virgin prophecy, The Odds

Rarest & Most Significant Hebrew Words – Virtually Hidden

Appearing only three times in the Hebrew text of the Tanakh, the Old Testament, are two virtually hidden Hebrew words. Quit possibly they are the most significant words in the Bible.

Written as Hmleh, hmle and hā-‘al-māh, the Hebrew text is comprised of two words, ha and `almah.^[1] Only two Bibles translate all three instances of ha-almah as “the virgin” – the Orthodox Jewish Bible and Young’s Literal Translation.^[2]

Represented by the single English consonant letter h or words Hey or ha translated as “the,” it is a definite article used to make a clear and specific reference.^[3] Hebrew has a special difference where, by definition, it is much more dramatic.^[4] Hebrew language expert Jeff A. Benner describes the original pictograph character in this way:^[5]

“The Hey has a “h” sound and is a picture of a man with his arms raised up, shouting and pointing at a great site as if to say “behold, look at that”. This letter means “the” in the sense of pointing to something of importance.”^[6]

Translation of `almah is one of the most controversial in the Jewish and Christian Bibles. One side claims `almah means “young woman” which may or may not include a state of virginity.^[7] The opposite side asserts `almah specifically means “virgin” as seen in some Christian Bible translations.^[8]

Strong’s Concordance of Hebrew defines `almah is “a lass (as in veiled or private): – damsel, maid, virgin.”^[9] In that era, a “maid” or “damsel” was typically presumed to be a virgin by implication of her young age and single marital status whereas the word “virgin” is explicitly self-explanatory.^[10]

Commonly among Jewish and many Christian Bibles,`almah is translated as “young woman” yet those two words are not part of the formal Strong’s definition exacerbating the controversy. Key to unraveling the differences is through textual analysis to determine how the word is intended to be understood by its authors.

Appearing 50 times in Bible Hebrew text is the word bethulah (bə-ṯū-lāh, bthuwlah, b@thuwlah or hlwtb), a single word for “virgin.”^[11] It is used in the contexts of metaphors in judgements of peoples or nations; lamentations or blessings; legalistic references; or to describe the virginity of an actual female subject, but only when the word is used in combination with na ‘arah, a girl.

Focusing only on Biblical references where bethulah involves an actual female subject, three usage rules emerge. Bethulah is never used as the subject who initiates a present or future action such as a prophecy. For example, there are no instances that say something like “bethulah shall call;” “bethulah plays;” “bethulah shall bear;” nor “bethulah loves.”^[12]

Secondly, the word is always used as an adjective noun or in an adjective clause to clarify the noun na `arah (girl) or another female noun within the context of na `arah. Examples: “the girl [na `arah] was a very beautiful virgin [bethulah];” “Tamar [proper noun], for she was a virgin [bethulah];” or “my virgin [bethulah] daughter [noun].”^[13]

Most significantly, bethulah is never used as a standalone noun to describe a specific female subject in Biblical texts. Some critics contend that since bethulah was not used in Isaiah 7:14, the prophecy cannot refer to a virgin even though using the word would violate all three Hebrew text usage rules.^[14]

Only 7 times in Biblical Hebrew texts appears the word `almah and its word usage rules are strikingly different from bethulah. Translation of `almah is based as much on the circumstantial setting as it is on sentence structure.

As the direct female subject of a sentence, `almah appears only in present or future tense scenarios. Biblical examples: “`almah playing tambourines;” “`almah went and called;” “`almah love you;” “`almah comes out to draw water,” and “almah shall conceive and bear a Son.”^[15]

Conversely, `almah is never used as an adjective noun nor used in an adjective clause to define the female subject; it is a standalone noun. No instances say, for example, “a na `arah who is an `almah;” “Tamar who is an `almah;” nor “my `almah daughter.”

