Virgin (7:14)
‘Almah (Heb:
A noun used nine times in the OT for a “young woman” or “maiden” who has
reached the age for marriage and motherhood. Girls at this stage of life experienced
their first awakening of romantic attraction (Prov. 30:19; Song 1:3). Strictly
speaking, ‘almah is not the technical term in Hebrew for a virgin (betulah)
who has never had sexual relations with a man. However, “virgin” is defensible
as an interpretive translation, since virginity was always expected of
unmarried girls in Israel. Given that cultural assumptions often attach to
words, the Hebrew nouns “young woman” (‘almah) and “virgin” (betulah)
may be said to overlap in meaning. The Book of Genesis can thus describe Isaac’s
prospective bride, Rebekah, as a “virgin” (Gen 24:16) and as a “young woman”
(24:43) without any apparent distinction. Virginity is explicit in the first
term but still implicit in the second. (The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible,
ed. Scott Hahn and Curtis J. Mitch [San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2024], 1180)
To Support this Blog:
Email for Amazon Gift card: ScripturalMormonism@gmail.com
Email for Logos.com Gift Card: IrishLDS87@gmail.com
