IDENTIFICATION OF IMMANUEL IN THE CONTEXT OF ISAIAH 7:14 (4)

Variant of עַלְמָ֗ה (almah) in OT

 

Verse	MT WTT	LXX
Genesis 24:43	הנֵּ֛ה אָנֹכִ֥י נִצָּ֖ב עַל־עֵ֣ין הַמָּ֑יִם וְהָיָ֤ה הָֽעַלְמָה֙ הַיֹּצֵ֣את לִשְׁאֹ֔ב וְאָמַרְתִּ֣י אֵלֶ֔יהָ הַשְׁקִֽינִי־נָ֥א מְעַט־מַ֖יִם מִכַּדֵּֽךְ׃  (Gen 24:43 WTT)	24:43 ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐφέστηκα ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῆς πόλεως ἐξελεύσονται ὑδρεύσασθαι ὕδωρ καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρθένος ᾗ ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω πότισόν με μικρὸν ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς ὑδρίας σου  (Gen 24:43 LXT)
Exodus 2:8	תֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֥הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֖ה לֵ֑כִי וַתֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה וַתִּקְרָ֖א אֶת־אֵ֥ם הַיָּֽלֶד׃  (Exo 2:8 WTT)	ἡ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ἡ θυγάτηρ Φαραω πορεύου ἐλθοῦσα δὲ ἡ νεᾶνις ἐκάλεσεν τὴν μητέρα τοῦ παιδίου  (Exo 2:8 LXT)
1 Chronicles 15:20	וּזְכַרְיָ֙ה וַעֲזִיאֵ֜ל וּשְׁמִֽירָמ֤וֹת וִֽיחִיאֵל֙ וְעֻנִּ֣י וֶֽאֱלִיאָ֔ב וּמַעֲשֵׂיָ֖הוּ וּבְנָיָ֑הוּ בִּנְבָלִ֖ים עַל־עֲלָמֽוֹת׃  (1Ch 15:20 WTT)	Ζαχαριας καὶ Οζιηλ Σεμιραμωθ Ιιηλ Ωνι Ελιαβ Μασαιας Βαναιας ἐν νάβλαις ἐπὶ αλαιμωθ  (1Ch 15:20 LXT)
Psalm 46:1	למְנַצֵּ֥חַ לִבְנֵי־קֹ֑רַח עַֽל־עֲלָמ֥וֹת שִֽׁיר׃  (Psa 46:1 WTT)	εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῶν υἱῶν Κορε ὑπὲρ τῶν κρυφίων ψαλμός  (Psa 45:1 LXT)
Psalm 68:26	קדְּמ֣וּ שָׁ֭רִים אַחַ֣ר נֹגְנִ֑ים בְּת֥וֹךְ עֲ֜לָמ֗וֹת תּוֹפֵפֽוֹת׃  (Psa 68:26 WTT)	προέφθασαν ἄρχοντες ἐχόμενοι ψαλλόντων ἐν μέσῳ νεανίδων τυμπανιστριῶν  (Psa 67:26 LXT)
Proverbs 30:19	דֶּ֤רֶךְ הַנֶּ֙שֶׁר׀ בַּשָּׁמַיִם֘ דֶּ֥רֶךְ נָחָ֗שׁ עֲלֵ֫י צ֥וּר דֶּֽרֶךְ־אֳנִיָּ֥ה בְלֶב־יָ֑ם וְדֶ֖רֶךְ גֶּ֣בֶר  בְּעַלְמָֽה׃  (Pro 30:19 WTT)	ἴχνη ἀετοῦ πετομένου καὶ ὁδοὺς ὄφεως ἐπὶ πέτρας καὶ τρίβους νηὸς ποντοπορούσης καὶ ὁδοὺς ἀνδρὸς ἐν νεότητι  (Pro 30:19 LXT)
Solomon 1:3	לרֵ֙יחַ֙ שְׁמָנֶ֣יךָ טוֹבִ֔ים שֶׁ֖מֶן תּוּרַ֣ק שְׁמֶ֑ךָ עַל־כֵּ֖ן עֲלָמ֥וֹת אֲהֵבֽוּךָ׃  (Sol 1:3 WTT)	καὶ ὀσμὴ μύρων σου ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματα μύρον ἐκκενωθὲν ὄνομά σου διὰ τοῦτο νεάνιδες ἠγάπησάν σε  (Sol 1:3 LXT)
Solomon 6:8	שׁשִּׁ֥ים הֵ֙מָּה֙ מְּלָכ֔וֹת וּשְׁמֹנִ֖ים פִּֽילַגְשִׁ֑ים וַעֲלָמ֖וֹת אֵ֥ין מִסְפָּֽר׃  (Sol 6:8 WTT)	ἑξήκοντά εἰσιν βασίλισσαι καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα παλλακαί καὶ νεάνιδες ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός  (Sol 6:8 LXT)
Isaiah 7:14	לָ֠כֵן יִתֵּ֙ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם א֑וֹת הִנֵּ֣ה הָעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמ֖וֹ  עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל׃  (Isa 7:14 WTT)	διὰ τοῦτο δώσει κύριος αὐτὸς ὑμῖν σημεῖον ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Εμμανουηλ  (Isa 7:14 LXT)

So the question is, who is the עַלְמָ֗ה in this text? One can the basic meaning of עַלְמָ֗ה was young woman, damsel or maiden, who may or may not have been a virgin. From this, some has  identified the woman as Isaiah’s wife[1]. However for this case, one can not identified her by the definition alone. One must consider the surrounding immediate text.  

3.      The study of word  הָרָה֙ (harah),

The closer word to עַלְמָ֗ה was  הָרָה֙ (harah), in phrase  and the meaning of this word has been debated also for along time. The debate is focused on, is the word הָרָה֙ should be understood as an adjective which describe עַלְמָ֗ה at present time or as a verb that describes what the עַלְמָ֗ה will do in the future. The word הָרָה֙ appears in the Old Testament on 16 occasions – once as a verb in a metaphoric form that speaks of conceiving an idea, and 11 times as an adjective that describes a pregnant woman.  According to the Hebrew grammar, if the term הָרָה֙ (harah), were a verb, then it would have to be the 3rd-person, singular, masculine, past tense conjugation of the root verb הרה. Consequently, when the term הָרָה֙ (harah), is used in onnection with a female, then that female is the noun in the sentence, the term הָרָה֙ (harah), is the adjective that describes the noun.

The contextual usage of harah makes it difficult to interpret this phrase in the

future tense. The future would only be valid if the participle were used with hineh.

However, the ordinary participial form would be horah. The form harah is neither a verb

nor a participle, but a feminine adjective connected with an active participle ("bearing")

and denotes that the scene is present to the prophet's view. This usage is similar then to

the annunciation of the Angel of the Lord to Hagar in the wilderness: "Behold! thou art

pregnant and wilt bear a son.” (Gen. 16:12).

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[1]R. E. Clements, Isaiah 1–39, New Century Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), pp. 86–88.