The Mother of the Infant King, Isaiah 7:14
alma and parthenos in the World of the Bible: a Linguistic Perspective
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2020
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Publisher's Description
Jerusalem, around 735 BC. Two armies threaten the Holy City to overthrow the dynasty of David. Ahaz, king of Judah, is consumed by fear and worry. Then the prophet Isaiah delivers his message: the 'alma is pregnant, she bears a son, and gives him the name Emmanuel. What is the meaning of the word 'alma? Without doubt more has been written on the interpretation of this term than on any other verse in the Old Testament. Is it a question of a virgin, as claimed by the fathers of the church, or of a young woman, as asserted by the majority of modern scholars?
Endorsements (2)
“Since the RSV translation (1952) there has been growing consensus that the term ‘almâ in Isaiah 7:14 should be translated ‘young woman’ instead of ‘virgin.’ Now the linguist Christophe Rico has presented an incisive analysis of this term from a modern linguistic perspective. The Septuagint scholar Peter Gentry has added further linguistic insights, all pointing to the result that the consensus view should be reversed and that ‘virgin’ is the correct translation! Groundbreaking!”
“In the case of the Hebrew ‘almâ, what more can be said? Its usage in Isaiah 7:14 represents perhaps the single most discussed word in the history of biblical interpretation. While modern lexicography treats the meaning as settled, Rico and Gentry reopen this semantic cold case. The Mother of the Infant King, Isaiah 7:14 leads the reader on a linguistically-informed and philologically-cogent search for answers to the meaning of ‘almâ. This expansive study refreshes the state of the question, outlining the issues involved in this ancient quandary and framing a way forward through the complicated morass.”
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