How does Exodus 21:22 address the value of unborn life? Canonical Setting and Narrative Flow Exodus 21 sits immediately after the giving of the Ten Commandments, translating the sixth commandment (“You shall not murder,” Exodus 20:13) into case law. By placing the protection of the pregnant woman and her child among statutes governing manslaughter, slavery, and personal injury, the text treats prenatal life as a matter of justice, not property. Translation History Masoretic Text: “her children come out.” Dead Sea Scroll 4QExod: same wording. Septuagint (LXX): ἐξέλθῃ τὸ παιδίον αὐτῆς—“her child comes out.” Later Greek revisions (Aquila/Symmachus) introduce ἔκτρωμα (“abortion”), a secondary gloss. Modern pro-choice readings hang on these later versions, not on the Hebrew or earliest Greek. Legal Logic Two scenarios: 1. Premature live birth, no lasting harm → monetary fine (v. 22). 2. Any lasting harm or death to mother or child → lex talionis (vv. 23-25), culminating in “life for life.” Unlike Hammurabi §§209-214, which merely fine the assailant for fetal loss, Mosaic law mandates equal retribution, elevating the unborn to full human status. Theological Frame: Imago Dei Genesis 1:27 anchors human worth in God’s image, without developmental qualification. Psalm 139:13-16 sings of divine knitting in the womb; Jeremiah 1:5 declares prophetic calling before birth; Luke 1:41-44 portrays in-utero John responding to the Messiah. Exodus 21:22 legislates that same value. Cross-Biblical Echoes • Job 31:15—common Maker in the womb. • Isaiah 49:1—calling “from the womb.” • Galatians 1:15—Paul “set apart before birth.” The corpus presents prenatal life as personal, covenantal, spirit-capable. Jewish and Early-Christian Witness Mishnah Oholot 7:6 permits feticide only to save the mother’s life before crowning, illustrating profound restraint. Didache 2.2 prohibits “pharmakeia and abortion.” Tertullian (Apology IX) brands abortion “homicide.” They interpreted Exodus 21:22 as protecting the unborn. Scientific Convergence Embryology (Moore & Persaud, 10th ed.) notes a unique human genome at conception. Heartbeat: 22 days (Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2014). Pain receptors: 8-13 weeks (The Fetal Pain Study, Univ. Utah). In-utero surgeries (NEJM 2011) treat fetus as patient. These findings align with Scripture’s depiction of conscious, individual life before birth. Conclusion By prescribing “life for life” when the unborn is fatally harmed, Exodus 21:22 places the fetus within the circle of full human value. The linguistic evidence, ancient Near-Eastern contrast, theological doctrine of the image of God, unanimous early testimony, and modern science converge: unborn life is precious, personal, and warranting the highest legal and moral defense. |
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