Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>]

Where is the evidence that women previously married
are called virgins?
Liz




Betula referes to women who were NOT PREVIOUSLY married

The word virgin is English

Betula is Hebrew

We are talking about HEBREW, not english terms, after all

Read more carefully next time, please

Shoshanna



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shoshanna Walker [mailto:rosewalk AT concentric.net]
> Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 5:40 PM
> To: Liz Fried
> Cc: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
> Subject: RE: BETHULAH - virgin
>
>
> Betula refers to a woman who has not been previously married.
>
> Shoshanna
>
>
>
>
> >Dear George,
> >You say "actually" as if you have data for this.
> >What's your data?
> >Liz
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: George Athas [mailto:gathas AT globalfreeway.com.au]
> > > Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 3:50 PM
> > > To: Biblical Hebrew
> > > Subject: BETHULAH - virgin
> > >
> > >
> > > | [...]
> > > | BeTHULAH is almost only used for virgin and no other word, this word
> > > | occurs many times in the Bible and in Isaiah (see 62:5).
> (As to Dan's
> > > | examples: Joel 1:8 is a difficult verse and the idiom could
> refer to a
> > > | woman who had not had sex for a long time. Esther 2:17 refers
> > > to those who
> > > | were virgins (in the first round of the Miss Persia
> contest) see Esther
> > > | 2:3. How does Job 31:1 prove that BeTHULAH cannot mean virgin?)
> > > | [...]
> > >
> > >
> > > Actually, the word BeTHULAH does not denote "virgin" in the
> > > technical sense as someone who
> > > has not had sex. Rather, the word indicates a woman who is
> > > marriageable, regardless of her
> > > previous sexual activity. It is akin to our modern expression
> > > "single woman" -- that is, a
> > > woman who is not currently married. Many women who had been
> > > married but whose husbands had
> > > died without leaving children were considered "virgins" -- that
> > > is, they were eligible for
> > > marriage (again).
> > >
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > >
> > > GEORGE ATHAS
> > > (Sydney, Australia)

> > > :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> > > Tel Dan Inscription Website
> > > http://members.nbci.com/gathas/teldan.htm
> > > :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> > >
> > >
> > >
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