment. Absolutely! I can update your text so that every parenthetical citation includes the **full source details** instead of just author and year. Here’s your revised section with full sources: ## Scientific / Ethical Perspective > [!success]- Science And Human Life >![[Science And Human Life]] # Should Christians Oppose Abortion? ## Historically the church has opposed it Historically, the Christian church has consistently recognized the value of unborn life and opposed the intentional taking of it. Officially, the Roman Catholic Church has long opposed [abortion](https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/respect-for-unborn-human-life) and, since the mid-20th century, [contraception](https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html). Church fathers, theologians, and ecumenical councils across centuries affirmed that the unborn are fully human and deserving of protection. ### The Ancient Church’s Opposition to Abortion Across centuries, Church Fathers, theologians, and early Christian communities upheld the sanctity of unborn life, teaching that human life begins at conception and must be protected. Abortion was never considered ethically permissible but was condemned as a direct violation of God’s law and justice. While some early Christian thinkers, influenced by Aristotelian philosophy, believed the soul entered the body after conception, the majority of Church history maintained that abortion was morally unacceptable. Historical Jewish texts also reference abortion in early times. The Book of Jasher recounts how some people in ancient generations sought to prevent childbirth to preserve appearance or control their families, while God’s providence ultimately intervened, opening wombs and granting life (Jasher 2:17–24). The early Christian Fathers were equally clear in their condemnation of abortion, equating it with murder: - **Didache (c. AD 100):** “You shall not murder a child by abortion, nor kill them when born.” - **Epistle of Barnabas (c. AD 100, 19:12):** “You shall not murder a child by abortion, nor shall you kill it when it is born.” - **Mathetes, Epistle to Diognetus (c. AD 130):** Christians may marry and have children, but they never practice abortion. - **Tertullian (c. AD 200):** Writings consistently affirm that abortion is murder, that the soul begins at conception, and that attempts to destroy a fetus—whether through drugs or surgical instruments—constitute “treacherous robbery of life.” In _Apology 9_, he notes that even impeding birth is morally equivalent to killing. - **Athenagoras (c. AD 177, Plea 35):** Women who induce abortion commit murder and are accountable to God. - **Mark Minucius Felix (c. AD 200, Octavius 30):** Women who drink abortive preparations are murdering the future human in their womb. - **Hippolytus (c. AD 206, Against Heresies 9.7):** Abortion, especially for social or financial reasons, is a grave impiety combining adultery and murder. - **Apostolic Constitutions 7.3:** “You shall not slay your child by causing abortion, nor kill the baby that is born. For everything that is shaped and has received a soul from God, if it is slain, shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed.” - **Lactantius (c. AD 304, 7.35):** Speaks with horror of the murder of infants, equating it with the worst acts of idolatry and injustice ### Evangelical and Abortion While the majority of evangelicals today strongly oppose abortion, attitudes in the 1960s and early 1970s were far more divided regarding the moral status of the unborn (Williams, 2016). After Roe v. Wade (1973), views among pastors and congregations were more divided. The Baptist Press even hailed the Supreme Court decision as a victory for religious liberty and justice. For example, in 1971 the Southern Baptist Convention affirmed the value of fetal life but allowed abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal deformity, or threats to the mother’s health. Surveys at the time showed that many pastors supported abortion under these specific circumstances, reflecting a tension between pastoral discretion and historic Christian teaching. W. A. Criswell, pastor of the largest Southern Baptist church in the U.S., argued that a child becomes an individual person only after birth and that what is best for the mother and future should guide decisions. Many outspoke evangelicals have supported abortion: > [!quote] Bruce Waltke, Dallas Theological Seminary Christianity Today,1968 > God does not regard the fetus as a soul, no matter how far gestation has progressed For example, the influential evangelical theologian and apologist Norman Geisler, in the 1971 and 1975 editions of his _Christian Ethics_, wrote the following, > [!quote] Norman Geisler (Christian Ethics) > The one clear thing which the Scriptures indicate about abortion is that it is not the same as murder. … Murder is a man-initiated