December 5, 2003

Bible Gateway : EXOD 21;: "'If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [5] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take 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."

Speaking of capital punishment, this is one of the OT chapters that spells out a list of laws. This particular one has always intrigued me, given the arguments surrounding abortion. Here, if a pregnant woman is injured and either gives birth prematurely (probably a bad thing in ancient societies) or miscarries, then the punishment is not that of murder, but more similar to damaging property.

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