Isaiah 7:14. Virgin or Maiden?
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV)
This verse is often brought up by christians to prove both the virgin birth of "Jesus" and the deity of "Jesus". The truth of the matter is totally different.
To them, Immanu'el means "God with us". in Isaiah 8, the KJV itself proves this notion WRONG.
Isa 8:8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. (KJV)
Isa 8:10 Take counsel together and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. (KJV)
In verse 8, the words Immanu el were transliterated as Immanuel (a name), which furthur gives credence to the notion that Isaiah 7 was fulfilled in the time of Isaiah and Ahaz. In verse 10, Immanu el are translated as "God is with us".
The correct translation is mighty one is with us.
Further, the Context of Isaiah 7:14, tells us it cannot be a prophecy about Yehoshua.
Isa 7:1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
Isa 7:2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
Isa 7:3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;
Isa 7:4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
Isa 7:5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
Isa 7:6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:
Isa 7:7 Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
Isa 7:8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. (KJV)
As you see, the context is that the Kings of Syria and Ephrayim conspires together to make war against Yehudah, and overthrow Ahaz. the PROPHECY that came FROM Yehovah THROUGH Yeshayahu was that the plan of Ephrayim and Syria would NOT succeed, but rather backfire. Ephrayim would be broken and become lo am (not a people) withing 35 years.
Isa 7:9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Isa 7:10 Moreover the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying,
Isa 7:11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
Isa 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. (KJV)
Yehovah tells Ahaz to ask of Him a sign. Ahaz refuses. Following is Yeshayahu's response.
Isa 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Isa 7:17 The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. (KJV)
The SIGN is NOT that a "virgin" concieving. That is only PART of the sign. The sign from Yehovah to Ahaz was that by the time Immanu'el grows to know to choose the good and reject the bad, Ephraim and Syria's lands shall beforsaken by both their kings.
Now we will examine verse 14 more closely.
Isa 7:14 ֠לָכֵן יִתֵּ֨ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם אֹ֑ות הִנֵּ֣ה הָעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמֹ֖ו עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל׃
Assuredly Adonai himself will give you a sign, behold the maiden is pregnant and will give birth to a son and she shall call his name, Immanu'el.
the word Ha'almah (העלמה) is the word alam (עלם), which means hidden, with the heh (ה) suffix, which makes the word femmenine.. hidden to her.... maiden, with the heh prefix (ה) meaning "the". the word in full means "the maiden". NOT virgin.
now, many christians will point to the word SIGN and say that it means miracle, and that a regular birth by a maiden would NOT be a miracle, so it has to be a VIRGIN Birth.
In Genesis 1:14, the word SIGN in the plural is used.
Gen 1:14 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיֹּ֖ום וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמֹ֣ועֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃
And Elohiym said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the skies for the dividing between the day and between the night, and they shall exists for signs and for feasts, and for days, and for years.
Note that the word for signs is 'otot (אתת), the plural form of the word 'ot (אות). Are the stars for miracles??? hmm.. this text says they are for signs, for MARKERS. that's what an 'ot is, it's a marker, a sign. Historically, the navigators of the sea would look up in the sky and night and use the stars as markers and signs to tell directions. They ancient Israelites looked at the moon to tell when the beginning of the month began.
In Isaiah 7, the SIGN or MARKER given to King Ahaz, is that by the time the son of the maiden knows to refuse to choose the good and reject the bad, the two kings he dreads shall forsake their lands.
The hebrew word Hineh (הנה) is a picture of a man POINTING his fingers and saying "LOOK". Here Yeshyahu is pointing to the young woman and saying to Ahaz, "look, the young woman is pregnant...."
the word Harah (הרה) means IS PREGNANT, meaning that the woman had already concieved and the baby is already in hear womb.
the Hebrew language, and the context says that this verse is NOT a prophecy about Yehoshua HaMashiyach, but rather a sign to Ahaz that would be fulfilled in his lifetime.
So how do christians get this being about Mashiyach? The answer is the GREEK version of Matthew.
Mat 1:22 Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος,
Mat 1:23 Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός.
Mat 1:22 Now the whole of this has occurred that that may be fulfilled which is declared by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
Mat 1:23 "Lo! The virgin shall be pregnant
And shall be bringing forth a Son,
And they shall be calling His name 'Emmanuel,'
which is, being construed, "God with us." (Concordant Literal Translation).
The ancient manuscripts of the Aramaic Peshitta doesn't include these verses. They stop at Matthew 1:17 which says:
Mat 1:17 All the generations, therefore, are, from Abraham to David fourteen generations, and from David to the captivity of Babylon fourteen generations, and from the captivity of Babylon to Mshikha fourteen generations. (Murdock's Revised translation of the Aramaic),
With the ahava of the Master, Shalom.
