0 What The Bible says about Abortion

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16

Abortion

Abortion is not murder. A fetus is not considered a human life.

If two men fight and cause a woman to miscarry, but do not hurt her, then the one who hurt her shall pay her husband an amount determined by the judges. Only if the woman dies is the punishment to be death.

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. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life. Exodus 21:22-23

God places no value on fetuses or infants less than one month old.

In Leviticus 27, God told Moses the monetary value of human life. Children are worth less than adults, with girls worth 60% that of boys. But infants less than one month old are worth nothing at all.

And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. Leviticus 27:6

Fetuses and infants less than one month old are not considered persons.

During the Exodus, God told Moses to count all of the Israelite males who were older than one month old. Infants less than one month old were not included in the census.

Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD. Numbers 3:15-16

And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. Numbers 3:40

If you don't obey God, he will curse your unborn children.

If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments ... cursed shall be the fruit of thy body. Deuteronomy 28:15, 18

And force you to eat them.

Ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. Leviticus 26:29

And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters. Deuteronomy 28:53

The tender and delicate woman among you will have an evil eye toward her ... children, whom she will eat. Deuteronomy 28:56

God sometimes approves of killing fetuses.

Moses commanded his soldiers to kill every male Midianite (including babies) and every non-virgin female - some of whom must have been pregnant. They would have been killed along with their unborn fetuses.

And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. Numbers 31:15-17

And sometimes God kills fetuses himself.

Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. Hosea 9:14

Yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. Hosea 9:16

Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up. Hosea 13:16

And he kills newborn babies to punish their parents.

He did this, for example, to David and Bathsheba's baby boy.
(See God slowly kills a baby.)

Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 2 Samuel 12:14

God sometimes causes abortions by cursing unfaithful wives.

In the law of jealousies in Numbers 5, a man who suspects his wife of being unfaithful brings her to the priest who forces her to drink bitter water. If his suspicion is correct, his wife's thigh will rot and belly swell.

If the woman was pregnant from the illicit affair, then the fetus would be killed, and the priest (and therefore God, since it's his procedure) would effectively cause the woman to have an abortion by forcing her to drink the bitter water.

The priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell. And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. ... And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she bedefiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. Numbers 5:21-21, 27-28

God's law sometimes requires the execution (by burning to death) of pregnant women.

Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. Genesis 38:24

Or who might be pregnant after "playing the whore."

And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. - Leviticus 21:9

And, finally, the Psalmist prays that his enemies are aborted.

Let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Psalm 58:8


But why then do so many Christians say that the Bible condemns abortion?

There must be some verses that condemn it, right?

Well, not really. But here are the ones that anti-abortion Christians most often refer to.

The Psalmist says that he believed in God before he was born (or something like that).

Thou art my God from my mother's belly. Psalm 22:10

And Job said God made him in his mother's womb.

Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? Job 31:15

Some men were especially important to God even before they were born. (So I guess he wouldn't have wanted them to be aborted.)

Isaiah, for example, was called by God when he in his mother's womb.

The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. Isaiah 49:1

Jeremiah was ordained as a prophet before he was conceived.

The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet. Jeremiah 1:5

Paul claimed to be special to God even when in his mother's womb.

It pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, Galatians 1:15

And God covered the Psalmist before he was born.

Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

Apparently God was angry at the Ammonites for ripping up pregnant women in Gilead.

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead. Amos 1:13

(Although he seemed fine with it in other cases.)

They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children. Isaiah 13:18

But that's about it. If I've left any out, let me know and I'll add them.


 David Henson said...
Biblically speaking it doesn't matter if abortion is murder or not, either you do or do not follow the Bible which is clear on the sacredness of life and the importance of filling the earth. The Bible wasn't meant to apply to those outside of ancient Israel or the Christian congregation. The subject is politicized by apostate Christians and militant atheists. The absence of the Hebrew word lah, meaning to her, indicates the verses apply to both the unborn child and the woman. Vows to God didn't constitute value, evident by the obvious fact that the application of those didn't justify murder to other age groups listed. To curse means to desire, threaten or pronounce something bad on someone or something, in scripture often a result of disobedience. God killing fetuses isn't justification of abortion any more than God killing men, women and children does. God kills everyone. Bathsheba's unborn child would have been destroyed along with David and herself according to the Law of Moses, but due to God's covenant with David they were spared. The curse of Jealousy (Bitter Water) resulted in female infertility. The wife needn't have been pregnant. The same applies to the priest's daughter acting as a prostitute. See more in this response.

PS: There seems to be an error at 13:11, given as a reference for God's approval of assault on pregnant women?
Wed Feb 21, 4:43:09 AM ( 4 weeks ago )

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