Friday, January 1, 2021

Jerome on Isaiah 7:14

 

 

Now when it is said, The Lord himself shall give you a sign, this must be something new and amazing. But if, as the Jews think, a young woman or a girl gives birth, and not a virgin, what kind of sign would it be, since this is a term of age, not of integrity? And indeed, let us fight toe to toe with the Jews, and in our tug-of-war let us offer them no occasion for laughter at our ignorance.43 In Hebrew, a virgin is called bethula. This word is not used in the present passage, but instead alma is recorded, which everyone except the Septuagint translated as “young girl.” Moreover, among them alma is an ambiguous word, for it is used both of “young girl” and of one who is “hidden,” that is αποκρυφος. This is why even in the heading of the ninth Psalm, where in Hebrew almanoth is recorded, the other translators rendered it, “for the youth,” which the Septuagint translated, “for the hidden things” [cf. Ps 9:1]. And we read in Genesis, where Rebecca is called alma [cf. Gen 24:16, 43], that Aquila translated it neither as “young girl” nor “girl,” but “hidden.” The Shunammite woman too who had lost her son, when she prostrated herself at Elisha’s feet and Gehazi thrust her away, heard from the prophet, “Dismiss her, for she is in grief, and the Lord has hidden from me” [2 Kgs 4:27]. What is said in Latin as, “has hidden from me,” is written in Hebrew as, eelim memmenni. Therefore alma is said not only of a “girl” or a “virgin,” but has an extension (cum επιτασει) of a “hidden” and “secret” virgin, who has never been exposed to the sight of men, but who has been guarded by her parents with great diligence. In the Punic language too, which is derived from Hebrew sources, alma is said of a virgin proper. And that we might offer an occasion for laughter to the Jews, in our speech too alma means “holy.” The Hebrews use words from nearly all languages; for example, there is that word in the Song of Songs [cf. Song 3:9] from Greek, φοριον, that is, the “litter Solomon made for himself,” which we read thus also in the Hebrew. In the same manner and with the same meanings, the Hebrews also use the words nonsense50 and measure. And the more I struggle to remember, the more I think that I have never read alma used in reference to a married woman, but in reference to one who is a virgin. Consequently, she is not only a virgin, but a virgin of younger age and in the years of her youth. For it can happen that a virgin is old. But this virgin was in the years of her girlhood, or at least a virgin, not a girl, and she was one who was not able to know a man yet, but was already marriageable. Finally, even in Deuteronomy a virgin is understood by the term girl and young girl. It says,

 

If a man finds in the field a girl that is betrothed, and overcoming her by force he sleeps with her, you will kill only the man who lay with her, and you will do nothing to the girl; in the young girl there is no sin [worthy] of death. For just as if someone rises up against his neighbor and takes his life, so does this business come to pass. He found her in the field; the betrothed girl cried out, and no one was found to help her. [Deut 22:25–27]

 

And we read in the Book of Kings that they sought a virgin girl by the name of Abishag and brought her in to the king, who slept and kept him warm; and the girl was exceedingly beautiful and was serving him, and the king did not know her [cf. 1 Kgs 1:1–4].

 

And what follows, And you shall call his name Emmanuel, both the Septuagint and the three others have translated similarly. In Matthew this is written as, “They shall call” [cf. Matt 1:23], which is not found in the Hebrew. Therefore let that child who will be born of a virgin, O house of David, now be called by you Emmanuel, that is, God with us, since by these facts you will prove that you have God present, having been delivered from the two hostile kings [cf. Isa 7:1]. And let him who will later be called Jesus, that is, Savior, in view of the fact that the whole human race will be saved, now be called by you by the designation Emmanuel. The verb carathi, which all have translated “you will call,” can be understood as “she will call,” namely because the virgin herself, who will conceive and give birth, will designate Christ by this name. One should pay very careful attention to the fact that in many testimonies that the evangelists or apostles have adopted from the old books, they did not follow the order of the words but the meaning. This is why even in the present passage, in place of, she will conceive in the womb, Matthew recorded, “She will have in the womb” [Matt 1:23]; and in place of, you will call, “they will call.”

 

The Hebrews think this is prophesied about Hezekiah son of Ahaz, because Samaria was captured when he was ruling. This cannot be completely proven, if indeed Ahaz son of Jotham reigned over Judah and Jerusalem for sixteen years [cf. 2 Kgs 16:1–2]. His son Hezekiah succeeded him in the kingdom at the age of twenty-five years and reigned over Judah and Jerusalem for twenty-nine [cf. 2 Kgs 18:1–2]. How then, granting that this prophecy was made to Ahaz in his first year, is there talk of the conception and birth of Hezekiah, when at that time when Ahaz began to reign, Hezekiah was already nine years old, unless perchance they say that the sixth year of Hezekiah’s rule [cf. 2 Kgs 18:10] when Samaria was captured was called his infancy not in terms of his age but of his rule? It is plain even to fools that this is a forced and violent interpretation.

 

Some of our own contend that Isaiah the prophet had two sons, Jashub and Emmanuel; and Emmanuel was born from his wife, a prophetess [cf. Isa 8:3], as a type of the Lord and Savior, so that the first son Jashub [cf. Isa 7:3], which means “abandoned” or “turning,” signifies the Jewish people, who were abandoned, and afterward will return; but the second, that is Emmanuel and God with us, [signifies] the calling of the Gentiles, after “the Word became flesh and dwelled among us” [John 1:14]. (St. Jerome's Commentary on Isaiah: Including St. Jerome's Translation of Origen's Homilies 1-9 on Isaiah [trans. Thomas P. Scheck; Ancient Christian Writers 68; Mahwah, N.J.: The Newman Press, 2015], 169-71)