As a standalone noun, `almah does not need further clarification with an adjective or adjective clause – the meaning of `almah is self-evident to mean “virgin.” _{(literary analysis)}

Five instances of `almah occur in texts after the defining moment when the Law was given by God to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Perhaps most revealing is that they always appear in royal circumstances: virgins in the king’s harem, in a king’s presence, a king’s perspective, and the royalty of God’s musical worship.^[16]

Only three instances appear in Hebrew texts where ha (“pointing to something of importance”) is added as a prefix to `almah, in essence saying, “behold, look at the almah.” The first two occurrences appear in references to the Hebrew matriarchs before God’s Law legally defined the purity of virginity for marriage.^[17]

Rebekah and Miriam are Hebrew matriarchs, according to Phillip E. Goble, Editor of The Orthodox Jewish Bible. Rebekah is revered as the “mother of the Nation of Israel” and Miriam is “the savior of the Exodus” (older sister of Moses) – Hebrew royalty.^[18] Significance of their state of virginity occurs before entering their adult lives of greatness.^[19]

Only one other appearance of ha-almah occurs in the entire Bible and it appears after the Law was handed down from God: Isaiah 7:14. Written identically in Hebrew in both The Great Isaiah Scroll and the Masoretic text:^[20]

^{IS 7:14} “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.“_(NIV₎

Isaiah 7:14 has a dual application of royalty – King Ahaz and God. The ha-almah referenced in the prophecy places the subject female in the highest echelon of Jewish importance.

King Ahaz had refused to accept God’s offer through Isaiah to name any sign between Heaven and Hell as proof of God’s promise to protect his kingdom from their enemies. God responded with a sign that was even greater – anything less would be unimpressive.

From a different perspective, if the prophetic sign of Isaiah 7:14 was intended to refer to a female without an expectation of virginity, textual analysis dictates Isaiah would have been expected to use either na ‘arah or `ishshah; however, he didn’t. Instead, Isaiah used the rarest of Hebrew words to prophecy ha-almah would give birth to a son to be called Immanuel meaning “God with us.”^[21]

Is Isaiah 7:14 a prophecy about a virgin, greater than any between Heaven and Hell, that was fulfilled by Mary’s virgin birth of Jesus of Nazareth?

Updated October 9, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

ASB = Amercian Standard Bible
BSB = Berean Study Bible
CSB = Christian Standard Bible
DBT = Darby Bible Translations
ESV = English Standard Version
HCS = Holman Christian Standard Bible
ISV = International Standard Version
JUB = Jubilee Bible 2000
NHE = New Heart Christian Bible
NIV = New International Verson
NKJV = New King James Verson
NLT = New Liviing Translation
OJB = Orthodox Jewish Bible
WEB = World English Bible
YLT = Young’s Literal Translation

REFERENCES:

A Virgin Birth Prophecy – Isaiah 7:14?

Translation of one word – `almah – in Isaiah 7:14 is the cause for one of the most controversial prophecies in the Bible. Jewish Bibles and a few Christian Bibles translate the word as “young woman” while most Christian Bibles translate the word as “virgin.”

“Virgin” vs. “young woman” – those who believe that Isaiah 7:14 is a messianic prophecy pointing to a miraculous birth of a son to a virgin vs. those who believe the prophecy is a short-term prediction about a young woman, not necessarily a virgin, who was to bear a son.^[1] In the full context of Isaiah chapter 7, the sign had to be a boundless, miraculous prophecy from God.

Septuagint LXX rendered only by Jewish experts translated the Hebrew word ha-almah into Greek as “ha Parthenos” meaning precisely “the virgin,” but not in the Masoretic text used for the Jewish Bible versions.^[2]Matthew’s Gospel says Jesus was born of a virgin fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.

