According to the NRSV translation of Luke 1:41, Elizabeth’s “child leaped in her womb.” The Greek here for “womb” (koilia) means “belly” or “stomach.” It’s the same word used of the snake in Genesis, for instance, which is punished to walk on its belly. Because snakes don’t have wombs, contexts like this show us that…
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Many people point to Luke 1:41 (“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb.”) as evidence that, in the view of the Bible, a fetus is a child. But these people have misinterpreted the verse. On one hand, the reasoning behind the flawed claim is straightforward: If it was a “child” that…
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Perhaps most relevant to the Bible’s view on abortion is Exodus 21:22, which is in fact relevant for two reasons. According to the NRSV the text proclaims: When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what…
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I’ve received a lot of feedback on my recent piece, “What Does the Bible Really Say about Abortion,” in which I make the claim that even though the Bible shouts the importance of knowing when life beings, it doesn’t offer much specific guidance, and, in particular, doesn’t tell us if a fetus is a human.…
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