Difference between revisions of "Almah"

<p> עלמה , a [[Hebrew]] word signifying properly, <em> a virgin, </em> a young woman, unacquainted with man. In this sense it occurs in the famous passage of &nbsp; Isaiah 7:14 : "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son." The Hebrew has no term that more properly signifies a virgin than <em> almah. </em> St. Jerom, in his commentary on this passage, observes, that the [[Prophet]] declined using the word <em> bethaul </em> which signifies any young woman, or young person, but employed the term <em> almah, </em> which denotes a virgin never seen by man. This is the import of the word <em> almah, </em> which is derived from a root which signifies <em> to conceal. </em> It is very well known, that young women in the east do not appear in public, but are shut up in their houses, and their mothers' apartments, like nuns. The [[Chaldee]] paraphrast and the [[Septuagint]] translate <em> almah </em> "a virgin;" and Akiba, the famous rabbin, who was a great enemy to Christ and Christians, and lived in the second century, understands it in the same manner. The [[Apostles]] and Evangelists, and the [[Jews]] of our Saviour's time, explained it in the same sense, and expected a [[Messiah]] born of a virgin. </p> <p> The Jews, that they may obscure this plain text, and weaken this proof of the truth of the [[Christian]] religion, pretend that the Hebrew word signifies a young woman, and not a virgin. But this corrupt translation is easily confuted. </p> <p> <strong> 1. </strong> Because this word constantly denotes a virgin in all other passages of [[Scripture]] in which it is used. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> From the intent of the passage, which was to confirm their faith by a strange and wonderful sign. It surely could be no wonder, that a young woman should conceive a child; but it was a very extraordinary circumstance that a virgin should conceive and bear a son. </p>