Several years ago I read that the word “virgin” in the New Testament was mistranslated from a Hellenistic Greek word or phrase. The correct translation was said to be, “a woman of marrying age” (or something similar)…not the “haven’t had sex” definition. I think the Greek word/phrase began with the letter “b” or the equivalent. I wondered how such an error could occur, since Hellenistic Greek is so well understood. I also wondered if the word “virgin” is correctly translated in the Old Testament.
There are two Hebrew words usually translated “virgin” in English. “Bethulah” means “virgin” in the sense that we understand it. It was used in Isaiah 62:5. “Almah” (the word used in Isaiah 7:14) simply means a young woman. Although it is sometimes used in the sense of a sexually pure woman, this is not its exclusive usage. The context will usually point out the correct usage.
The confusion arose when the Greek Septuagint used the Greek word “parthenos” to translate Isaiah 7:14. In the Greek language this word does denote a sexually pure woman, and was the inspiration for the gospel myth of the “virgin birth.”
A look at the context of Isaiah 7:14 reveals that the woman Isaiah was referring to was probably already pregnant, thus pointing out which sense of the word “almah” was intended. In any case, the point of Isaiah’s prophecy was that before the child reached the age of accountability, both Israel and Syria would be desolated (a prophecy that was only partially fulfilled, by the way).
The use of the word “virgin” is not germane in Isaiah’s prophecy. The “sign” was the child, not a miraculous conception. In short, Isaiah’s “sign” was fulfilled in its own context, hundreds of years before anyone thought to apply it in a different sense...
The basic details are given in Ian Wilson’s Jesus The Evidence. Although this is an unlikely source, The Selfish Gene (1989 edition) by Richard Dawkins gives the same basic story. He states: “the point is in fact well known to Biblical scholars, and not disputed by them.” This is what seems to have happened:
The word actually used in Hebrew Scriptures is “almah,” meaning, “young woman.” The Hebrew word which could have been used – but wasn’t – is “bethulah,” which means “virgin.” The Septuagint is a version of the Old Testament prepared in the 3rd century BC by Jewish scholars who translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek for the Greek-speaking Jewish community. In translating for the Septuagint, the word “almah” was translated as “parthenos,” the Greek word for virgin.
Thusly, Isaiah’s prophecy in the original Hebrew states that the Messiah would be conceived by an “almah” (young woman), whereas the Greek translation in the Septuagint version of Isaiah refers to a “parthenos” (Gk. “virgin”).
It appears that Matthew’s Gospel attempts to justify Jesus’ divine parentage by claiming fulfillment of a prophecy that was never actually made…
There are two Hebrew words usually translated “virgin” in English. “Bethulah” means “virgin” in the sense that we understand it. It was used in Isaiah 62:5. “Almah” (the word used in Isaiah 7:14) simply means a young woman. Although it is sometimes used in the sense of a sexually pure woman, this is not its exclusive usage. The context will usually point out the correct usage.
The confusion arose when the Greek Septuagint used the Greek word “parthenos” to translate Isaiah 7:14. In the Greek language this word does denote a sexually pure woman, and was the inspiration for the gospel myth of the “virgin birth.”
A look at the context of Isaiah 7:14 reveals that the woman Isaiah was referring to was probably already pregnant, thus pointing out which sense of the word “almah” was intended. In any case, the point of Isaiah’s prophecy was that before the child reached the age of accountability, both Israel and Syria would be desolated (a prophecy that was only partially fulfilled, by the way).
The use of the word “virgin” is not germane in Isaiah’s prophecy. The “sign” was the child, not a miraculous conception. In short, Isaiah’s “sign” was fulfilled in its own context, hundreds of years before anyone thought to apply it in a different sense...
The basic details are given in Ian Wilson’s Jesus The Evidence. Although this is an unlikely source, The Selfish Gene (1989 edition) by Richard Dawkins gives the same basic story. He states: “the point is in fact well known to Biblical scholars, and not disputed by them.” This is what seems to have happened:
The word actually used in Hebrew Scriptures is “almah,” meaning, “young woman.” The Hebrew word which could have been used – but wasn’t – is “bethulah,” which means “virgin.” The Septuagint is a version of the Old Testament prepared in the 3rd century BC by Jewish scholars who translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek for the Greek-speaking Jewish community. In translating for the Septuagint, the word “almah” was translated as “parthenos,” the Greek word for virgin.
Thusly, Isaiah’s prophecy in the original Hebrew states that the Messiah would be conceived by an “almah” (young woman), whereas the Greek translation in the Septuagint version of Isaiah refers to a “parthenos” (Gk. “virgin”).
It appears that Matthew’s Gospel attempts to justify Jesus’ divine parentage by claiming fulfillment of a prophecy that was never actually made…