Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

I came across this in my daily reading:

In Esther 2:17, 19, the Hebrew word betulah seems to refer to married women:

In 2:2 and 2:3 the king's advisors advise to gather naaroth bethuloth  
נְעָרֹות בְּתוּלֹות for the king. The word naaroth leaves no doubt that the 
women are unmarried.

In 2:4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 before the consumation of the marriage, the young 
women are just called naaroth נְעָרֹות by the Bible narrative.

In 2:14-16 their marriages to the king are consumated

In 2:17, & 19 they are called בְּתוּלֹות but never again נְעָרֹות by the 
Bible narrative.

The Septuagint translates bethuloth in 2:14 as parthenos. 2:19 does not exist 
in the Septuagint.

These go along with Joel 1:8 & Deut 22:19.

-Steve Miller
Detroit