The "bitter water" in Numbers 5:11-29 and it's effect

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There’s a part in that chapter about what is to be done to a suspected unfaithful wife to sort of test what to do if she’s been sleeping with another man.

In verses 19-23 it says

“Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her,“If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband,may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.But if you have astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband”–here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the oath–"may the Lord cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell a*.May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells and your thighs waste away* b” 'Then the women is to say, “Amen.So be it”."

What caught my attention is that those spots in this New International version I’m using (the specifically Catholic one I have is in Spanish and would take it longer to process) where it has the superscripted letters “a” and “b” lead to footnote explanations at the bottom that say

“a21 Or causes you to have a miscarrying womb and bareness”

and

“b21 Or body and cause you to be barren and have a miscarrying womb”

The words used in the footnotes are “miscarrying” in the present tense…:ehh: why is it that I keep thinking that,that “bitter water” and by the connotation of it’s effect is actually an abortifacient liquid concoction?.Explanation is very appreciated for this one.
 
It’s not about misscarriage or about abortion. It is about a condition called Uterine Prolapse or Pelvic Prolapse.

so that your abdomen swells and your thighs waste away (Numbers 5:27 NIV)

and her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away (Numbers 5:27 RSV)

and her belly swelling, her thigh shall rot (Numbers 5:27) Douay-Rhiems

First of all, the NIV is a horrible translation and the footnotes for this section are just plain wrong. Some translations correctly say “Uterus fall”.

The word thigh is used as an evasive synonym. They would not write the word for the female sexual organ and used the word thigh instead. The Bible is full of evasive synonyms; evading the use of God’s name with the word Lord or swearing by the gold in the temple instead of the Temple itself. Even Jesus uses the evasive synonym “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God” because he would not pronounce God’s name.

The word thigh was often used as an evasive synonym for both male and female sexual organs.

And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh, and promise to deal loyally and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers; carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place." He answered, “I will do as you have said.” And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed. (Genesis 47:29-31)

Yes, you read that right. Israel made his son Joseph hold his testicles and swear an oath. :eek:

The condition of swelling and the “falling away” of the vagina due to a weakening of a female’s pelvic floor muscles - Pelvic Prolapse - is quite common even today, especially in third world countries, where people are malnourished and in areas where woman have to do hard physical labor. Most of this was probably true for the Israelites who were desert wandering former slaves at the time the Book of Numbers was written.

The thigh falling away/rotting/wasting was not an abortion. The bitter water was not an abortifacient. There is no way that the ancient Jews would have approved abortion, let alone a liturgical abortion. There is absolutely no way that the Levitical Priests would have performed abortions in the Tabernacle or the Temple. Children were a blessing. Without children there would ber no one to care for the elderly. The bitter water caused the very common condtion known as Pelvic Prolapse, not abortion.

WebMD

Wikipedia

Mayo Clinic

-Tim-
 
"Gorgias:
See this thread: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=716987

it discusses this passage in the context of uterine prolapse.
Click to expand...
TimothyH said:
It’s not about misscarriage or about abortion. It is about a condition called Uterine Prolapse or Pelvic Prolapse.

There are two threads on this.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=644957

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=716987
Click to expand...
Is there an echo in here? :rolleyes:

(Oh, well… I’m sure I’ve done it, too… ;))
 
Gorgias said:
Is there an echo in here? :rolleyes:

(Oh, well… I’m sure I’ve done it, too… ;))
Click to expand...
Sorry to have stepped on your post.

It would have been more correct to say “In these threads TimothyH alone discusses this passage in the context of uterine prolapse.”

Echo or othewise, I’m grateful that I am not alone on this.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
Sorry to have stepped on your post.
Click to expand...
LOL…! 🙂

No… it just feels like “umm… hello? Are we all engaging in dialogue, or just shouting out into the ether?”
It would have been more correct to say “In these threads TimothyH alone discusses this passage in the context of uterine prolapse.”
Click to expand...
Again… lol! Don’t worry – I’m not trying to take credit for the thoughts you expressed in those threads…! :rolleyes:
 
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