Isaiah 7:14 where does the "virgin" reading come from?

Isaiah 7:14 is a verse commonly used as a "proof text" for showing that Jesus is the Messiah. But, is this verse being used accurately or is it being mistranslated and misapplied? A brief review of this verse will bring light to this issue.

An Accurate Translation

Isaiah 7:14 is generally used as a "proof text" to show that the Messiah will be born from a virgin. According to the King James translation of the text, the verse reads: "Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." So, where does Judaism disagree on this verse? The answer is surprisingly simple. The term in the Hebrew that the King James Version renders "virgin" does not actually translate as "virgin." In Hebrew, the word in Isaiah 7:14 is "almah", a "young woman." There is no sexual conotation for this word. The word for "virgin" in Hebrew is "betulah", which does not appear in this verse. So, we see that the verse does not speak of a virgin at all, and therefore cannot be used as a proof that the Messiah would be from a virginal birth.

Naturally, this then leads to the question, where does the "virgin" reading come from? The word "virgin" comes from a Greek translation of the Bible, known as the Septuagint. The history of the Septuagint is checkered at best. Josephus described a story that the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, were translated into the Greek approximately 2300 years ago (It is common that individuals mistakingly think that Josephus said that the whole Bible was translated 2300 years ago. Josephus described the translation as being of "the books of the law", which would have been universally understood at his time as only referring to the Five Books of Moses. See the following link for more details: Click Here ) Following the original translation, other translations were made of the books of the Jewish Bible. These translations were made by unknown translators (whether Jewish or non-Jewish, no one knows) and later compiled by Christians into the Septuagint of today. Multiple changes were made by early Church fathers to the various Septuagint texts that began to proliferate, such as by Origen and St. Lucien. Currently, there are three codexes of the Septuagint from which all existing versions derive. All three of these codexes are the property of Christianity. In sum, the idea of a "virgin" comes from the Greek text knowns as the "Septuagint", which is a Christian text. Judaism does not claim to have translated the Isaiah seen in the Septuagint.

Similarly, many modern Christian translations, such as the Revised Standard Version, translate "almah" as "young woman", just like the Jewish translations. They have completely dropped the "virgin" from this verse. Also, the Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest Hebrew texts of the Jewish Bible that we have today. The only book that was found in its entirety is the Book of Isaiah, currently on display in a museum in Israel. Notably, the Dead Sea Scroll also says "almah", "young woman." There is no "betulah", "virgin", in the text, again demonstrating the accuracy of the modern Hebrew texts and the Jewish understanding of this verse.

The Text in Context

This brings us to another important point, namely, whether the text has anything to do with the Messiah or if it discussing another issue. Let's look at the text in context:

10: And the L-RD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying:

11: 'Ask thee a sign of the L-RD thy G-d: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.'

12: But Ahaz said: 'I will not ask, neither will I try the L-RD.'

13: And he said: 'Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my G-d also?

14: Therefore the L-rd Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

16 Yea, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou hast a horror of shall be forsaken.

When Isaiah 7:14 is read in context, we see that the sign is specifically for King Ahaz, the King of Judah. During his reign, King Ahaz was under attack from both Assyria and Israel, the Northern Jewish kingdom (The land of Israel split into two separate countries soon after the death of King Solomon). The sign for King Ahaz is that prior to the boy of verse 14 learning the difference between good and evil, the Kingdom of Judah will no longer be attacked by Assyria and Israel. In fact, we read that the kings of these two hostile kingdoms were killed, in 2 Kings 15:29-30 and 2 Kings 16:9, bringing peace to the Kingdom of Judah. So, the prophecy was fulfilled just as predicted. Overall, this verse has nothing to do with the Messiah. It was a prophecy that was fulfilled for King Ahaz, thus, it cannot be used logically as a "proof text" regarding the Messiah.

Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus

There are many reasons why Jews do not accept Jesus, and the links below are some of the better explanations on this topic. Of course, if you have questions that are not covered on the links, you can always e-mail me with your questions.
An Answer from Rabbi Stuart Federow Click Here
An Answer from Rabbi Shraga Simmons Click Here
Ask the Rabbi from Ohr Somayach Click Here
An Answer from Rabbi Tovia Singer Click Here

Countermissionary Counseling

There are a number of groups that provide Countermissionary Counseling. Here are links to a few of them:
Jews for Judaism
Alternatively, you can call them at 800-477-6631 with general questions about missionary claims.
Outreach Judaism
Torah Life and Living

Great Sites, Priceless Information

Here are a number of great sites that counter missionaries and explain the differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity/Messianic "Judaism", including addressing the Biblical verses that missionaries try to use against the Jews and explaining why the missionaries are incorrect.

Jews for Judaism
Jewish Isaiah 53
Outreach Judaism

1000 Verses
26 Reasons
The Jewish Home

Judaism's Answer
Isaiah 53 Truth

Teshuvah.com

Read More: http://www.messianicjewishtruth.com/index.html

What are the Basic Beliefs of Judaism

That is an excellent question! It requires a person to delve into materials to find out.

This is a great topic to take up with a partner, to discuss and take a closer look.

Are there absolute truths in Judaism? What are they?