Translation of ancient Hebrew text into English is not an exact science where there is not a word-for-word translation equivalent. Hebrew words can even serve as either a noun or a verb requiring the translator to take a more wholistic view of the text to understand the context.^[3]

Language analysis, a more in-dept version of literary analysis, is a scientific study of word usage by the speaker or author.^[4] Word choice and its intended meaning are determined by the speaker (or writer) which may not necessarily carry the same meaning applied by the listener (or the reader or translator). The key is unlocking the word definition code of the speaker or writer.

Deciphering the meaning of `almah brings into play three Hebrew words. Lowest common denominator is the word is na`arah meaning “girl” or “young woman” where there is no specific implication of virginity.^[5] Isaiah never once used this word.

Opposite of na`arah is bethulah explicitly meaning “virgin.” It commonly appears as a metaphor of a virgin in judgements, lamentations, or blessings. A separate category of bethulah is used in a legalistic context in the Law involving the strictest sense of a virgin.

Isaiah only used bethulah 5 times as either a metaphor or judgement of a city or nation. The word is also used to describe a type of na`arah; however, since Isaiah never used the word na`arah, he did not use bethulah in this manner.

Next is the rarest of Hebrew words, `almah, appearing only 7 times in the entire Bible. It is a feminine noun stemming from the Hebrew word `elem meaning “something kept out of sight.”^[6] Unlike bethulah, none of the instances of `almah are used in metaphors, legalistic definitions, as adjectives or in adjective clauses.

Exclusively, `almah is used only to make reference to a special class of females – Hebrew royalty. As a standalone noun, `almah does not need further clarification by an adjective or adjective clause. Similarly, `almah is never used as an adjective or within an adjective clause to define the subject.^[7]

Earliest appearance of `almah is in Genesis and is the only place in the Bible that contains all three Hebrew words in reference to the same female figure, Rebekah. As such, the passage in Genesis 24 makes it the codex for unlocking the meaning of these Hebrew female words.

Abraham had sent his servant back to his homeland to find a bride for his son Isaac, but he did not give the servant any qualifications for a bride except that she had to willingly agree to marry Isaac. Being in a unfamiliar land and having no idea for whom he was searching, the servant prayed for a very specific sign that would leave no doubt when it happened. In recounting his experiences to Rebekah’s family, he used all three Hebrew words plus a forth:

^{Gen. 24:16} “Now the young woman [na ‘arah] was very beautiful to behold, a virgin [bethulah]; no man had known her.”

^{Gen. 24:43}“behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin [`almah] comes out to draw water, and I say to her…”

^{Gen. 24:44}“let her be the woman [`ishshah] whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.” _(NKJV)

In his recollection story to Rebekah’s family, Rebekah is first described in the past tense using the combination of na ‘arah (girl/young woman) with bethulah (a virgin). Her virginity is further emphasized by saying that “no man had known her.”

At this point, it has been explicitly stated that Rebekah is a virgin. Josephus, a Pharisee expert, wrote in Antiquities that Rebekah viewed Laban, her uncle, as the “guardian of my virginity” after her father had died.^[6]

Using present tense, the servant now refers to Rebekah by simply using a single Hebrew word, hmleh or `hā-‘al-māh (the virgin) – the same Hebrew word used in Isaiah 7:14. Genesis 24:43 now unambiguously defines`almah as “virgin” as the servant had defined her in Genesis 24:16.

A fourth Hebrew word provides further validation when the servant referred to Rebekah in the future tense as `ishshah, meaning “woman,” hoping she would become the wife of Isaac.^[8] In this context, Rebekah would be considered a married adult woman who is not a virgin, thus the use of na ‘arah, bethulah nor `almah would be applicable nor accurate.

Comparing the Genesis codex definition of `almah as “virgin” to the other 6 uses of `almah in the Bible reveals that in all instances `almah is always used as a standalone noun in the context of a virgin in a royal context, either Hebrew or Godly. The language analysis conclusion: the meaning of `almah exclusively means “virgin” – no adjectives or further clarifications are needed or expected.

