The Bible Translator: Volume 9, Issue 3

Considering the etymology and semasiology of the word almah its equivalents in other Semitic languages, its use In the OT, the use and meaning of its cognates in the OT, and the use and meaning of related terms in the OT, all the evidence Indicates that the word almah means a young woman of sexual maturity with no reference to sexual experience. Moreover, an exegesis of Is. 7:14 reveals that the sign had to do primarily with the name of the son to be born, not with the manner of his birth. The Christian faith knows only one virgin-born son. Although at first the Greek word parthenos meant generally young woman, without particular reference to lack of sexual experience, in time its meaning became restricted to indicate a virgin in the technical sense. In employing OT quotations, Matthew’s general practice is to set aside the original historical and literary context. Therefore it is proper to translate Is. 7:14 using “young woman,” and Matt. 1:23 using “virgin." View Less

There exist very early manuscript for much of the New Testament and they vary among themselves, showing that the archetype must be older still. It is possible to trace the text of the separate gospels to a time before the formation of the Four Gospel Canon and perhaps that of the Pauline Epistles to a time before the formation of the Epistle Canon. The text preserves the distinctive styles of the various writers and conforms to the conditions and language of the first century A.D. In choosing between variants in manuscripts there is still much to do, but allowing for this task, one may conclude that the New Testament has come down to us substantially sound. View Less

This brief article is an adaptation by Dr. Harold Greenlee from an article by Prof. Pierson Parker of General Theological Seminary, New York City, in the Journal of Biblical Literature, 74 (1955), pp. 257–261. It is a consideration of the translation “Bethany beyond Jordan” in John 1:28. View Less