Day 2476 – Theology Thursday – Immanuel’s Mother: Virgin or Now? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible

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Welcome to Day 2476 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Immanuel's Mother: Virgin or Not? – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible.

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2476 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2476 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the twenty-fifth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. Today, our lesson is: Immanuel’s Mother: Virgin or Not? Immanuel’s Mother: Virgin or Not? The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is among the most well-known passages in the book of Isaiah. It’s also one of the most controversial, for many reasons. All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin^[a] (almah) will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). It’s difficult to get through the Christmas or Easter season without seeing one of the major news periodicals or educational television networks cast doubt about the meaning of almah in Isaiah 7:14. A favorite argument is that the Hebrew word almah cannot mean “virgin” but instead refers to a young woman of marriageable age—without respect to prior sexual activity. The more precise word for “virgin” is betulah, a word not used in Isaiah 7:14. The New Testament author Matthew, we are so often told, mistakenly assumed the term meant “virgin.” His ignorance led to the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus. But are these assertions correct? Betulah indeed refers to someone who has been sexually inactive (Lev 21:3; Judg 21:12: Deut 22:23, 28; Exod 22:15), but does that mean almah never means virgin? Outside of Isaiah 7:14, the word almah occurs only six times in the Old Testament. In all but one of those occurrences, the context provides no clue as to the sexual status of the young woman or women (Gen 24:43; Exod 2:8; Psa 68:25; Song 1:3; 6:8; Prov 30:19). Virginity is suggested, however, in Song of Solomon 6:8, where almah occurs in the plural (alamot): “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins (alamot) without number.” The distinction between queens, concubines, and alamot is important. A queen was a royal wife, which obviously entails a sexual relationship with the king. A concubine was a sexual partner who held certain privileges, but not to the level of a wife. This would suggest that the third group, the alamot, had no sexual relationship with the king. An almah in this text is a candidate to become a concubine or a wife. This is precisely what we see in the Book of Esther. In Esther 2:3 and 2:8, we read that Esther was held in waiting for 12 months with “young virgins” (naarah betulah) under the supervision of Hegai while the king sought a new queen. The use of na’ar and betulah indicates that a “young woman” (naar) could certainly be a “virgin” (betulah). Esther was eventually taken from the “young virgins” under Hegai to the king for an evening liaison. Afterward, she was assigned to a “second harem” supervised by Shaashgaz, who “was in charge of the concubines” (Esth 2:14) —indicating that Esther was no longer a virgin, but now a concubine. That Esther and the king had a sexual relationship during the night is clear from Esther 2:14: “She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name. To “go in” to a man or woman is a common Old Testament euphemism for sexual intercourse (e.g., Gen 16:2; 29:21; 38:8; Peut 21:13; 25:5; Judgl5:l). The Esther story describes the king’s harem as divided into three groups: queen, concubines, and young virgins. The last of those groups is described as naarah betulah, “young virgins.” In parallel, Song of Songs 6:8 has the same threefold division, but uses almah (plural: alamot) to describe the third group. This indicates that naarah betulah and alamot are likely both descriptions of “virgins.” Nonetheless, since Esther is never called an almah, could almah still be excluded from the Old Testament vocabulary for “virgin”? For the assertion that “almah cannot mean virgin” to be correct, naar and betulah must never overlap with almah. But they do. In Genesis 24, Rebekah is referred to with all three terms (naar in 24:14, betulah in 24:16, and almah in 24:43), indicating that the terms could certainly be construed as synonymous. But do we even need the word study? In ancient patriarchal culture, a “woman of marriageable age,” like Mary, was a female who had at least reached puberty, and so was capable of bearing children. Daughters in such a culture were under close supervision and restraint. Even in today’s sex-saturated culture, a significant number of girls in their teen years are virgins —how much more those in a patriarchal culture? Matthew was raised in this culture—and with the book of Esther—so it should not surprise us that he saw no contradiction in understanding almah to mean “virgin.” The lessons that make up Theology Thursday on the Wisdom-Trek Podcast for the next couple of years will satisfy the statement, “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.” I trust you’ll enjoy them—and, of course, not be bored. Reflect… If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this Trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!