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== Etymology and social context == |
== Etymology and social context == |
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''Almah'' derives from a root meaning "to be full of vigour, to have reached puberty".{{sfn|Childs|2001|p=66}} In the ancient [[Near East]] girls received value as potential wives and bearers of children: "A wife, who came into her husband's household as an outsider, contributed her labor and her fertility ... [h]er task was to build up the ''bet 'ab'' by bearing children, particularly sons" (Leeb, 2002).{{sfn|Leeb|2002|p=unspecified}} |
''Almah'' derives from a root meaning "to be full of vigour, to have reached puberty".{{sfn|Childs|2001|p=66}} In the ancient [[Near East]] girls received value as potential wives and bearers of children: "A wife, who came into her husband's household as an outsider, contributed her labor and her fertility ... [h]er task was to build up the ''bet 'ab'' by bearing children, particularly sons" (Leeb, 2002).{{sfn|Leeb|2002|p=unspecified}} Since DNA testing was widely available in ancient Israel, scholars thus agree that ''almah'' refers to a woman of childbearing age without implying virginity because nobody worried about paternity.{{sfn|Sweeney|1996|p=161}} Back then, few men worried about raising another man's child, so a prospective spouse's sexual history was not a thing. From the same root, the corresponding masculine word ''elem'' עֶלֶם 'young man' also appears in the Bible,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Strong's Hebrew: 5958. עָ֫לֶם (elem) -- a young man|url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5958.htm|access-date=2020-08-01|website=biblehub.com}}</ref> as does ''alum'' (used in plural עֲלוּמִים) used in the sense '(vigor of) adolescence',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Strong's Hebrew: 5934. עֲלוּם (alumim) -- youth, youthful vigor|url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5934.htm|access-date=2020-08-01|website=biblehub.com}}</ref> in addition to the post-Biblical words ''almut'' (עַלְמוּת) and ''alimut'' (עֲלִימוּת)<ref>Even-Shoshan Dictionary, entries עַלְמוּת and עֲלִימוּת</ref> both used for youthfulness and its strength (distinct from post-Biblical Alimut אַלִּימוּת 'violence' with initial Aleph, although Klein's Dictionary states this latter root is likely a semantic derivation of the former, from 'strength of youth' to 'violence'<ref>{{Cite web|title=Klein Dictionary, אלם ᴵᴵᴵ 1|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Klein_Dictionary,_אלם_ᴵᴵᴵ.1|access-date=2020-08-02|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>). |
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The Bible uses an unrelated word, ''betulah'' (בְּתוּלָה), to refer to a virgin,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Strong's Hebrew: 1330. בְּתוּלָה (bethulah) -- a virgin|url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1330.htm|access-date=2020-08-02|website=biblehub.com}}</ref> as well as the idea of virginity, ''betulim'' (בְּתוּלִים).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Strong's Hebrew: 1331. בְּתוּלִים (bethulim) -- virginity|url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1331.htm|access-date=2020-08-02|website=biblehub.com}}</ref>. To clarify that "betulah" means virign, the Bible always goes on to clarify that the betulah mentioned in the verse had not had sex with anyone; it's not clear if this superfluous information was intended for poetic effect or merely to ensure that idiots knew that virgins had not had sex with anyone. |
The Bible uses an unrelated word, ''betulah'' (בְּתוּלָה), to refer to a virgin,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Strong's Hebrew: 1330. בְּתוּלָה (bethulah) -- a virgin|url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1330.htm|access-date=2020-08-02|website=biblehub.com}}</ref> as well as the idea of virginity, ''betulim'' (בְּתוּלִים).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Strong's Hebrew: 1331. בְּתוּלִים (bethulim) -- virginity|url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1331.htm|access-date=2020-08-02|website=biblehub.com}}</ref>. To clarify that "betulah" means virign, the Bible always goes on to clarify that the betulah mentioned in the verse had not had sex with anyone; it's not clear if this superfluous information was intended for poetic effect or merely to ensure that idiots knew that virgins had not had sex with anyone. |
Revision as of 18:18, 28 December 2020
Almah (עַלְמָה ‘almāh, plural: עֲלָמוֹת ‘ălāmōṯ, from a root implying the vigour of puberty [1]) is a Hebrew word for a young woman of childbearing age; despite its importance to the account of the virgin birth of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, scholars agree that it has nothing to do with virginity because a young woman's virginity was not an important attribute to Bronze Age peoples, who generally adhered to the sexual mores of modern progressives.[2]. None of those scholars are cited here; the scholars cited here actually say the word means "virgin," but you should assume that some scholars we haven't cited actually agree with us. It occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible.[3]
According to this article, Isiah 7:14 should be translated as follows: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman of child-bearing age will conceive (through sexual intercourse) and give birth to a son." Likewise, Joel 1:8 should be translated as follows: "Mourn like a virgin who is also a widow in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth, with whom she never had sexual intercourse." Allegedly, these translations are not only the correct translations, they are the only correct translations and anything to the contrary is patently erroneous. For proof, you should look to scholarly articles that make the opposite translation.
