The Meaning of Exodus 21:22 Explained

Exodus 21:22

KJV: 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.

YLT: 'And when men strive, and have smitten a pregnant woman, and her children have come out, and there is no mischief, he is certainly fined, as the husband of the woman doth lay upon him, and he hath given through the judges;

Darby: And if men strive together, and strike a woman with child, so that she be delivered, and no mischief happen, he shall in any case be fined, according as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and shall give it as the judges estimate.

ASV: And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart, and yet no harm follow; he shall be surely fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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]. 

What does Exodus 21:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Manslaughter of an unborn child carried a fine ( Exodus 21:22). The reason seems to have rested on two assumptions. First, accidental killing is not as serious a crime as deliberate killing. Second, a fetus, though a human life, does not have the same status as a self-sufficient human being. [1]
"The most significant thing about abortion legislation in Biblical law is that there was none. It was so unthinkable that an Israelite woman should desire an abortion that there was no need to mention this offense in the criminal code." [2]
Proverbs -abortion advocates frequently appeal to Exodus 21:22 to support their claim that a fetus is not a person and, therefore, abortion is not murder.
"In other words, if you cause the death of the fetus, you merely pay a fine; if you cause the death of the woman, you lose your own life. Thus the Bible clearly shows that a fetus is not considered a person. If the fetus were considered to be a person, then the penalty for killing it would be the same as for killing the woman-death. Abortion, then, is not murder." [3]
However other Scriptures present the fetus as a person, a real human being ( Job 10:8-12; Job 15:14; Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Psalm 139:13-16; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15). This was the prevailing opinion in the ancient Near East as well. [4]
In contrast to other ancient Near Eastern law codes, the Torah made no differentiation on the basis of the woman"s social class. It treated all equally. Also only the man who caused the injury was liable, not other members of his family who could suffer punishment for his offense and often did in other ancient Near Eastern societies. Principles explained elsewhere in the Torah determined the penalty the guilty party had to pay. [5]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 21

1  Laws for men servants
5  For the servant whose ear is bored
7  For women servants
12  For manslaughter
16  For kidnappers
17  For cursers of parents
18  For smiters
22  For a hurt by chance
28  For an ox that gores
33  For him who is an occasion of harm

What do the individual words in Exodus 21:22 mean?

And if fight men and hurt a woman pregnant so that prematurely she gives birth and yet no follows harm surely he shall be punished accordingly as imposes on him husband of the woman and he shall pay as the judges [determine]
וְכִֽי־ יִנָּצ֣וּ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְנָ֨גְפ֜וּ אִשָּׁ֤ה הָרָה֙ וְיָצְא֣וּ יְלָדֶ֔יהָ וְלֹ֥א יִהְיֶ֖ה אָס֑וֹן עָנ֣וֹשׁ יֵעָנֵ֗שׁ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׁ֤ית עָלָיו֙ בַּ֣עַל הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וְנָתַ֖ן בִּפְלִלִֽים

וְכִֽי־  And  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יִנָּצ֣וּ  fight 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָצָה 
Sense: (Qal) to fly.
אֲנָשִׁ֗ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
וְנָ֨גְפ֜וּ  and  hurt 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָגַף  
Sense: to strike, smite.
אִשָּׁ֤ה  a  woman 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
הָרָה֙  pregnant 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: הָרֶה 
Sense: pregnant.
וְיָצְא֣וּ  so  that  prematurely 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
יְלָדֶ֔יהָ  she  gives  birth 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יֶלֶד  
Sense: child, son, boy, offspring, youth.
וְלֹ֥א  and  yet  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִהְיֶ֖ה  follows 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אָס֑וֹן  harm 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָסׄון  
Sense: evil, mischief, harm, hurt.
עָנ֣וֹשׁ  surely 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: עֲנוּשִׁים 
Sense: to fine, amerce, punish, condemn, mulct.
יֵעָנֵ֗שׁ  he  shall  be  punished 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עֲנוּשִׁים 
Sense: to fine, amerce, punish, condemn, mulct.
כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר  accordingly  as 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יָשִׁ֤ית  imposes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שִׁית  
Sense: to put, set.
עָלָיו֙  on  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בַּ֣עַל  husband 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בָּעַל 
Sense: owner, husband, lord.
הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה  of  the  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְנָתַ֖ן  and  he  shall  pay 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בִּפְלִלִֽים  as  the  judges  [determine] 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: פָּלִיל  
Sense: judge, assessment, estimate.

What are the major concepts related to Exodus 21:22?

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