Almah
Hebrew word / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Almah (עַלְמָה ‘almā, plural: עֲלָמוֹת ‘ălāmōṯ), from a root implying the vigour of puberty, is a Hebrew word meaning a young woman ripe for marriage.[1] Despite its importance to the account of the virgin birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, Marvin Alan Sweeney states that scholars agree that it refers to a woman of childbearing age but that it has nothing to do with whether she is a virgin or not. H.G.M. Williamson states that that precise etymology remains unclear, and that there is widespread agreement that almah may refer to a virgin but not necessarily so. Brevard S. Childs states that, apart from one controversial reference (Proverbs 30:19), all the occasions of almah do actually appear to denote virgins, but while it is very unlikely that a married women would be referred to as an almah yet translating it as virgin focuses too much on virginity versus sexual maturity.[2][3][1] It occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible[4] and in every usage the word is either used for a woman who is indicated to be a virgin or as indeterminate.[5]