Is Numbers 5:11-31 referring to God causing an abortion? The Jealousy Offering explained.

Numbers 5:11–31 and the Jealousy Offering

Today's question is, is Numbers 5 verses 11–31 referring to God causing an abortion? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

Numbers 5 verses 11–31 describes an unusual procedure, sometimes referred to as the jealousy.

Offering.

Others label it the ordeal of bitter water. An Israelite man who insisted his wife was unfaithful but had no proof could bring her to the tabernacle for this test. The ritual required an accusant husband to bring his wife to the priest.

The priest would create a concoction of unpleasant but relatively benign ingredients. The wife would recite an oath and drink the mixture. Guilt was demonstrated if the woman's belly swelled and she became sick.

If there was no such effect, her innocence was established. Conviction for adultery would be followed by a possible death sentence. Innocence meant clearing her name, putting away all suspicion. The woman would suffer no ill effects and would be able to have children.

Critics label this test a barbaric, superstitious ritual involving sorcery. Others suggest it depicts an abortion. Neither view is correct. While bizarre, the rite protected women from husbands who were overly aggressive or hasty in their judgments.

It offered a safe outlet for male jealousy and prevented emotional or physical abuse. It kept Israelites from visiting pagan temples, and it would have nearly always exonerated the woman in question. Many seemingly strange rules of the Old Testament help mediate a sinful, fallen culture, and such is the case with the Jealousy Offering, or Bitter Water Ordeal, of Numbers 5 11 -31.

The Mosaic Law’s Protection Against Abuse

It provided a stopgap measure that people could reasonably be expected to follow. This parallels the Mosaic Law's procedures for divorce, intended to prevent women from being easily abused or cast aside.

See Deuteronomy 24 1 -4 and Matthew 19 8. There was nothing magical about the concoction the priests would make to determine guilt or innocence. Nor would the illicit ingredients naturally produce swelling or severe illness.

This implies a supernatural source for a guilty sign. In other words, for a woman to be exposed as blameworthy by the curse of this ritual, God would have to intervene and make the signs appear. This follows the perspective that adultery is fundamentally wrong as a sin against God, rather than simply an insult to the husband.

It's also noteworthy that the process is heavy on symbolism and drama. Components such as temple dust, an offering, water, and the loosening of the hair are representative of ideas such as repentance, holiness, and submission.

One purpose for these components is the psychological effect they have on participants. Many ancient tests for innocence were structured in a similar way. A guilty conscience would be strained by fear, likely leading to a confession before the curse could be enacted.

The rite was meant to exemplify the principle explained in Numbers 32, verse 23—be sure your sin will find you out. Some ancient Jewish commentators even believed the curse would affect the adulterous male as well.

Why the Passage Is Not About Abortion

Those who claim the passage depicts abortion insert concepts not even hinted at in the text. Part of this confusion stems from the 2011 edition of the NIV, which refers to miscarriage. Pregnancy is not part of the requirement for the ritual, nor is pregnancy mentioned anywhere in the process.

The effects include some type of swelling and or shriveling, yet the target body part is vague. In fact, it's the same Hebrew term used to describe the spot where Jacob suffered his infamous injury in Genesis 32, verse 25, as well as the place where Ehud hit his sword in Judges 3, verse 16.

At worst, the Numbers 5 passage implies future infertility. The ritual was not a remedy for an unwanted pregnancy—it was a test for adultery. Traditional interpretations of the ritual even restricted it from being performed on pregnant women.

The Ancient Context and the Final Takeaway

In the ancient world, women were often afforded no rights of any kind. Merely being suspected of adultery was enough justification to be divorced, cast aside, and left destitute. A man who suspected his wife was unfaithful might batter or even murder her, or he might employ a pagan spell that would all but guarantee a guilty verdict.

The ritual depicted in Numbers 5 verses 11–31 is an allowance to human nature and to that cultural context, and it had the effect of greatly reducing the damage done to women. That's not an endorsement of jealousy or suspicion, nor does it include anything reasonably interpreted as an abortion.

Unless God supernaturally intervened, the rite described in Numbers 5 would declare a woman innocent, by default. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content.

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