Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Wednesday January 21 2026
(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)
To Receive These (And Other) Free Bible Studies And Updates Via Email, Contact Mark Tabata @ 606-216-1757 (Text Message) Or hazardhomecoc@gmail.com (Email)
Exodus 21:22-25-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.
In this passage of Scripture, we are given a Divine insight as to the status and value of the life of a child in the womb. Many teach that the embryo is not really a human being until it is born, and yet the Word of God gives the full rights of a person to the baby. Archer has pointed out:
“In earlier years of the current abortion controversy, it used to be said even by some Evangelical scholars that Exodus 21: 22–25 implied that the killing of an unborn fetus involved a lesser degree of culpability than the slaughter of a child already born. This was based on an unfortunate mistranslation of the Hebrew original. Even the text rendering of the NASB perpetuates this misunderstanding, quite as much as the KJV: “And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, etc.” In the margin the NASB acknowledges that (which it renders “so that she has a miscarriage”) literally means “her children come out.” The same term used for a child from infancy to the age of twelve is used here: yeled in the singular, in the plural. (The plural is used here because the woman might be pregnant with twins when this injury befalls her.) The result of this blow to her womb is that her child (children) will be aborted from her womb and (if she is fortunate) will come forth alive. The second important observation is that the “further” inserted by NASB (in italics) does not appear in the Hebrew, nor—in the opinion of this writer—is it even implied in the Hebrew. The Hebrew as it stands (for the third clause) is perfectly clear: “and there is no injury” (). Thus the whole sentence really should be translated “And when men struggle together and strike a pregnant woman [or ‘wife’] and her children come forth, but there is no injury, he shall be certainly fined, as the husband of the woman shall impose on him, and he shall give [or ‘pay’] in [the presence of] the judges; but if there shall be an injury, then you shall pay life for life [].” There is no ambiguity here whatever. What is required is that if there should be an injury either to the mother or to her children, the injury shall be avenged by a like injury to the assailant. If it involves the life () of the premature baby, then the assailant shall pay for it with his life. There is no second-class status attached to the fetus under this rule; he is avenged just as if he were a normally delivered child or an older person: life for life. Or if the injury is less, but not serious enough to involve inflicting a like injury on the offender, then he may offer compensation in monetary damages, according to the amount prescribed by the husband of the injured woman. Monetary damages usually are required when a baby is born prematurely, for there are apt to be extra expenses both for medical attention and for extra care.” (Gleason D. Archer, New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, 458-460 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan)
Science, of course, maintains that at the moment of conception, a completely new human being is formed. The embryo has its own unique DNA structure.
“Every cell of the mother’s tonsils, appendix, heart, and lungs shares the same genetic code. The unborn child also has a genetic code, distinctly different from his mother’s. Every cell of his body is uniquely his, each different than every cell of his mother’s body. Often his blood type is also different, and half the time even his gender is different. Half of the child’s forty-six chromosomes come from his biological father, half from his mother. Except in the rare cases of identical twins, the combination of those chromosomes is unique, distinct even from that of a brother or sister coming from the same parents. Just as no two people have identical fingerprints, no two people have identical genetic fingerprints. If one body is inside another, but each has its own unique genetic code, then there is not one person, but two separate people. John Jefferson Davis states: It is a well-established fact that a genetically distinct human being is brought into existence at conception. Once fertilization takes place, the zygote is its own entity, genetically distinct from both mother and father. The newly conceived individual possesses all the necessary information for a self-directed development and will proceed to grow in the usual human fashion, given time and nourishment. It is simply untrue that the unborn child is merely “part of the mother’s body.” In addition to being genetically distinct from the time of conception, the unborn possesses separate circulatory, nervous, and endocrine systems. 83” (Randy Alcorn, Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments, 57 (Kindle Edition): NewnYork, NY: Multnomah)
The issue of abortion raises many difficult questions that we need to address and very often wrestle with. Should abortion be an option in cases of rape and incest? What about when a mother’s life is in danger if the pregnancy continues? How do the potential psychological effects of abortion on the mother (and, in fairness, on the father) affect the question of abortion? Can we truly be said to be pro-life if we oppose abortion, yet don’t support the children after they are born?
While we may not have all of the answers to all of the questions brought about by the controversial subject of abortion, certainly the scientific and Bible facts which demonstrate that human personhood begins at conception are a good starting point.
Lord, give us hearts of wisdom and love. Amen.
Leave a Reply