Almah is not Virgin.

Discussion about the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeology, etc.
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Ethan
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Almah is not Virgin.

Post by Ethan »

I have also rooted and defined the word עלמה ( Almah ), which means wet-nurse , or a lactating-woman, the first-element of the name is Gala (על) 'Milk' along with the effeminate מה 'mother' and the cognates are θηλώ (Thulw) "suckle' , θῆλυς (Thulus) 'Woman' and θηλάζω (Thlazw) 'suckle'.

In Exodus 2:8, the Pharaoh's daughter give Moses too a עלמה (Almah) to suckle (יָנַק).

* A wet nurse would generally be a woman with a similarly-aged baby of her own
* For a breast to be able to lactate milk, the woman has to have recently had a baby
* thus biologically and linguistically, עלמה (Almah) is not a virgin.

It's also note that עלמה is cognate with Latin, FILIA 'female-offspring' and FILIUS 'male-offspring' , these words literally
means 'sucklings' and the cognate also include יָלַד ( Yalad), βλαστός (Blastos) "young-shoot' , ἀδελφή ( Adelphe) 'sister' , עוּל (Guwl) 'young'
עֶלֶם (Olem) 'young-man, stripling'.

* In Songs 1:2, translators always censors the word 'דד , which literally means Breast and 1:3 describes the maids (עַלְמָה) milk.

Indeed i can also define the word בבתוליה (bĕthuwliym) from ἀβάτῳ πῶλος or ἀβάτῳ θῆλυς meaning 'untrodded female' and
παρθενία, from θένω 'unstriken' , which is also the Epithet of Athena ' α-θενία ' , whom had no biological children or consort.
https://vivliothikiagiasmatos.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/joseph-yahuda-hebrew-is-greek.pdf
semiopen
Posts: 471
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Re: Almah is not Virgin.

Post by semiopen »

Almah ‎עַלְמָ֗ה means "young woman". It's a polite term, I like to think that it is the opposite of slut.

However, your interpretation of Exodus 2:8 does not fill me with admiration.
And Pharaoh's daughter answered, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. (Exod. 2:8 TNK)
In this case, Almah ‎עַלְמָ֗ה refers to girl not the nurse.
As I stand by the spring of water, let the young woman who comes out to draw and to whom I say, 'Please, let me drink a little water from your jar,' (Gen. 24:43 TNK)
Refers to Rebecca who was definitely not lactating at that point.
Ethan
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Re: Almah is not Virgin.

Post by Ethan »

The cognate is possibly ῆλυν "female" , soft, gentle, tender, delicate and a variant of the word is
used in Isaiah 66:11, for תינקו [θηλάσητε ] . The word בתוליהן seems to cause issues with translators of Ezekiel 23:3.

The initial ע is guttural , because עלמון is Γαμαλα , עלמן is Γελμων and thus the word can be related
too גלם "embryo, Wrapper' and it's translation is εἱλέω "clothe, wrap ", εἰλημένος appears in Isaiah 11:5
as a translation of אזור (ezowr) 'girdle' , another word is גלמוד (galmuwd) 'desolate' and so a root meaning
to 'uncover or captive' .

Isaiah 49:21
Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate (גלמודה)
and a captive (גלה )

The Greek cognates are ἀποκάλυψις ( Apokalupsis) "Uncovering" , συγκάλυμμα (Sugkalumma) "covering"
κάλυμμα (Kalumma) 'head-covering, hood, veil' , שלמת ( Salmah) "Garment" , גלומ (Gelowm) 'clothes'
and גלה (Gelah) 'Exile, uncover, remove, captivity' , גלת (Galuwth) 'captivity' , עָלַם (alam) 'to conceal oneself'
גולה ( Gowlah) 'captivity, exile' , αἰχμαλωσία (Aixmalwsia) 'captivity' .

These word seems to refer too someone covered, exiled, captive , bondwoman, handmaiden.

Thus the child in Isaiah 7:14 was someone born in captivity or exile, or anachronistically referring too Moses, because in Isaiah 63:10, mentions 'right hand of Moses with his glorious arm' and his division of waters and concluded ' with an everlasting name' and עוֹלָם ( owlam ) , is another cognate of עַלְמָ֗ה and the Greek rendering is αἰώνιον ( Aionion ).
https://vivliothikiagiasmatos.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/joseph-yahuda-hebrew-is-greek.pdf
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