(The Value of an Unborn Baby)
(Exodus 21:22-25)

Text:
Exodus 21:22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine].  23 And if [any] mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,  24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 


Some Initial Remarks

The cause of this short study is a sermon my pastor preached.  It was wonderful and very instructional on the matters of what the scriptures say about life.  I will not rehearse his sermon, my only goal is to deal with this text here in Exodus.  We live in a day when untold thousands of babies are being slaughtered everyday!  The blood of American children is crying for judgment.  The church needs to be very vocal on this matter, it is not a choice, it is a child.  It is not your right, it is murder.  Life doesn't begin at nine months, it begins at conception.  It is at this very point the church has failed!  Having failed to prove even among professing Christians that God says life begins at conception, the whole argument has degenerated into what "he says" and what "she says".  Today I will not address the first question, but instead deal with what God says about an unborn child, here God is clear, and we must accept what He says.

I read from many versions of the Bible, but my study and private devotion is normally with the King James.  I have friends who use the King James only.  I say this now as it will be important in a moment.
 
 

What is being talked about in context?

Here we find a text in the word of God that answers the question: How does God view an unborn child?  For the Christian that should settle the whole matter, if God values the life of an unborn child it is valuable and if not, then it is not, regardless of when you think life begins.  Here in (verse 22) we find that if men should be arguing, disputing, fighting over a matter, and through this fighting they hurt a woman with child, and cause her fruit (that child) to "depart" [from her], yet no other mischief follows, that man is to be fined what the husband desires and the judges allow.  But if mischief follows then God's demand of a wound for a wound and an eye for an eye comes into affect.  At face value it seems to be saying that if the child should die "depart" that is just a fine, but if the woman should die, that is "an eye for an eye".  Here's the problem; in this case the King James, does not clearly portray the meaning of the text.  I would like to show a couple of other versions and then make some additional comments.

New King James
Exod 21:22  "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  23  But if any harm follows, then you shall give 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."

New International Version
Exod 21:22  "If men who are fighting 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 courts allow.  23  But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."

Modern King James
Exod 21:22  "If men strive and strike a pregnant woman, so that her child comes out, and there is no injury, he shall surely be punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him. And he shall pay as the judges say  23  And if any injury occurs, then you shall give life for life, 24  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25  burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."

You see these versions make the meaning crystal clear.  If these men cause an early child birth, then the man is to be fined, but if any hurt (to the woman or the child occurs) then it is an eye for an eye.  I know many will blast me for this, but I say it anyway, the King James missed it here, the RSV missed it here, the ASV missed it here.

Now let's look briefly at the Hebrew to prove that God meant not by departure, a miscarriage, or death of the child, warranted only a fine.  But an early birth, where in all else the child and mom were fine warranted a fine.  The word translated depart is the hebrew word, (yatsa) it means to go forth, to depart, or to exit.  It is used 1069 times in our Bible, when being used in reference to a child it is never used to describe one that is a miscarriage, or still born, but one that is born alive.  Two chapters over in the book of Exodus in chapter 23 we find this verse:

Exod 23:26 "There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil." 

Here in context a wonderful promise of God's blessings if Israel is obedient.  Notice one of the promises.  "There shall nothing cast their young"  or as the New King James puts it "no one shall suffer miscarriage".  Here we find the Hebrew word that would refer to a child being born dead (shakol).  The word meaning is clear, it means to make barren, to make childless, to miscarry.  It is often used as of making childless even when the children are grown up. 
 


Application

God places the same exact value on an unborn child as He does on the mother.  If an early child birth is caused, that was a fine, but if either were killed, that was an eye for an eye, if either were hurt, that was wound for wound.  If you are a Christian, you can now put aside trying to prove that life does not begin until birth (like our President believes and uses as the reason for why he approves of abortion).  We must realize that God placed the same penalty on hurting that unborn child as He did on hurting the mother.  So should America.