Why the Bible? (Religion)

by David Turell , Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 20:54 (5910 days ago) @ David Turell

If you google "Hebrew word for virgin" you will find Christian apologist websites that try to justify the Greek translations of Isaiah that introduced the 'virgin birth' concept. Also there are Jewish Biblical scholars who point out that The Book of Isaiah uses the Hebrew word for 'maiden' in the prophesy that the Christian world uses as the supposed announcement of the coming of Jesus and the specific word for virgin five other times in other places in his writings. Remember that the entire Book of Isaiah was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and dates to a time around that of Jesus. The Jewish scholars are adament that 'virgin' is a mistranslation of 'maiden', granting that maiden can imply virginity, since there was an explicit word for virgin in the Biblical writings at that time. - I though I should add to this comment the exact way Isaiah is translated in a Jewish Bible in regard to the supposed prophesy about Jesus, granting that there is a messianic tradition in Judaism, not yet fulfilled: Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." - And again, consider that Isaiah uses the specific Hebrew word for virgin in several other parts of his book, but not in this verse.