NIV problems with Numbers 5: 21,27 (and the issue of abortion )

NIV problems with Numbers 5: 21,27 (and the issue of abortion ) 

The word womb in Modern translations (NIV as example)

Numbers 5:21 King James Version (KJV)

21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

Numbers 5:27 New King James Version (NKJV)

27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

Numbers 5:21 New International Version (NIV)

21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse[a] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell.

Numbers 5:27 New International Version (NIV)

27 If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse.

CLARIFICATION

• Hebrew generic word for thigh or leg of flank is YARUK  
• The male version of this is YARKA
• The female version of this is YEREKAH
• This is in Numbers 5:21,27  (as a curse, part of test for adultery)
• Just as important , here re the two words for "womb" 
• One is BETHEN and that is usually used for animals and here is the reason why: when you are cutting up an animal, the womb is like a little nut and it just so happens that a pistachio nut is almost the same word, a BOTHEN. It's similar to the word for womb. The plural is BETHONIM (so it can be used for nuts OR womb) 
• The other word for womb is REKHEM and that is the formal word for womb of matrix . It comes from the idea of compassion or nurturing (the side meaning) 
• It just so happens, those two words for womb used in the Old Testament never appear in Numbers 5 so the word is not there. 
• However, if you turn to the NIV , and you look at Numbers 5:21,27 , they have inserted womb and miscarriage twice but it's not in the Hebrew 

The KJV renders it literally and correctly:  The thigh shall shrivel  

The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) also renders it correctly:

21 at this point the priest must make the woman take the oath with the sworn curse, and he is to say to her—‘May the Lord make you into an object of your people’s cursing and swearing when He makes your thigh[a] shrivel and your belly swell.[b]

Numbers 5:27 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

27 “When he makes her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, and her thigh will shrivel. She will become a curse among her people.

The context is in reference to the issue of adultery and/or jealousy. Holman Christian Standard Bible translates it this way :

The Jealousy Ritual   11 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray, is unfaithful to him, 13 and sleeps with another,[a] but it is concealed from her husband, and she is undetected, even though she has defiled herself, since there is no witness against her, and she wasn’t caught in the act; 14 and if a feeling of jealousy comes over the husband and he becomes jealous because of his wife who has defiled herself—or if a feeling of jealousy comes over him and he becomes jealous of her though she has not defiled herself— 15 then the man is to bring his wife to the priest. He is also to bring an offering for her of two quarts[b] of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering for remembrance that brings sin to mind.

16 “The priest is to bring her forward and have her stand before the Lord. 17 Then the priest is to take holy water in a clay bowl, and take some of the dust from the tabernacle floor and put it in the water. 18 After the priest has the woman stand before the Lord, he is to let down her hair[c] and place in her hands the grain offering for remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 The priest will require the woman to take an oath and will say to her, ‘If no man has slept with you, if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, be unaffected by this bitter water that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has slept with you’— 21 at this point the priest must make the woman take the oath with the sworn curse, and he is to say to her—‘May the Lord make you into an object of your people’s cursing and swearing when He makes your thigh[d] shrivel and your belly swell.[e] 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your stomach, causing your belly to swell and your thigh to shrivel.’

“And the woman must reply, ‘Amen, Amen.’

23 “Then the priest is to write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He will require the woman to drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and cause bitter suffering. 25 The priest is to take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, wave the offering before the Lord, and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar. Then he will require the woman to drink the water.

27 “When he makes her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, and her thigh will shrivel. She will become a curse among her people.

 The translators interpreted the Law incorrectly for various reasons 

1. The NIV translators presumed the woman is pregnant and this is not the case - the Law is much more general - It is not a LAW just for pregnancy 

2. The NIV translators seem to be rendering it miscarriage and womb to indicate that a child is terminated, thus "aborted" as if it is an act of God but God would not do this. God is against abortion

3. The NIV translators renders a word "miscarriage and womb"  to indicate the text refers to a pregnant woman but nothing in the text says she is pregnant 

4. The NIV translators rendering it this way, gives the idea that a pregnancy should be punished but pregnancy is "proof"  that she is innocent, not guilty of anything

5. The NIV translators give a euphemism in the text but there is NO need for a euphemism. The word "womb" is in the Old Testament many times with no problems so the writers of Law would use the word "womb" if they meant, "womb" They would have no need for euphemism. 

6.  The NIV translators used a word that is not even in Hebrew. There is no Hebrew word for miscarriage. The fruit departs from her",  means the baby died but not because  it was aborted by GOD as an act of punishment. 

For further reading on this issue in context of abortion see:

https://www.str.org/articles/what-exodus-21-22-says-about-abortion#.XNjC_Y5KjIV

https://triablogue.blogspot.com/2014/12/trial-by-ordeal.html?fbclid=IwAR0WPiwwS2JCDyWwRBY9_0JpZmvvo1suN35I2uQ44R29a_bwIbamsPnJxNc

Exodus 21:22-25 King James Version (KJV)

22 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.23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

OTHER TRANSLATIONS

Numbers 5:21 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

21 —let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse and say to the woman—“the Lord make you an execration and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your uterus drop, your womb discharge;

Numbers 5:27 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

27 When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall discharge, her uterus drop, and the woman shall become an execration among her people.

Numbers 5:21-22 The Message (MSG)

16-22 “The priest then is to take her and have her stand in the presence of God. He is to take some holy water in a pottery jar and put some dust from the floor of The Dwelling in the water. After the priest has her stand in the presence of God he is to uncover her hair and place the exposure-offering in her hands, the Grain-Offering for jealousy, while he holds the bitter water that delivers a curse. Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say, ‘If no man has slept with you and you have not had an adulterous affair and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that delivers a curse not harm you. But if you have had an affair while married to your husband and have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband’—here the priest puts the woman under this curse—‘may God cause your people to curse and revile you when he makes your womb shrivel and your belly swell. Let this water that delivers a curse enter your body so that your belly swells and your womb shrivels.’“Then the woman shall say, ‘Amen. Amen.’

Numbers 5:21 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

21 then the cohen is to make the woman swear with an oath that includes a curse; the cohen will say to the woman, “. . .may Adonai make you an object of cursing and condemnation among your people by making your private parts shrivel and your abdomen swell up!

Numbers 5:27 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

27 When he has made her drink the water, then, if she is unclean and has been unfaithful to her husband, the water that causes the curse will enter her and become bitter, so that her abdomen swells and her private parts shrivel up; and the woman will become an object of cursing among her people.

Numbers 5:21 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

21 at this point the priest must make the woman take the oath with the sworn curse, and he is to say to her—‘May the Lord make you into an object of your people’s cursing and swearing when He makes your thigh[a] shrivel and your belly swell.[b]

Numbers 5:27 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

27 “When he makes her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, and her thigh will shrivel. She will become a curse among her people.