WHAT DO YOU CALL A PREGNANT MOMMY?

“As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all”
(Ecclesiastes 11:5).

What word do you use to describe your pregnancy? We usually say, “I’m pregnant.” Some say, “I’m expecting.” You sometimes hear, “I’m in the family way” which is a phrase dating back to the 17^th century. Polish words for pregnant can mean “with hope” or “blessed state.”

I remember reading about a mother who was asked to get involved in a church project, but she answered, “Sorry, I am full-time gestating.” Now, there’s a good excuse for a pregnant mother. It is true. There is nothing more important that you could be doing than growing a child in your womb, an eternal soul that will live forever.

I think we should use the most beautiful words possible to describe the awesome wonder of God creating a child in the womb, don’t you? The Bible tells it plainly and truthfully. It states that the pregnant woman is “with child.”

Ecclesiastes 11:5 talks about “how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child.” The Hebrew for “with child” in this passage is male and means “full, filling, fullness.” It is the picture of the womb filled with a growing child. If this phrase was more popular, society would become aware of the truth that the baby is not a blob of tissue, but an actual human being growing and filling the womb—a human being that has the same DNA it will have when he or she is 70 years of age or more.

The Hebrew word hareh is also translated “with child.” This word is used for conception as well as the child growing in the womb. It’s the language of angels. When the angel of the Lord came to Hagar he said, “Behold thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael” (Genesis 16:11).

In Genesis 21:2 the same word is used when it says: “Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age.” The Bible makes it clear that life begins at conception. This word is used for the moment of conception, the child growing in the womb, when the baby is “great” and ready to be born, and then coming into the world. A similar word, harah, is also used for both conception and being “with child.”

Here’s another thought-provoking point. Exodus 21:22 says: “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her . . .” “With child” is hareh. But what is the word for fruit? It is the Hebrew word yeled which means, “something born, a child, a young man.” That’s talking about a person who is alive and walking around. But God uses that word for the baby in the womb, confirming that the babe in the womb is just as much the person they will be when they are a child or even older.

Let’s go to the New Testament where it speaks of Mary being “with child.”

Matthew 1:18: “When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” And Matthew 1:23: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” The Greek word gaster is used here.

The Greek word brephos is also used for “an unborn child, a new-born child, an infant.” In Luke 1:41 it tells us that “when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe (brephos) leaped in her womb . . .”and verse 44 where Elisabeth exclaims: “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe (brephos) leaped in my womb for joy.”

Let’s answer this question: who was the first person to acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Yes, you are right. A baby, John the Baptist in his mother’s womb! He not only acknowledged, he leaped!

The word brephos is also used of a newborn babe in Luke 2:12 and 16 when the shepherds found Jesus “the babe (brephos) lying in a manger.”

Don’t you think it is time we acknowledged Bible truth rather than listening to human reasoning?

By the way, what words do you (or did you) use to tell people you are pregnant?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I thank You that Your word is truth. Thank You for making Your truth so clear to me in Your living word. Help me to resolutely stand for truth and never waver, no matter what society is saying around me. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I believe that life begins at conception and therefore it is murder to kill a baby in the womb.

Other hareh (“with child”) references: Genesis 16:11; 38:24, 25; Exodus 21;22; Judges 13:5, 7; 1 Samuel 4;19; 2 Samuel 11:5; Isaiah 7:14; 26:17; Jeremiah 20:17; 31:8; Hosea 13:16; Amos 1;13; and 2 Kings 8:12.