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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Definite Article 7:14 - HNH
  • Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2007 11:27:48 -0500

Dear Joe,

"14. Therefore, the Lord, of His own, shall give you a sign; behold, the young woman is with child, and she shall bear a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel."
" הָרָה " = "is pregnant" This is the perfect tense.


HH: It is not the perfect tense.
הָרָה HRH is not even a verb but an adjective. The verb has to be supplied and could be either present or future (or past).


You can once again do "Does not necessarily", "it could" as even The Rashi
takes it here as imperfect (I think because of the prophecy connection) but for your benefit and Karl's
if we go by examples in the Hebrew Bible, this construction is usually the perfect. So now, regarding the offending word in 7:14, we have the nearby Textual Markers of:
HNH = Here is
HRH = Is pregnant


HH: Here is another issue with your thought process. If you put these together, you would have:

"Here is the virgin is pregnant." That makes no sense. So you better stick with "Behold" for your theory.

All completely consistent with a young woman who is not only known to Isaiah and Ahaz but physically present.


HH: Yes, it is possible.


The HRH could even be physically noticeable (this would fit the larger context of a "forced" prophecy.


HH: Yes, this is possible.


You would agree that it's forced on Ahaz. That may not be the limit of it's forcefulness). Consider that the two nearest Textual Markers support a physical presence Harold, your indefinite translation is looking merely like a possible one at this point.


HH: Yes, of course, I explained what I thought was probable. I did not claim certainty.


One that could not possibly be likely, even in your opinion, as to this point you always have to use minority meanings. You need a miracle in the larger context to Save your meaning.


HH: No, I don't need a miracle. I do need a prophecy of the future in the larger context to save my meaning. But that is exactly what we have.
"HNH does not have to imply anything about physical presence. In the verse HNH is drawing attention to what a/the virgin will do, not to the presence of the virgin."
HRH is a very physical sign and a very common one in the Hebrew Bible as evidence of
God's mysterious power and presence in human affairs (so to speak).


HH: What I said is true, and what you said is true. But there are so many cases where HRH does not refer to something physically present that your point carries no argumentative weight for Isa 7:14, at least for me.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard






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