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. 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 nonsense 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].(Jerome, 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; New York:
The Newman Press, 2015], 169-70)
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. (Ibid., 170-71)
Further Reading:
John Gee, “How
Not To Read Isaiah,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith
and Scholarship 37 (2020): 29-40
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