PARQENOS and Is 7:14

RHutchin at aol.com RHutchin at aol.com
Fri Apr 13 08:02:39 EDT 2001



Roger wrote--
My personal exegetical opinion is that an almah is a young girl that one might want to pursue for marriage and the related term, bethulah, is used when one wants to make the point that  a young girl is not a harlot.  

Dave Washburn replied--
 Um, in that culture, wouldn't a "young girl that one might want to pursue for marriage" be assumed to be a virgin?

Response--
I agree.  There is the assumption of virginity.  However, does the term convey  the certainty of virginity?  On this point, the articles I have read all seem to waffle.  Almah may imply virginity but it does not guarantee it.

So, let's charge Mr. Washburn with the task of translating Is 7:14 into Greek. Further,  let's require that he do so in a way that conveys the idea that the virginity of the almah is a certainty and not just to be assumed.  How would he translate Is 7:14?  Would he consider the text in Matthew sufficient to accomplish this purpose or would he think that a different translation is required ?

Roger Hutchinson
RHutchin at AOL.com

 



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