Isaiah 7:14 “Virgin” or “Young Maiden”?

Isaiah 7:14 “Virgin” or “Young Maiden”?

See also the chapter on the original gospel of Matthew.

On the site Biblical Hermeneutics, under the topic, “Does Isaiah 7:14 refer to a virgin?”, it does well in showing the original Hebrew rendering:

There have been quite a few debates on why the word παρθένος (“virgin”) is used in the Septuagint of Isaiah 7:14 when translating the Hebrew word עלמה (“a young maiden”).¹ For context let us go through a few ancient translations of Isaiah 7:14:

Hebrew Masoretic of Isaiah 7:14

לָ֠כֵן יִתֵּ֨ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם אֹ֑ות הִנֵּ֣ה הָעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמֹ֖ו עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex.

St. Justin Martyr’s dialogue with Trypho shows that second century Jews did not interpret עלמה as a virgin. The passage probably should be read naturally: “the young woman will conceive and give birth to a son,” as indicated by the context, without excluding a possibility that the young woman might be a virgin.

Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah 7:14

לכן יתן יהוה הוא לכם אות הנה העלמה הרה וילדת בן וקרא שמו עמנואל

The Great Scroll of Isaiah.

This passage from the Dead Sea Scrolls has a few differences from the Masoretic text.²

• • Starting from the right, the third word יהוה “Yahweh” is used in DSS; this is the name of God. In the Masoretic text the word אדוני “adonai” is used instead.
  • The third word from the right is וקרא “he will call.” In the Masoretic text this word is written as וקראת “she/you will call,” which the LXX translation agrees with over the DSS.
  • The last word is עמנואל “imanuel.” This is the combination of two words עמנו “with us” and אל “God.” These two words are grouped together as one, indicating that it is a name not a description. In the Masoretic text this name is written as two separate words עמנו אל “God is with us.”

From these examples we can compare both MSS and DSS with the LXX. There is no known manuscript or fragment of Isaiah 7:14 in which בתולה “a virgin” was used instead of עלמה “a young maiden.”

Aramaic Targum of Isaiah 7:14

בְכֵין יִתֵין יוי הוּא לְכוֹן אָתָא הָא עוּלֵימְתָא מְעַדְיָא וּתלִיד בַר וְתִקרֵי שְמֵיה עִמָנוּ אֵל׃

Aramaic Targumim.

The Targum translates the Hebrew עלמה with an Aramaic עוּלֵימְתָא which according to the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, means “young girl” in a neutral sense without a reference to virginity. This supports the argument that the original Hebrew text did not contain בתולה “a virgin” but instead עלמה “a young girl,” as seen in both MSS and DSS.

Note the above comment of “Immanuel”. The name Immanuel is a name not a description. See the chapter on Bible Names.

 A footnote for Isaiah 7:14 in the GNT (Good News Translation):

• Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew word here translated “young woman” is not the specific term for “virgin,” but refers to any young woman of marriageable age. The use of “virgin” in Mt 1.23 reflects a Greek translation of the Old Testament, made some 500 years after Isaiah.

Select a download of the above timeline concerning the original Hebrew meaning of Isaiah 7:14:

PDF: Timeline-Isaiah-7-14-virgin-or-young-maiden-1

Excel: Timeline-Isaiah-7-14-virgin-or-young-maiden-1

PNG: Timeline high resolution picture

Isaiah includes a pattern of including children in prophesy, for different reasons. See the chapter on Children Mentioned in Isaiah. Those reasons can be ascertained by reading the context. The original intent of Isaiah 7:14 can be found by simply reading the following two verses.

Isaiah 7:13-16 (GNT)

¹³ To that Isaiah replied, “Listen, now, descendants of King David. It’s bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people—do you have to wear out God’s patience too? ¹⁴ Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman^[a] who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel.’^[b] 15 By the time he is old enough to make his own decisions, people will be drinking milk and eating honey.^[c] 16 Even before that time comes, the lands of those two kings who terrify you will be deserted.

Isaiah 7:13-16 refers to a prophecy delivered by the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah. The context involves a coalition of two kings—Rezin, king of Aram (Syria), and Pekah, king of Israel (also referred to as Ephraim)—who were threatening to invade Judah.

The prophecy was given during a time when these two kings were trying to pressure Judah to join them in resisting the expanding Assyrian Empire. Here’s a breakdown:

• Rezin (king of Aram/Syria): He was the king of Damascus and led the Aramean kingdom.
• Pekah (king of Israel/Ephraim): He ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel, often called Ephraim after its dominant tribe.

These two kings formed an alliance to resist Assyria and sought to force King Ahaz of Judah to join their coalition. When Ahaz refused, they planned to invade Judah and replace him with a puppet ruler (Isaiah 7:6).

In response, God sent Isaiah to reassure Ahaz that the plans of these two kings would fail. The prophecy of the birth of a child, referred to as Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14, serves as a sign to Ahaz that before the child is old enough to know right from wrong, the lands of these two kings (Rezin and Pekah) would be abandoned and no longer pose a threat.

Thus, Isaiah 7:13-16 foretells the downfall of these two kings and their kingdoms, indicating that Ahaz need not fear their plans.