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  • From: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] bethulah equals virgin?
  • Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 06:20:59 +0200

Hi Steve,

Bethulah means "virgin". Na'arah neans "young woman" - either unmarried or betrothed but unconsumated. Ahasuerus collected "na'aroth bethuloth" "young virgins", kept them in his harem, but only consumated his "marriage" to them after a year - up to that point, they were still virgins. So that in 2:17, Esther is compaired to the other "women" and "virgins".

2:19 seems to be a problem, since afetr their first night with the king, the women were no longer virgins. Might it mean that he had a second round of collectng virgins; maybe this was why Mordecai was worried - he thought that Esther had failed at her mission!

Joel 1:8 compares Israel to a betrothed virgin whose husband died before consumation.

Deut. 22:19 uses both terms to reffer to her previous status, since that is what the husband is challenging.

Yigal

----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 4:22 AM
Subject: [b-hebrew] bethulah equals virgin?


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
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