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DoestheHebrewWordAlmaReallyMeanVirgin?
byToviaSinger

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2.DoestheHebrewWordAlmaReallyMeanVirgin?

Question:
DearRabbiSinger,

IhavelistenedtoyourtapesandIhavealsoreadanumberofyourarticlesonyourwebsiteregardingChristsvirginbirth,andyoumakesomeverygoodpoints.

Ihavediscussedthisissuewithmypastor,andalthoughhedidremarkthathefindsyourargumentsinteresting,hebroughtupagoodargument(Ithink).Heaskedthatifthe
Hebrewwordalmaonlymeantyoungwomanandnotvirgin,whyisitthatineveryplacethewordalmaappearsintheBibleitisalwaysreferringtoavirgin?Ithinkhehasmade
agoodpointandwillrelateyouranswertohim.

Ithankyouinadvance.

Answer:
YourpastorscontentionthateveryplacethewordalmaappearsintheBibleitisalwaysreferringtoavirginisincorrectandmisleading.ThisisnotthefirsttimethatIhavecome
acrossaChristianleaderwhohasmadethiserroneousassertionandeachandeverytimeIencounterthiswildcontention,Iampuzzledastowhytheseapologistsdonotdotheir
researchbeforemakingthisclaim.Thisisespeciallythecaseinourmodernagewherecomputertechnologyhasmadeitpossibletoquicklyandeasilyperformexhaustiveword
studies.Iwillbrieflyexplainyourquestionformyreaderswhoareunfamiliarwiththissubject. MessageUs

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12/21/2016 DoestheHebrewWordAlmaReallyMeanVirgin?| OutreachJudaism
FornearlytwomillenniatheChurchhasinsistedthattheHebrewwordalmah can only mean virgin. This is a vital position for defenders of Christianity to take because
Matthew1:2223translatesalmainIsaiah7:14asvirgin.ThefirstGospelquotesthiswellknownversetoprovidetheonlyOldTestamentprooftextforthesupposedvirginbirth
ofJesus.ThestakesarehighforChristendom.IftheHebrewwordalmadoesnotmeanavirgin,MatthewcrudelymisquotedtheprophetIsaiah,andbothakeytenetofChristianity
andthecredibilityofthefirstGospelcollapses.

HowaccurateisthisChristianclaim?TheonlyplacetoexplorethisassertionisintheJewishScriptures.IftheHebrewwordalmameansvirgin,theneachusageintheBiblemustbe
eitheraclearreferencetoavirginorattheveryleastappearambiguous.ThewordalmaappearsintheJewishScripturesseventimesinthefeminineandtwiceinthemasculine.If
evenonereferencereferstoawomanwhoisclearlynotavirgin,thenMatthewsrenditionofIsaiah7:14becomesuntenable.

OneoftheplaceswheretheuncommonHebrewwordalmahappearsintheBibleisintheBookofProverbs.

Thewordproverbmeanstobelike,thusProverbsisabookofcomparisonsbetweencommon,concreteimagesandlifesmostprofoundtruths.Proverbsaresimple,moral
statements(orillustrations)thathighlightandteachfundamentalrealitiesaboutlife.Inthefollowingpassage,KingSolomonpresentsthefollowingvividanalogy:

Therearethreethingswhicharetoowonderfulforme,forwhichIdonotunderstand:19thewayofaneagleinthesky,thewayofaserpentonarock,thewayofaship
inthemiddleofthesea,andthewayofamanwithayoungwoman[balmah][/balmah].20Thisisthewayofanadulterouswoman:sheeatsandwipeshermouth,and
says,Ihavedonenowrong.

(Proverbs30:1820)

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2.

Intheabovethreeverses,KingSolomoncomparesamanwithanalmatothreeotherthings:aneagleinthesky,aserpentonarock,andashipinthesea.

Whatdothesefourthingsallhaveincommon?

Theyleavenotrace.

Aftertheeaglehasflownacrossthesky,itisimpossibletodeterminewhetheraneaglehadeverflownthroughthatairspace.Onceasnakehasslitheredoverarock,thereisnoway
todiscernthatthesnakehadevercrossedthere(asopposedtoasnakeslitheringoversandorgrass,whereitleavesatrail).Afterashippassesthroughthesea,thewakebehindit
comestogetherandsettlesbehindit,leavingnowaytodiscernthatashiphadevermovedthroughthisbodyofwater.

Similarly,KingSolomondeclaresthatonceamanhasbeensexuallyintimatewithanalmah,i.e.ayoungwoman,notraceofsexualintercourseisvisible,unlikeavirginwhowillleave
behindadischargeofbloodafterherhymenisbroken. MessageUs

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12/21/2016 DoestheHebrewWordAlmaReallyMeanVirgin?| OutreachJudaism
Therefore,inthefollowingverse(Proverbs30:20)KingSolomonexplainsthatoncethisadulterouswomaneats(ametaphorforherfornication),sheremovesthetraceofher
sexualinfidelity,wipeshermouth,andsays,Ihavedonenowrong.Thewordalmaclearlydoesnotmeanavirgin.

InthesamewaythatintheEnglishlanguagethewordsyoungwomandoesnotindicatesexualpurity,intheHebrewlanguagethereisnorelationshipbetweenthewordsalmahand
virgin.Onthecontrary,itisusuallyayoungwomanwhobearschildren.Thewordalmaonlyconveysage/gender.HadIsaiahwishedtospeakaboutavirgin,hewouldhaveusedthe
wordbetulah1() notalmah.ThewordbetulahappearsfrequentlyintheJewishScriptures,andistheonlywordinbothbiblicalandmodernHebrewthatconveyssexual
purity.

Moreover,asmentionedearlier,themasculineformofthenoun (alma)is (elem),whichmeansayoungman,notamalevirgin.ThiswordappearstwiceintheJewish

Scriptures(ISamuel17:56,20:22).Asexpected,withoutexception,allChristianBiblescorrectlytranslate asayoungman,lad,orstripling,nevervirgin.Whydoes
theKingJamesVersionoftheBibletranslatethemasculineHebrewnoun (laelem)astotheyoungmaninISamuel20:22,andyetthefeminineformofthesameHebrew
noun asavirgininIsaiah7:14?TheanswerisChristianBibleshadnoneedtomistranslateISamuel20:22becausethisversewasnotmisquotedintheNewTestament.

Sincerelyyours,

RabbiToviaSinger

1.Infact,althoughIsaiahusedtheHebrewwordalmahonlyonetimeinhisentirecorpus(7:14),theprophetusesthiswordvirgin(betulah)fivetimesthroughoutthebookof
Isaiah(23:423:1237:2247:162:5).

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