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young woman (of marriageable age)
Almah is a Hebrew word appearing only 7 times in the Old Testament, most famously in Isaiah 7:14. BDB defines it as "young woman (ripe sexually; maid or newly married)." The word's etymology is debated—BDB connects it to the root עלם meaning "to be mature, be of marriageable age" or possibly "to be hidden/secluded" (referring to young women kept in the household before marriage). The seven occurrences are: 1. Genesis 24:43 - Rebekah at the well (unmarried) 2. Exodus 2:8 - Miriam (Moses's sister, unmarried) 3. Psalm 68:25 - Maidens playing tambourines 4. Proverbs 30:19 - "the way of a man with a maiden" 5. Song of Solomon 1:3 - "the maidens love you" 6. Song of Solomon 6:8 - "maidens without number" 7. Isaiah 7:14 - "the almah shall conceive" The critical question is whether almah means specifically "virgin" or merely "young woman of marriageable age" (who would presumably be a virgin in that culture).
young woman of marriageable age
A young woman, presumably unmarried and virginal
maiden (in poetic/liturgical contexts)
Young women in festive settings
“the way of a man with a maiden”
The theological significance of almah centers on Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The almah will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." The Septuagint (LXX) translated almah with the Greek parthenos (παρθένος), which unambiguously means "virgin." Matthew 1:23 quotes this verse applying it to Mary's virginal conception of Jesus. The debate concerns whether: 1. Almah inherently means "virgin" (supporting the LXX translation) 2. Almah means "young woman" and the LXX interpretation adds the virginal element 3. The context in Isaiah 7 provides a "double fulfillment" (immediate and messianic)
The almah/virgin debate is one of the most significant in Jewish-Christian apologetics: **Christian Arguments:** 1. All OT uses of almah describe women who appear to be unmarried and thus presumably virginal 2. The LXX translation (pre-Christian) used parthenos, showing Jewish interpreters understood virginal meaning 3. Isaiah 7:14 presents a "sign" (oth)—a normal birth would not be a remarkable sign 4. Matthew's interpretation under divine inspiration is authoritative for Christians 5. No OT use of almah clearly refers to a non-virgin **Jewish Counter-Missionary Arguments:** 1. If Isaiah meant "virgin," he would have used betulah 2. The immediate context refers to events in Ahaz's time 3. The LXX translators may have made an interpretive choice, not a translation 4. The word simply means "young woman" without virginal requirement **Apologetic Response:** The debate cannot be settled by lexicography alone. The Christian case rests on: 1. The cumulative evidence that almah in practice described virginal young women 2. The LXX interpretation by pre-Christian Jewish translators 3. The "sign" requiring something extraordinary 4. The broader pattern of messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus 5. The apostolic interpretation as authoritative Scripture
Modern scholarship has extensively debated almah: 1. **Lexical Evidence**: The word itself does not technically mean "virgin"—Hebrew has a specific word for virgin (betulah). However, all OT uses of almah appear to describe unmarried young women who would presumptively be virgins. 2. **Ugaritic Parallels**: The Ugaritic cognate is used of the goddess Anat in contexts suggesting both youthfulness and virginity. 3. **LXX Translation**: The consistent LXX rendering as parthenos suggests the translators understood almah in a virginal sense, or deliberately heightened the meaning for the Isaiah passage. 4. **Context**: In Isaiah 7, the sign involves something remarkable about the conception/birth. If almah meant merely "young woman," the "sign" value would be diminished. HALOT and other modern lexicons define almah as "young woman" without the specific connotation of "virgin," while acknowledging the presumptive virginity in the cultural context.
| Language | Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ugaritic | ǵlmt | ǵlmt | young woman, girl |
| Aramaic | עוּלֵימָא | ʿûlêmāʾ | youth, young woman |
עלם
ʿlm
to be hidden, concealed; to be mature