...This is an interesting and (to me, at least) novel exegesis, and on this basis I accept that the traditional English translation is just about grammatically acceptable. But does the Hebrew really mean this? And was the translators' intention to convey this meaning, or were they simply being over-literal here?
HH: True, but English allows a somewhat similar idea to the Hebrew use of the article that I learned. The reader can take "the virgin" as generic if he chooses to do so. It is the typical young woman in Israel. She gets pregnant, bears a child, and names him "Immanuel" because of the hope she has in God and his protection of Israel.
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