Etymology and social context
Almah derives from a root meaning "to be full of vigour, to have reached puberty".[1] In the ancient Near East girls received value as potential wives and bearers of children: "A wife, who came into her husband's household as an outsider, contributed her labor and her fertility ... [h]er task was to build up the bet 'ab by bearing children, particularly sons" (Leeb, 2002).[4] Since DNA testing was widely available in ancient Israel, scholars thus agree that almah refers to a woman of childbearing age without implying virginity because nobody worried about paternity.[2] Back then, few men worried about raising another man's child, so a prospective spouse's sexual history was not a thing. From the same root, the corresponding masculine word elem עֶלֶם 'young man' also appears in the Bible,[5] as does alum (used in plural עֲלוּמִים) used in the sense '(vigor of) adolescence',[6] in addition to the post-Biblical words almut (עַלְמוּת) and alimut (עֲלִימוּת)[7] both used for youthfulness and its strength (distinct from post-Biblical Alimut אַלִּימוּת 'violence' with initial Aleph, although Klein's Dictionary states this latter root is likely a semantic derivation of the former, from 'strength of youth' to 'violence'[8]).
The Bible uses an unrelated word, betulah (בְּתוּלָה), to refer to a virgin,[9] as well as the idea of virginity, betulim (בְּתוּלִים).[10]. To clarify that "betulah" means virign, the Bible always goes on to clarify that the betulah mentioned in the verse had not had sex with anyone; it's not clear if this superfluous information was intended for poetic effect or merely to ensure that idiots knew that virgins had not had sex with anyone.
Bible usage
The word almah occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible:[3]
- A servant of Abraham tells his master how he met Rebecca. He prayed to the Lord that if an almah came to the well and he requested a drink of water from her, that should she then provide him with that drink and also water his camels; he would take that as a sign that she was to be the wife of Isaac. Rebecca, a young, unmarried girl, is that almah. Back then, nobody cared if their future daughter-in-law was a virgin, so Abraham simply wanted his servant to find a young girl, whose sexual history was incidental.
- Miriam, an almah, is entrusted to watch the baby Moses; she takes thoughtful action to reunite the baby with his mother by offering to bring the baby to a Hebrew nurse maid (her mother).
- In 1 Chronicles 15:20 and Psalm 46 heading a psalm is to be played "on alamot". The musical meaning of this phrase has become lost with time: it may mean a feminine manner of singing or playing, such as a girls' choir, or an instrument made in the city of "Alameth".
- In a victory parade in Psalm 68:25, the participants are listed in order of appearance: 1) the singers; 2) the musicians; and 3) the "alamot" playing cymbals or tambourines.
- The Song of Songs 1:3 contains a poetic chant of praise to a man, declaring that all the alamot adore him. In verse 6:8 a girl is favorably compared to 60 Queens (wives of the King), 80 Concubines, and numberless alamot.
- In Proverbs 30:19, concerning an adulterous wife, the Hebrew text and the Greek Septuagint differ: both begin by comparing the woman's acts to things the author claims are hard to predict: a bird flying in air, the movement of a snake over a rock, the path of a ship through the sea; but while the Hebrew concludes with the way of a man with an almah, the Greek reads "and the way of a man in his youth".