Matthew Mencel
This verse is often brought up by christians to prove both the virgin birth of "Jesus" and the deity of "Jesus". The truth of the matter is totally different.
To them, Immanu'el means "God with us". in Isaiah 8, the KJV itself proves this notion WRONG.
Isa 8:8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. (KJV)
Isa 8:10 Take counsel together and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. (KJV)
In verse 8, the words Immanu el were transliterated as Immanuel (a name), which furthur gives credence to the notion that Isaiah 7 was fulfilled in the time of Isaiah and Ahaz. In verse 10, Immanu el are translated as "God is with us".
The correct translation is mighty one is with us.
Further, the Context of Isaiah 7:14, tells us it cannot be a prophecy about Yehoshua.
Isa 7:1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
Isa 7:2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
Isa 7:3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;
Isa 7:4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
Isa 7:5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
Isa 7:6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:
Isa 7:7 Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
Isa 7:8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. (KJV)
As you see, the context is that the Kings of Syria and Ephrayim conspires together to make war against Yehudah, and overthrow Ahaz. the PROPHECY that came FROM Yehovah THROUGH Yeshayahu was that the plan of Ephrayim and Syria would NOT succeed, but rather backfire. Ephrayim would be broken and become lo am (not a people) withing 35 years.
Isa 7:9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Isa 7:10 Moreover the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying,
Isa 7:11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
Isa 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. (KJV)
Yehovah tells Ahaz to ask of Him a sign. Ahaz refuses. Following is Yeshayahu's response.
Isa 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Isa 7:17 The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. (KJV)
The SIGN is NOT that a "virgin" concieving. That is only PART of the sign. The sign from Yehovah to Ahaz was that by the time Immanu'el grows to know to choose the good and reject the bad, Ephraim and Syria's lands shall beforsaken by both their kings.
Now we will examine verse 14 more closely.
Isa 7:14 ֠לָכֵן יִתֵּ֨ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם אֹ֑ות הִנֵּ֣ה הָעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמֹ֖ו עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל׃
Assuredly Adonai himself will give you a sign, behold the maiden is pregnant and will give birth to a son and she shall call his name, Immanu'el.
the word Ha'almah (העלמה) is the word alam (עלם), which means hidden, with the heh (ה) suffix, which makes the word femmenine.. hidden to her.... maiden, with the heh prefix (ה) meaning "the". the word in full means "the maiden". NOT virgin.
now, many christians will point to the word SIGN and say that it means miracle, and that a regular birth by a maiden would NOT be a miracle, so it has to be a VIRGIN Birth.
In Genesis 1:14, the word SIGN in the plural is used.
Gen 1:14 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיֹּ֖ום וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמֹ֣ועֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃
And Elohiym said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the skies for the dividing between the day and between the night, and they shall exists for signs and for feasts, and for days, and for years.
Note that the word for signs is 'otot (אתת), the plural form of the word 'ot (אות). Are the stars for miracles??? hmm.. this text says they are for signs, for MARKERS. that's what an 'ot is, it's a marker, a sign. Historically, the navigators of the sea would look up in the sky and night and use the stars as markers and signs to tell directions. They ancient Israelites looked at the moon to tell when the beginning of the month began.
In Isaiah 7, the SIGN or MARKER given to King Ahaz, is that by the time the son of the maiden knows to refuse to choose the good and reject the bad, the two kings he dreads shall forsake their lands.
The hebrew word Hineh (הנה) is a picture of a man POINTING his fingers and saying "LOOK". Here Yeshyahu is pointing to the young woman and saying to Ahaz, "look, the young woman is pregnant...."
the word Harah (הרה) means IS PREGNANT, meaning that the woman had already concieved and the baby is already in hear womb.
the Hebrew language, and the context says that this verse is NOT a prophecy about Yehoshua HaMashiyach, but rather a sign to Ahaz that would be fulfilled in his lifetime.
So how do christians get this being about Mashiyach? The answer is the GREEK version of Matthew.
Mat 1:22 Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος,
Mat 1:23 Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός.
Mat 1:22 Now the whole of this has occurred that that may be fulfilled which is declared by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
Mat 1:23 "Lo! The virgin shall be pregnant
And shall be bringing forth a Son,
And they shall be calling His name 'Emmanuel,'
which is, being construed, "God with us." (Concordant Literal Translation).
The ancient manuscripts of the Aramaic Peshitta doesn't include these verses. They stop at Matthew 1:17 which says:
Mat 1:17 All the generations, therefore, are, from Abraham to David fourteen generations, and from David to the captivity of Babylon fourteen generations, and from the captivity of Babylon to Mshikha fourteen generations. (Murdock's Revised translation of the Aramaic),
With the ahava of the Master, Shalom.
Matthew Mencel