Bethulah - Almah
The Christian King James version of Isaiah 7:14 reads:
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son and shall
call his name Immanuel."
However... The Tanakh, The English Translation of that Hebrew
Scripture reads:
"Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to
give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel."
Now.........
"The New Revised Standard Version" of the Christian Bible also reads exactly as
the Jewish Holy Book, The
Tanakh:
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and
shall name him Immanuel."
In the Hebrew Scripture of Isaiah 7:14 the word *ALMAH* is used to discribe
the woman in question. The Hebrew
word almah means young woman, not virgin.
The woman in the Hebrew text of Isaiah 7:14 could not possibly have been a virgin
because Isaiah says, "...the young woman IS with child." she could not possibly have been a virgin because she was with child
at the very moment that Isaiah was speaking! That is why Isaiah had used the Hebrew word almah to discribe that woman.
In The CHRISTIAN English Version of the Book of Isaiah, the word "virgin' can be found five times; Isaiah
7:14, Isaiah 23:2, Isaiah 37:22, Isaiah 47:1 and Isaiah 62:5.
In four of these cases above the Hebrew word "bethulah" was used when Isaiah was speaking specifically of
a virgin.
In Strongs Hebrew dictionary each of these five examples, with the exception of Isaiah 7:14, used the Hebrew
word "bethulah". The Hebrew word that actually meant "virgin".
However, In the case of Isaiah 7:14, that particular verse used the Hebrew word "almah" to discribe the
"Young Woman", not "bethulah"! . The reason for this seems very clear.
Isaiah did not intend for anyone to think that this young woman was a virgin. Why? She was pregnant at that very
moment and could not possibly have been a virgin!
If Isaiah wanted verse 7:14 to mean virgin he would have used the word "betulah" as he had used in the
other four examples when speaking specifically of a virgin!
Now....The *SIGN* of Isaiah 7:14-16 was when Isaiah said: Speaking of the newly born child in verse 15, "By the
time he learns to reject the bad and choose the
good, people will be feeding on curds and honey. For before the lad knows
to reject the bad and choose the good, THE GROUND WHOSE TWO KINGS YOU DREAD SHALL BE ABANDONED. THAT was the Sign........
Not the birth of the child!
