Imagine a citizenship interview in which the questioner asks, “Do you believe in the virgin birth?” This week, a Jewish-believing friend told me that this was one of thirteen questions asked on their citizenship application. Those are incredibly high stakes for a theological question.
Nearly twenty years ago, I met a former Messianic believer who stopped following Yeshua over a single verse in Matthew: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). He believed this verse represented a twisting of Isaiah 7:14.
Most Christians rarely give this a second thought. For many Jewish people, however, this question carries serious, and even eternal, ramifications. Did Matthew distort the words of Isaiah, who wrote, “Behold, the עלמה (almah) shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”? Read more…
I want to assure you from the outset that Matthew did not mistranslate the Hebrew word almah as “virgin” when writing in Greek. In fact, he quoted Isaiah 7:14 from Greek manuscripts that were already in circulation and accepted within the broader Jewish world of his day. I will demonstrate this shortly. But first, we must examine how the word almah is used in the Hebrew Bible to understand its meaning better. You may notice that translations such as the NKJV and NIV render almah as “virgin,” while the NET Bible and several Jewish translations choose “young woman.”
I won’t try to sugarcoat the issue—there are real complexities surrounding this word. Still, I would like to offer my thoughts, particularly for pastors and teachers who may wrestle with this passage. While many pastors do not question Matthew’s statement itself, they often struggle to explain the meaning of almah in Isaiah 7:14. Most of us were not taught biblical languages in Bible college. Even those who were, often have to rely on lexicons and commentaries that are not without limitations and theological biases.
In this season, as believers around the world celebrate the birth of the Savior, we will unwrap three mysteries surrounding Isaiah’s sign and the meaning of the “virgin.”
I. The Mysterious Meaning of Almah
One of the first things to learn when studying Hebrew is to look at the root of a word, which usually consists of three letters. These three letters can have a prefix or suffix added to indicate who is speaking and whether it’s past, present, or future tense. Hebrew is also a verbal language, meaning the root can express action. Often, a noun is derived from a verbal root and carries some of the verb’s indirect meaning. An example you may know is the verb “to save.” Its root consists of three Hebrew letters, y–sh–a. If I write “he will save,” it would be yoshia. But if I want to use this root as a name, I could write “Yeshua.” You probably already guessed that this is a wordplay from just two verses before the virgin prophecy in Matthew.
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus (Yeshua), for He will save (yoshia) His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 NKJV)
How does this apply to the word “Almah” (ע.ל.מ) in Isaiah 7:14? The three-letter root of almah, describing a young woman, in verbal form, can mean to conceal or hide. Jerome, who lived in the ancient Land of Israel, associated with Jewish believers, and translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin, said this about the word’s verbal root.
“What then is the meaning of almah? A hidden virgin…shut off from the occasional sight of men.”[1] In other words, a young woman who has not been discovered or uncovered, as in the context of marriage.
Even Ibn Ezra, one of the great Jewish exegetes and linguists of the Middle Ages, recognized the connection between the root in Psalm 68:26, which refers to young women or virgins playing the timbrels, and then uses that verb to say they were “hidden from the eye.” While almah literally means a young, unmarried woman, its root conveys the idea of concealment. And though technically it means a young unmarried woman, by implication it is synonymous with a virgin who has not known by a man.
In Defense of the Almah to Mean Hidden
I apologize for the technical nature of this section; feel free to skim if it becomes too dense. However, for some readers, it is necessary to address modern linguistic arguments that challenge the traditional meaning of almah as a “concealed” young woman.[2]
Some have argued against translating almah as “hidden” based on a linguistic theory that the root word originally contained the Semitic letter ghayin in place of the letter ayin, thus the meaning would be, (ġ-l-m), “vigor” or “ripeness. “The Semitic Ugaritic language uses this form, ġlmt, for young men and women. The argument goes that if this is the original root, then ayin, lamed, mem, meaning hidden, is incorrect.
However, ancient etymology, the study of words, traditionally linked almah to the Hebrew ayin root, rather than the letter ghayin, which does not even exist in Hebrew. And even if the theory were correct that the letter ghayin once stood in place of the letter ayin in a proto-Hebrew of the deep past, that does not prove that biblical authors like Moses or even Isaiah more than a thousand years later, maintained such a distinction. By the First Temple period, the ghayin likely merged into the ayin of spoken Hebrew.
And one final note in its defense. Psalm 46:1 speaks of alamot, the feminine plural of an almah. When the Septuagint translators in the 3rd Century BC translated this to Greek, they did so as “concerning hidden things” (kryphiōn).[3] In other words, they understood the word with an ayin in the root for “concealment” rather than as an ancient, defunct ghayin root for “vigor”.
Nine Young Ladies Dancing
The word almah appears nine times in the Hebrew Bible. In most cases, it refers to a young woman, usually unmarried. Some examples include: Rebekah in Genesis 24:43, Miriam in Exodus 2:8, and the virgins of Song of Songs 1:3 and 6:8.
So, is the almah of Isaiah 7:14 a virgin? Matthew clearly believed the prophecy pointed to the Messiah. Some critics claim he took the verse out of context, but his application reflects a Second Temple Jewish approach to prophecy that allowed for typological fulfillment. He did not rule out fulfillment in the days of Isaiah.