If `almah is translated as “a young maiden” in the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy where the state of virginity is not certain, it is not an impressive prophecy that rises to the level of God’s parameters. In this interpretation, the female subject, who may already be pregnant or will soon be, has a 50-50 chance of giving birth to a boy.

Conversely, if `almah is translated as the “virgin” who would conceive a son, it creates a prophecy where the possibility of that scenario would be unthinkable – a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a boy child.

Which interpretation if Isaiah 7:14 – “young woman” vs. “virgin” – rises to the level off a boundless, miraculous prophecy?

Updated September 20, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Isaiah 7:14. BibleHub. <https://biblehub.com/isaiah/7-14.htm> Nahigian, Kenneth E. “A Virgin-Birth Prophesy?” Skeptic Tank Files. n.d. <http://www.skeptictank.org/files/sr/2virgi93.htm> Cramer, Robert Nguyen. “The Book of Isaiah.” The BibleTexts.com. 1998 <http://www.bibletexts.com/verses/v-isa.htm> Cline, Austin. “Who Was Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus? Was She Really a Virgin?” <http://atheism.about.com/od/biblepeoplenewtestament/p/MaryVirgin.htm> Yosef, Uri. “Isaiah 7:14 – Part 1: An Accurate Grammatical Analysis.” 2011. <http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa714_1.pdf> Bratcher, Dennis. “Isaiah 7:14: Translation Issues.” The Voice. 2014. <http://www.crivoice.org/isa7-14.html> The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary. Yeshayahu- Isaiah 7:14. “Who is the Almah’s son?” Teshuvas HaMinim. 2011. <http://web.archive.org/web/20120425022737/http://www.teshuvashaminim.com/isaiah714.html> Robinson, B.A. “Isaiah 7:14 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive…”” 2007 <http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_proi.htm> “Isaiah 7:14-Deception In The Name Of Jesus.” Agnostic Review of Christianity. 2011. <http://ihuanedo.ning.com/group/religiousskeptism/forum/topics/isaiah-7-14-deception-in-the-name-of-jesus>
[2] Net.bible.org. Isaiah 7 Hebrew text. Miller. Fred P. “The Great Isaiah Scroll.” Column VI – The Great Isaiah Scroll 6:7 to 7:15. Moellerhaus Publisher. Directory. 1998. <http://www.moellerhaus.com/qumdir.htm>Miller. Fred P. “The Translation of the Great Isaiah Scroll.” “The Translation of the Great Isaiah Scroll “Dead Sea Scrolls Bible Translations.” 2016. <http://dssenglishbible.com/scroll1QIsaa.htm> PostBarthian. image. 2022. <https://postbarthian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/virgin-or-young-woman-litmus-test-bible-translations.jpg> [3] Benner, Jeff A. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible.” Ancient Hebrew Research Center. 2013. <https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/introduction.htm>
[4] Sapir, Avinoam. LSI Laboratory for Scientific Interrogation. Language analysis courses. <http://www.lsiscan.com/id37.htm> “Scientific Content Analysis (SCAN).” Personal Verification LTD. Updated 15 November 2016. <http://www.verify.co.nz/scan.php>
[5] “na`arah <05291>” NetBible.org. 2019. <http://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=05291 >
[6] BibleHub.com. Isaiah 7:14 Hebrew text. 2018. <https://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/7-14.htm> “5959. almah” BibleHub.com. 2018. <https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5959.htm>; “5958. elem” <https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5958.htm>; “5956. alam.” <https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5956.htm>. “`almah <5959>” Lexicon-Concordance. n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/5959.html> “`elem <5956>” Lexicon-Concordance. n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/5956.html>
[7] Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Trans. and commentary. William Whitson. The Complete Works of Josephus. 1850. Book I, Chapter XV.2. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>
[8]“802. נָשִׁים (ishshah) BibleHub.com. 2018. ” <https://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_802.htm> “H802.” Lexicon-Concordance. n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/080.html#02>