These were some of the questions that I asked. I had a scientific approach toward the material. No, I was not looking for an answer from science. Rather, I borrowed from the experimentation model that scientists use when testing a hypothesis. That is, I had my idea, I looked into the material, and rising above my pre-conceived notions, I compared what I believed to what the material stated in search of growth and understanding. When the material resonated at a deeper level than I had ever considered, and after rational and emotional comprehension of the ideas, my concepts shifted.

The first book that I read that gave me the basic concept of the detailed supervision of the Creator in our lives was a book by Dr. Miriam Adahan called It is All a Gift. It's All a Gift 

Many years later, I read another book that brought these same basics to light. It is the biography of Rebbetzin Chaya Sarah Kramer, who lived through Auschwitz and reached a very high spiritual level. With the basics of Judaism embedded in her from childhood, she formed herself by living within Jewish ideas and rose above her losses and pain to become someone that I admire. She and her husband became capable of giving blessings to childless couples - couples came to her husband and herself to receive her blessing and, when her husband could see that a blessing would help, they gave a blessing and the couples were able to have children. You can read about her in Holy Woman 

The basics of Judaism are learning Torah, prayer, and kindness. The goal is to bring us to greater love. In the words of Hillel, "What is hateful to you do not do to another". Hillel 

"Shalom" (peace) is one of the names for the Creator. Aharon, Moshe's brother, was the High Priest and he is known for his characteristic of bringing peace, of being a peace-maker. The concept of Shelaimos, of overall peace, is a cornerstone of Judaism: Shalom Page at Jewish People Unite 

Our daily lives are often far from peaceful. In the course of a lifetime, a person encounters many situations that have the potential to develop character in the person. These "tests" are called Nisayons in Hebrew. Will we choose the path towards connection, love and the Divine Will? Nisayons Page at Jewish People UniteWhat is meant by developing character in Judaism? It means to bring out in ourselves the thirteen attributes characteristic of the Creator as described in Tomer Devorah and elsewhere. When we rise above our first reactions (our human nature) we grow step by step toward Holiness. For more on what it means to grow spiritually, please visit: Spirituality page at Jewish People Unite. Please read there about our intentions to understand how we build our character in the Divine Image. Relevant to our intentions are Six Constant Mitzvahs by Rabbi Noah Weinberg 

Much can be understood by reading about Abraham, the Father of Judaism. Avraham underwent 10 tests.Avraham Aveinu Page on Jewish People Unite 

Here is an example of kindness that is reminiscent of Avraham Aveinu. Kindness The Chicken Lady His discovery of monotheism and his trait of kindness are distinctive. Through Sarah, the our forefather Yitzchak (Isaac) and through Yitzchak, our forefather Yaakov (Jacob) were born. Learning about their character traits and what they brought to Judaism forms the spiritual roots of the Jewish people. Please see the section on Kabbalah for more information.

Watch a 2 minute video: What Do Jews Belief? Lori Almost Live 

Here is a real world example of Judaism's response to evil Do Good 

Judaism is a way of life. The basics, as stated above, are learning Torah Torah Page , praying Pray as a Jew, and acts of charity and kindness Charity Page on Jewish People Unite Kindness is a huge topic that includes our most basic product, our words. Kindness in speech means not saying derogatory things about others, in accordance with Jewish law. Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has many resources on this topic. For details about this important set of Jewish laws: Proper Speech Page at Jewish People Unite 

What goes in and out of our mouths regarding food is also a matter of great importance. There are dietary laws that determine the types of food and in what combinations they may be eaten. Kosher Food Page at Jewish People Unite 

In terms of a world view, did you know that eternity in accordance with Torah is not exclusive to righteous Jewish people? According to Torah, the righteous of all nations earn eternity for following the Torah. Only Jewish people are obligated to the 613 commandments. A non-Jewish person is obligated to the Seven Noahide Laws: Seven Noahide Laws at Aish.com In today's world, with today's headlines, it is important to remember that Judaism should not be judged by the actions of individual Jews, that each person has free will and makes choices. With perhaps the biggest swindle in history coming from a member of the Jewish people, it is important to understand what Judaism has to say about honesty: Swindled! $50 Billion Scam For a deeper understanding of money and how it is to be used, and why people go wrong, Rebbetzin Heller goes into details: Money Mayhem 

The Jewish people have a long history. History 

Ethics of the Fathers was written after the destruction of the First Temple. It is an ethical guide. It's importance is crucial because Judaism holds that morality can only be determined by the absolute truth of the Torah. Mankind cannot be objective enough to establish absolute moral authority - mankind can choose to implement the moral authority given by the Creator. This connects to the discussion of free will: Free Will Page at Jewish People Unite 

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreiss, a Holocaust survivor, offers in her book The Committed Life a way to comprehend the Jewish way of life through sharing her experiences and memories. 

For a wide variety of topics delving further into the basics of Jewish spirituality, key concepts and depth theology, please visit Aish HaTorah Articles on Spirituality and Aish HaTorah Key Concepts For more on Basic Judaism, visit Aish Judaism 1 2 3 as well as www.beingjewish.com 

Traveling to Israel? It is a great way to connect! Israel Travel 

source: http://www.jewish-people-unite.com/basic_beliefs_of_judaism.html