Matthew applied this same typological method elsewhere. He quoted Hosea 11:1: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Initially, this was spoken about Israel’s Exodus; Matthew would not deny this, yet he saw a final fulfillment in Yeshua’s return from Egypt (Matthew 2:15).
Someone might say, “Wait,” but that’s not how we are taught to interpret verses today. Is he taking it out of context? Absolutely not! First, Matthew was inspired by the Holy Spirit to interpret the verse. Second, we cannot apply our modern interpretive methods to a Second Temple Jewish writer.
When we examine commentaries from the Dead Sea Scrolls, we see the same interpretive methods at work. It doesn’t seem intellectually honest for modern critics to accuse Matthew of dishonesty while accepting the same exegetical methods from Jewish commentaries, the Talmud, and the Midrashim. Matthew was consistent with others of his day.
II. The Mystery of the Old Greek
According to the Church Father Papias, Matthew originally wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, though he also produced a Greek version. This distinction matters for Isaiah 7:14 because the choice of Greek words shapes how the prophecy was understood. The Greek version is the one that has survived to the present day.
For Isaiah 7:14, Matthew quotes the Old Greek (LXX), which was widely accepted among Jewish communities of his era. If he had mistranslated the text, it would likely have been challenged immediately. So, what word does the LXX use for almah? It uses parthenos, which unambiguously means “virgin” in Greek. While almah can imply virginity through the idea of being concealed, parthenos is clear and specific.
Another Hebrew word, betulah, also clearly means virgin. Most of the time, the LXX translates betulah as parthenos (for example, Genesis 24:16 and Exodus 22:16–17). In Isaiah 7:14, it was the Jewish translators, not Matthew, who chose parthenos to render almah. Matthew was simply quoting the Greek text used by Jewish communities of his day. But to be clear, neither the translators nor Matthew mistranslated the verse. Almah by implication means a virgin!
III. The Mystery of the Sign
There are a couple of mysteries in Yeshua’s genealogy. One of the most notable, yet often overlooked, is the three divisions of 14 generations. In the middle of them appears the name of King David. It is not without coincidence that David’s name numerically is equal to fourteen. But the main thing is that, like David, who suffered with speculation and slander regarding his own mother, Yeshua was slandered with the stigma of an unusual birth.
I once heard the testimony of an orthodox Jewish lady, who still lives within her strict community as a secret follower of Yeshua. When asked what it was that caused her to believe, she said it was the stigma of his birth. Throughout the Jewish Scriptures, there is a stigma attached to the birth narrative of Israel’s deliverers. I was stunned that this should be the means by which she came to faith!
I cannot resolve the dilemma of who Isaiah intended as the recipient of this first prophecy. Was it Isaiah’s wife, or the wife of the king? Why should it be addressed to ha’almah, using the definite article “the almah”, as though to a unique and specific individual? In fact, this is still a debate within Jewish literature as to who the mother of this child was to be called Immanuel. Matthew, doesn’t preclude a prophetic fulfillment to a virgin in the time of Isaiah. Yet he clearly interpreted “the virgin” as Mary, who brought forth Yeshua the Messiah.
A Sign Spoken Against
“Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against.” (Luke 2:34 NKJV)
The birth of Yeshua, Simeon said, would be a sign that would be spoken against. At first, this seems counterintuitive. Shouldn’t a sign convince? Yet God gave a sign that calls for faith. If Yeshua were merely the product of a natural union, He would not be the Savior; no wonder the world resists and speaks against this sign.
For me, there is no contradiction. I have placed my trust and hope in this sign. Mary had to do the same, even knowing that a virgin birth seemed impossible. Joseph, her betrothed, believed the angel’s testimony and walked alongside Mary into a world that stigmatized Yeshua’s birth.
Conclusion
While almah is most accurately translated as a young woman, its Biblical usage described numerous unmarried women who had never “known a man” implying they were virgins. Interpreting the Hebrew root as “to conceal”, as understood by ancient sources, equally implies virgin status.
It would have been far easier to leave the virgin birth out of the Gospel. The fact that God gave a sign that would be spoken against is itself a powerful testament to the truth of the claim.
What would you do if your future depended on your belief in the virgin birth? For most of us, that question may never arise openly. For others, it may burn quietly in the heart. Matthew quoted Isaiah from the Old Greek, exactly as it appeared in the Jewish writings of his day, and he faithfully and accurately interpreted the promise.
As you celebrate this season, whether Christmas or Hanukkah, may you encounter the greatest gift ever given: the mystery and wonder of Yeshua’s birth.
[1] St. Jerome, Against Jovinianus, Book I, Chapter 32, in Catena Bible Commentary, accessed December 19, 2025, https://catenabible.com/com/5e4f7f49c849cf49a740e245.
[2] John E. Steinmueller, “Etymology and Biblical Usage of ’Almah,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 2, no. 1 (1940): 33, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43715861.
[3] Eugen J. Pentiuc, “The Word ‘almah in Isaiah 7:14: A New Etymology,” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, August 12, 2013, The Word ‘almah in Isaiah 7:14: A New Etymology – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.