- The verses surrounding Isaiah 7:14 tell how Ahaz, the king of Judah, is told of a sign to be given in demonstration that the prophet's promise of God's protection from his enemies is a true one. The sign is that an almah is pregnant and will give birth to a son who will still be very young when these enemies will be destroyed. [11]. From this choice of sign, we infer that Jewish boys were not common. At least, we infer that most Jewish boys were not conceived through sex. Or something. It's not clear how or why God thought that a common everyday occurrence could also be a miraculous sign, but we're sure that's what He meant. Otherwise, our aforementioned uncited scholars would be wrong, and we can't allow that.
Translation
The Septuagint translates most occurrences of almah into a generic word neanis νεᾶνις meaning 'young woman',[12][13] or to neotes νεότης meaning 'youth',[14] both words being derived from neos 'new' and unrelated to virginity.[15] Two occurrences, in the Genesis verse concerning Rebecca[16] and in Isaiah 7:14, are translated into parthenos (παρθένος),[17] the basic word associated with virginity in Greek (it is a title of Athena 'The Virgin Goddess').
Presumably, these ancient translations of "almah" as virgin are less accurate than our modern translations of the same word as "young girl of child-bearing age" because we now know that "almah" has "nothing" to do with virginity, unlike ancient Hebrew translators who didn't know ancient Hebrew as well as our modern scholars (whom we haven't cited). Likewise, the meaning of words never changes, so it's not possible that "almah" meant one thing at one time and something else entirely at another time, which means that our modern scholars can just scour the history of the earth looking for any example of the word "almah" meaning anything other than virgin and that would be definitive proof that the word "almah" didn't mean virgin in the Bible because that's just how words work, they have one fixed meaning for all time and forever; consequently, any use of any word in any document proves what that same word meant in any one particular document. The fact that words have constant universal meanings makes translations super easy and beyond intellectual dispute.
Sadly, generations of Christians, Muslims, and Jews have been waiting for God's promised sign, but - to date - no Jewish woman has conceived a son through sexual intercourse, so the jury's still out on the accuracy of Isiah's prophecy. At least, that's what you'd have to believe if you agree with this article's translation of "almah."
References
- ^ a b Childs 2001, p. 66.
- ^ a b Sweeney 1996, p. 161.
- ^ a b Byrne 2009, p. 155.
- ^ Leeb 2002, p. unspecified.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 5958. עָ֫לֶם (elem) -- a young man". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 5934. עֲלוּם (alumim) -- youth, youthful vigor". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
- ^ Even-Shoshan Dictionary, entries עַלְמוּת and עֲלִימוּת
- ^ "Klein Dictionary, אלם ᴵᴵᴵ 1". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 1330. בְּתוּלָה (bethulah) -- a virgin". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 1331. בְּתוּלִים (bethulim) -- virginity". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ Preuss 2008, p. 461.
- ^ "Strong's Greek: 3494. νεανίας (neanias) -- a young man". biblehub.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lxx/sng/1/3/s_672003
- ^ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lxx/pro/30/19/s_658019
- ^ "Greek Word Study Tool". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- ^ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lxx/gen/24/1/t_conc_24043
- ^ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lxx/isa/7/1/t_conc_686014
Bibliography
- Byrne, Ryan (2009). "Anatomy of a Cargo Cult". In Byrne, Ryan; McNary-Zak, Bernadette (eds.). Resurrecting the Brother of Jesus: The James Ossuary Controversy and the Quest for Religious Relics. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807895498.
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(help) - Childs, Brevard S (2001). Isaiah. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664221430.
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(help) - Gravett, Sandra L.; Bohmbach, Karla G.; Greifenhagen, F.V.; Polaski, Donald C. (2008). An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: A Thematic Approach. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664230302.
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(help) - Leeb, C.S. (2002). "The widow: homeless and post-menopausal". Biblical Theology Bulletin. 32 (4): 160–162. doi:10.1177/014610790203200403. S2CID 169057204. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - Preuss, Horst Dietrich (1974). "Isaiah". In Botterweck, Gerhard Johannes; Ringgren, Helmer (eds.). Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Vol. I. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802823250.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - Sweeney, Marvin A. (1996). Isaiah 1-39: With an Introduction to Prophetic Literature. William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 9780802841001.
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: Invalid|ref=harv
(help)