Philip J. Budd interprets Numbers 5:11-31 as a ritual that causes an abortion if the woman is guilty of adultery.
- Type
- Book
- Source
- Philip J. Budd Non-LDS
- Hearsay
- Secondary
- Reference
Philip J. Budd, "Numbers," in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, ed. James D.G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003), 133
- Scribe/Publisher
- Eerdmans
- People
- Philip J. Budd
- Audience
- Reading Public
- Transcription
A miscarriage is apparently expected should the woman be guilty (5:22). In the light of what she is required to drink (vv. 23-24) it may be supposed that any such eventuality would be improbable, but the psychological strains to which she is subjected should not be underestimated, and the risk of a serious miscarriage of justice is real. In v. 28, for example, there is at least a possibility that infertility will be interpreted as an indication of guilt, and the concluding comment (v. 31). . . .is a reminder of the exploitation and disadvantage to which women have often been exposed.
- Citations in Mormonr Qnas
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