activity of taking an actual human life. Artificial abortion is a humanly initiated process which results in the taking of a potential human life. Such abortion is not murder, because the embryo is not fully human — it is an undeveloped person. > > When it is a clear-cut case of either taking the life of the unborn baby or letting the mother die, then abortion is called for. An actual life (the mother) is of more intrinsic value than a potential life (the unborn). The mother is a fully developed human; the baby is an undeveloped human. And an actually developed human is better than one which has the potential for full humanity but has not yet developed. Being fully human is a higher value than the mere possibility of becoming fully human. For what is has more value than what may be. > … > Birth is not morally necessitated without consent. No woman should be forced to carry a child if she did not consent to intercourse. A violent intrusion into a woman’s womb does not bring with it a moral birthright for the embryo. The mother has a right to refuse that her body be used as an object of sexual intrusion. The violation of her honor and personhood was enough evil without compounding her plight by forcing an unwanted child on her besides. > ... > the right of the potential life (the embryo) is overshadowed by the right of the actual life of the mother. The rights to life, health, and self-determination — i.e., the rights to personhood — of the fully human mother take precedence over that of the potentially human embryo. Despite this early ambivalence, evangelical activism against abortion grew during the 1970s and 1980s. Harold O. J. Brown, editor of _Christianity Today_, founded the _Human Life Review_ in 1975 and the Christian Action Council in 1976. Jerry Falwell preached his first anti-abortion sermon in 1978, and Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop published the influential _Whatever Happened to the Human Race?_ in 1979. In 1980, the evangelical magazine _Moody Monthly_ lamented that “Evangelicalism as a whole has uttered no real outcry. We’ve organized no protest. … The Catholics have called abortion ‘The Silent Holocaust.’ The deeper horror is the silence of the evangelical.” This marked the public going against abortion, Even recalling the 1984 Zondervan published book _Brave New People_, which presented abortion as ethically complicated. ## Biblical Should They? The Bible consistently affirms the sanctity of human life Proverbs 6:17 lists among the Lord’s abominations _“hands that shed innocent blood,”_ and Psalm 106:37–38 condemns the sacrifice of children, declaring that such acts _“shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters.”_ These texts extend clearly demonstrate God’s judgment on taking innocent human life—a category that naturally includes the unborn, who have committed no crime and cannot defend themselves. Proverbs 24:11–12 and Proverbs 31:8 instruct believers to rescue the vulnerable and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. The prophets repeatedly demanded that rulers and nations enact justice promptly (Isaiah 1, 10, 30), and this prophetic voice carries into the New Testament. Civil authorities are also accountable to God’s moral law. Romans 13:1–4 and 1 Peter 2:13–17 affirm that governing authorities bear the responsibility to punish evil and promote good, yet when they mandate what God forbids, Christians must resist, as demonstrated in Exodus 1:15–22, Daniel 3 and 6, and Acts 4:19–20; 5:29. This principle of righteous resistance reinforces the moral obligation to oppose abortion and defend the innocent. Jesus abolished death (2 Timothy 1:10), and believers are called to act as agents of life and righteousness (Ephesians 5:8–14; Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:11). Christians are morally obligated to aid the vulnerable, uphold justice, and oppose practices that destroy innocent life—including abortion. Jesus’ teachings further emphasize care for the defenseless. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), He condemns those who neglect neighbors in need and defines righteousness as sacrificial love for the vulnerable. Jesus reinforces this ethic in Luke 11:42 when He rebukes the Pharisees for neglecting justice and God’s love, demonstrating that true faith requires active concern for justice and protection of the weak. # Arguments For Abortion From The Bible There are three primary Biblical passages frequently cited to argue for a lesser moral status of the fetus: 1. **Genesis 2:7** (The Breath of Life) 2. **Exodus 21:22–25** (Injury to a Pregnant Woman) 3. **Numbers 5:11–31** (The Ordeal of the Bitter Water) these passages **do not provide a basis for positing a lower moral status for fetuses** ## The Breath of Life > [!bible]+ [Genesis 2:7 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/1/2/) > ^**7**Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. %% #Genesis #Genesis2 %% **The Argument for Abortion Support:** Some claim that since Adam became a "living creature" only when God breathed the "breath of life" into him, human beings aren't "alive" in a morally relevant sense until they breathe air after birth, thus implying a lesser moral status for the fetus. **Why it Fails to Support Abortion:** ▪ **Symbolic Interpretation:** The early chapters of Genesis, especially the creation narrative, are replete with symbolism and metaphor. If "the breath of life" is taken as literal ventilation on Adam's part, then to be consistent, one would also have to interpret "God breathed" as God literally performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, an interpretation almost no one holds (Walton, J. H. 2015. _The Lost World of Adam and Eve_. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic). - For anyone who accepts "the secular standard scientific account of human origins to any degree," a literal interpretation of Genesis 2:7 (where God's breath literally initiates ventilation and thus "life") becomes problematic. If _Homo sapiens_ existed and were "ventilating members" prior to this singular "breath of life" event, then "God’s breath of life cannot refer to ventilation" as the _start_ of human life. ▪ **Contradiction with Other Scripture:** - Ecclesiastes 11:5 affirms that the spirit/breath comes to bones “in the womb of a woman with child,” showing life precedes birth. Interpreting Genesis 2:7 literally but Ecclesiastes metaphorically is inconsistent (Hays, R. B. 1996. _The Moral Vision of the New Testament_. London: HarperCollins). The Bible elsewhere indicates God's concern for life in the womb, and consistency demands that Genesis 2:7 should not be singled out for a literal interpretation claiming moral significance for ventilation while ignoring other passages about unborn life. - Moreover, Genesis 1 already calls animals “living creatures,” including fish, which don’t breathe air. (Jones, D. 2004. _The Soul of the Embryo_. London: Continuum). ▪ **Biological Life:**: - Even a literal interpretation of the passage would not straightforwardly rule out fetal personhood, as *babies perform breathing movements* in the womb. From a biological standpoint, fetuses are undeniably alive; they respire, circulate oxygenated blood, and perform ventilatory movements in the womb, breathing amniotic fluid. This argument requires a non-standard definition of "living" that is difficult to discern and morally questionable. Analogies to adults on ECMO or newborns who don't immediately breathe illustrate the implausibility of assigning them lesser moral status (Arner, R. 1999. “Abortion.” In _Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity_).. - ECMO: Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation is a life-support technique where a machine takes over the functions of the lungs (and sometimes the heart). An adult patient on ECMO is not breathing air independently; their oxygenation is handled externally. Such adults are clearly living and bearers of full moral status. - Newborn babies sometimes "do not breathe for the first few minutes" after birth ## Injury to a Pregnant Woman > [!bible]+ [Exodus 21:22 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/2/21/) > ^**22**'If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges [decide]. %% #Exodus #Exodus21 %% **The Argument for Abortion Support:** This passage describes a scenario where men fighting hit a pregnant woman, causing her "*children to come out.*" If there is "*no harm*," a fine is imposed, but if there is "*harm*," severe punishment (life for life) follows. Proponents argue that the fine for the unborn child's death, compared to severe punishment for harm to the mother, implies a lesser moral status for the fetus and that causing a miscarriage is not homicide. **Why it Fails to Support Abortion:** The central issue lies in the interpretation of "harm" and "her children come out." There are four main interpretations (https://academic.oup.com/cb/article/29/1/11/7103199): 1. "Harm" refers to the woman: - This interpretation has been held in some rabbinic traditions and by Josephus () 2. "Harm" refers to the baby being **unformed** **vs.** **formed**: - This one is found in the Septuagint and Philo of Alexandria: claiming that if the baby is _unformed_ (i.e., at a very early stage of development) there should be a fine, but that if the baby is _formed_, it should be treated as a human being Josephus. 2017. _Antiquities of the Jews_; Philo. 1935. _On the Special Laws_, _The New English Translation of the Septuagint_; ed. Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright [Oxford University Press, 2007], 66)) 3. "Harm" refers to the baby, delivered prematurely but alive: - This warrants a fine for the trauma and risk of a prematurely induced delivery. Whereas if “*there is harm*” to the baby, it should be repaid life for life. 4. "Harm" refers to both the mother or child: The Biblical abortion advocate claims that (1) is the right way to interpret the text—and claims in addition that “*her children come out*” refers to a miscarriage.  **Strong Reasons Against Miscarriage Interpretation:** The passage offers a weak argument for lesser fetal value or abortion's permissibility. There are strong reasons to accept option 3 or 4 over the alternatives. - The Hebrew root word **yatsa’** **(יצא)**, translated as "*come out*" or "*delivered*," is much more commonly used to describe **live birth** than stillbirth. A specific word for miscarriage, **shakol**, was known and used elsewhere in Exodus (23:26). Given the proximity of these passages, the similar genre, and the general frequency of the word, it is likely the author of Exodus 21 would be aware of this word and, if miscarriage were in mind, use it, rather than **yatsa’** (Isser, S. 1990. “Two traditions: The law of Exodus 21:22–23 revisited.” _The Catholic Biblical Quarterly_ 52(1):30–45).. - The word for children is **yeled/ילד**, not “embryo” or “unformed substance”, as in **golem/גלם**. The straightforward reading of the text, therefore, is simply “*her children are delivered*”, which has no connotation of miscarriage at all, and simply suggests a normal delivery in the absence of indicators otherwise. - The use of the word “children” suggests that—whether formed or not—what is being delivered is a person, rather than an impersonal entity with lesser moral status. Hebrews overall clearly sees children as profoundly valuable persons (much more so than in the Graeco-Roman culture) and certainly forbids their killing. - Jewish tradition consistently forbade abortion, with Josephus explicitly calling it "murder". The terminology points to **live children being born**, not miscarried. The Hebrew Bible is otherwise clear about the value of life in the womb, as is the New Testament. The church has always been against it: 1. **Basil of Caesarea**, for example, explicitly rejected any distinction between "formed or unformed" fetuses, stating that a woman purposely destroying her unborn child is "guilty of murder" (Basil of Caesarea. 1895. _Letter 188_ [On-line]. [https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202188.htm](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202188.htm)), 2. Tertullian, Augustine, Jerome, and others upheld the unborn as persons (Gorman, M. 1982. _Abortion & the Early Church_. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock). 3. Even the later prominence of the formed/unformed distinction in Western Christianity, influenced by Aristotelian philosophy and seen in thinkers like Aquinas, was considered a "deviation" based on "questionable biological assumptions," and abortion was still "always been considered wrong even when not considered homicide" To overturn the overwhelming precedent of both Testaments, as well as our knowledge of ancient Judaism and the entirety of church history - all of which were unanimous in affirming the dignity of the unborn and the unlawfulness of abortion - on the basis of this one controversial verse in Exodus is simply unsustainable. ▪ **Punishment Does Not Equate to Value:** A lesser punishment does not necessarily mean the victim is less valuable. Early Christian tradition, for example, assigned lesser penance for abortion not because the fetus was less valuable, but for other reasons, such as the unintentional nature of the act. Unintentional miscarriage would not be prosecuted as murder, even if the unborn child is considered a full person (Isser, S. 1990. Two traditions: The law of Exodus 21:22–23 revisited. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 52(1):30–45.) > [!quote] David Albert Jones > it should be emphasized that in its ancient context none of these schools of interpretation was thought to justify free access to abortion. This is clear from the remarks of Josephus and Philo. The only explicit permission for abortion is found in the rabbinic tradition and relates to the forcible extraction of the infant to save the mother’s life. ([2004](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=about%3Ainvalid%23zClosurez), 53) ## The Ordeal of the Bitter Water > [!bible]+ [Numbers 5:11-31 - NASB](https://bolls.life/NASB/4/5/) > ^**11**Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ^**12**'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'If any man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, ^**13**and a man has intercourse with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she is undetected, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act, ^**14**if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has defiled herself, or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself, ^**15**the man shall then bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring [as] an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of memorial, a reminder of iniquity. ^**16**'Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the LORD, ^**17**and the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put [it] into the water. ^**18**'The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD and let [the hair of] the woman's head go loose, and place the grain offering of memorial in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse. ^**19**'The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, 'If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, [being] under [the authority of] your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse; ^**20**if you, however, have gone astray, [being] under [the authority of] your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you' ^**21**(then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), 'the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people by the LORD'S making your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell; ^**22**and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away.' And the woman shall say, 'Amen. Amen.' ^**23**'The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll, and he shall wash them off into the water of bitterness. ^**24**'Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her and [cause] bitterness. ^**25**'The priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar; ^**26**and the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial offering and offer [it] up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water. ^**27**'When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings a curse will go into her and [cause] bitterness, and her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people. ^**28**'But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will then be free and conceive children. ^**29**'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, [being] under [the authority of] her husband, goes astray and defiles herself, ^**30**or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he shall then make the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest shall apply all this law to her. ^**31**'Moreover, the man will be free from guilt, but that woman shall bear her guilt.'' %% #Numbers #Numbers5 %%  **The Argument for Abortion Support:** This passage describes a test for a woman accused of adultery. It is claimed that if she is unfaithful, she will suffer a miscarriage or abortion as punishment, implying God endorses abortion for parental sin. **Why it Fails to Support Abortion:** 1. **Implausible Translation for Miscarriage:** The passage is highly obscure, and few translations explicitly mention miscarriage, with the NIV being a rare exception. Based on the below, translating the phrase as "*womb miscarrying*" is highly implausible. The natural words for "womb" (_rechem_, _metra_) are absent. The most natural reading is "*her abdomen will swell and her thigh will fall away*". 1. _tsabah_ (**צבה**): A very rare word, it could mean "swell," "burn," or "spout". Abdominal swelling is a common medical phenomenon, but uterine swelling related to miscarriage is unlikely (Budd, P. J. 1984. _Word Biblical Commentary: Numbers_. Waco, TX: Word Books).. 2. _bitnah_ (**בטנה**): Usually means "womb" or "belly" (often used for men). "Belly" is more natural if _tsabah_ means "swell". The Septuagint uses _koilian_ and _gastera_, supporting "abdomen/belly" rather than uterus. 3. _yerekah_ (**ירכה**): Generally denotes the "side" of something, often "thighs" or "loins." It is rarely, if ever, translated as "womb". The Septuagint translates it as _mēros_ ("thigh"). - The "*thigh*" (**yerek**) falling away could have symbolic meaning, referencing Jacob's hip dislocation in Genesis 32. 2. **Contextual Factors:** - **No Mention of Pregnancy:** The passage does not state that the woman is pregnant, and the test must function for non-pregnant women as well, so the outcome is not pregnancy-related . - **Blessing Implies Future Fertility:** The blessing for an innocent woman is that she "*shall conceive children*," implying ***future fertility*** rather than the success of a current pregnancy. Therefore, the curse is more likely ***future infertility***, not a miscarriage (Wayne, L. 2019. “Does Numbers 5:11–31 prescribe abortion drugs in cases of adultery?” CARM).. - **Later Jewish Commentary:** Josephus interprets the punishment as "*her right leg might be dislocated*" and "*her belly might swell with dropsy [edema],*" (Josephus. 2013. _Against Apion_). He also confirms that an innocent woman will "*become pregnant*," implying she is not already pregnant. Later Jewish commentary also stated the male adulterer would suffer the _same symptoms_, which clearly rules out miscarriage (Talmud. N.d. _Sanhedrin_).