Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Schmuel <schmuel AT escape.com>]

Hi b-hebrew

>Chemorion,
>.... your views concerning ha-alma and xarah in Isaiah 7:14. MT says 
>ha-almah ( a young woman), with a footnote indicating that the LXX  says 
>pathenos (virgin).But Isaiah uses the perfect verb xarah, which shows that 
>the young woman is already pregnant (no longer a virgin). ..

Harold
>HH: The woman does not have to be already pregnant. The adjective "pregnant" 
>(HRH) is part of a verbless clause. That clause is parallel with another 
>clause with a verb, which is imperfect and probably means "will give birth" 
>(WYLDT). Therefore, many translate that the young woman/virgin "will become 
>pregnant and will give birth." One supplies a verb for the verbless clause 
>that matches the verb of the verbal clause.

Schmuel
Thank you Harold.
Please note also that the same verb form is used in Judges in the angelic 
announcement, to Manoah's wife, of the forthcoming birth of Samson.

Judges 13:5 
For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his 
head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall 
begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 

Judges 13:7
But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now 
drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child 
shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. 

In this case the understanding of the pregnancy being future is virtually 
universally accepted,
even in the Jewish English translations of Tanach

JPS - 1985 - "Your are going to conceive and bear a son"
JPS - 1917 - "thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
Art/Scroll     "Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son." 
Soncino     - "For, behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son"

Shalom,
Steven Avery
Queens, NY


Schmuel AT escape.com
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