MODERN RABBIS AND THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF MESSIAH
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold,
the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call
his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 in Christian versions.
"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold,
the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 in Jewish versions.
The Gospels claim that this verse is
a prophecy about Yeshua, i.e. Jesus, and his supernatural birth.
Some modern rabbis respond with three counter-claims:
1) The Hebrew word "almah" does not mean 'virgin,' but
'young woman' or 'young maiden.'
2) If God had wanted to say 'virgin,' He would have used the Hebrew
word "betulah."
3) The context has nothing to do with the Messiah. The prophecy
is fulfilled in the birth of Isaiah's second son.
We'll look at each point, remembering that the first question
before us is, "What does the prophecy mean?" The second
part of this inquiry deals with the question, "Should you
or I believe the prophecy to be true?"
This first part is somewhat technical since it deals with the
meaning of particular Hebrew words. That is necessary, since it
is the only way to establish how the prophecy should be understood.
The second part is midrashic, the story of how the prophecy, properly
understood, is confirmed throughout the Scriptures.
If you find the first part tedious, you may wish to read the second
part first.
The first claim of some modern rabbis: The Hebrew word "almah" does not
mean 'virgin,' but 'young woman' or 'young maiden.'
In Gen.24:43, almah is used to describe Rebekah, who is also called
betulah. She was a young maiden, a virgin. In Ex.2:8, the word
is used to describe the girl Miriam, who watched her baby brother
Moses. She also was a young maiden. Ps.68:26 (v.25 in non-Jewish
translations), says, "The singers went on, the musicians
after them, in the midst of the alamot (plural) beating tambourines."
In Prov. 30:19-20, the way of a man with an almah is contrasted
with the way of an adulterous woman.
In the other places where almah appears, none of the verses denote
a woman who is not a virgin. In fact, the common use of "maid"
or "maiden" in translation seems perfectly adequate
and appropriate to express the Hebrew, since the English word
"maiden," originally, means a woman who is a virgin
as in "maiden aunt," "maidenhood," "maidenhead,"
etc..
People today misunderstand and misuse the word, and it has gained
additional cultural meaning through time. In current usage, the
"maids" at a hotel are simply those who clean the rooms,
but that does not change what the original meaning was. When we
talk about almah in the Bible, we are talking about the original
meaning and usage.
In general, it is not virginity per se that is the focus of the
word, but virginity is an attendant condition of the young girls
described. So it would certainly not be inappropriate or inaccurate
to use the English word "virgin" for almah.
For example, The Jewish Family Bible1 uses "virgin"
for almah in Gen.24:43: "Behold I stand by the well of water;
and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to
draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee a little water
of thy pitcher to drink; and she says to me, 'Both drink thou,
and I will also draw for thy camels:' let the same be the woman
whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master's son."
The portion is prophetically describing Rebekah, whom God has
chosen to be Isaac's wife. We know that she is a virgin. Abraham's
servant was not asking God to send "a young woman,"
whether a virgin or not, for Isaac to marry. He was asking God
to send the undefiled woman whom He had chosen.
The Septuagint also translates almah as "virgin" (parthenos)
in Gen.24:43, as well as in Is.7:14. When the Septuagint was written,
around 250 B.C.E., most Jews lived in the Diaspora and spoke Greek.
The Septuagint was the Bible of most Jews. The gospel of Matthew
(1:22-25), presented to a first century Jewish audience, also
gives "virgin" as the meaning of almah in Is.7:14.
Cyrus Gordon, the renowned Jewish scholar and archaeologist, observed
that, "The commonly held view that 'virgin' is Christian,
whereas 'young woman' is Jewish is not quite true. The fact is
that the Septuagint, which is the Jewish translation made in pre-Christian
Alexandria, takes almah to mean 'virgin' here. Accordingly, the
New Testament follows Jewish interpretation in Isaiah 7:14.
"Therefore, the New Testament rendering of almah as 'virgin'
for Isaiah 7:14 rests on the older Jewish interpretation, which
in turn is now borne out for precisely this annunciation formula
by a text that is not only pre-Isaianic but is pre-Mosaic in the
form that we now have it on a clay tablet."2
The oldest Jewish interpretation of the word would mean one who
was a virgin. We do not have any ancient documents that use almah
to refer to a woman who is definitely not a virgin.
Finally, we need to consider the root meaning of almah. Cognate
languages suggest a root meaning related to female physical maturity.
It seems that the word is also related to the Hebrew root alam,
meaning "to veil from sight, i.e. conceal."3 This root
appears in Lev.20:4; Dt.22:1,3,4; Ps.55:1, 90:8; Is.1:15, 58:7,
and other verses.
The Talmud also relates this root meaning to almah in speaking
of Miriam, the sister of Moses. "R. Samuel b. Nahmani said:
[She is called] almah because she made the words secret (sh'ha'alimah)."
(Sot.12b)
For an almah, the implied meaning of being concealed would be
that she was physically a virgin, and had not been uncovered.
In the Bible, "to uncover the nakedness" generally means
'to engage in sexual relations'. (Cf. Lev.18 & 20) So in contrast,
according to this root meaning, an almah would be a woman who
has not had sexual relations.
An almah is a virgin.
The second claim of some modern rabbis: If God had wanted to say 'virgin,' He would
have used the Hebrew word "betulah."
What does betulah mean? Here are the relevant Torah verses:
Gen.24:16, "And the girl (Rebekah) was very beautiful, a
betulah, and no man had known her..."
Ex.22:15-16 (vv.16-17 in non-Jewish translations), "And if
a man seduces a betulah who is not engaged, and lies with her,
he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. If her father absolutely
refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry
for betulot (plural of betulah)."
Dt.22:13-20,23,28 (from v.13), "If any man takes a wife and
goes in to her and then turns against her, and charges her with
shameful deeds and publicly defames her, and says, 'I took this
woman, but when I came near her, I did not find evidence of her
virginity (betulim).' Then the girl's father and her mother shall
take and bring out the evidence of the girl's virginity (betulei)
to the elders of the city at the gate. And the girl's father shall
say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man for a wife,
but he turned against her; and behold, he has charged her with
shameful deeds, saying, "I did not find evidence of your
daughter's virginity (betulim)." But this is the evidence
of my daughter's virginity (betulei).' And they shall spread the
garment before the elders of the city. So the elders of that city
shall take the man and chastise him, and they shall fine him a
hundred shekels of silver and give it to the girl's father, because
he publicly defamed a betulat of Israel and she shall remain his
wife; he cannot divorce her all his days. But if this charge is
true, that evidence of the girl's virginity (betulim) was not
found...
"If there is a girl who is a betulah engaged to a man, and
another man finds her in the city and lies with her...
If a man finds a girl who is a betulah, who is not engaged, and
seizes her, and lies with her..."
Dt.32:25 is in the middle of the Song of Moses, which declares
the judgments that will come upon Israel for her unfaithfulness
to God: "Outside the sword shall bereave, and inside terror;
It shall destroy both young man and betulah, the nursling with
the man of gray hairs."
It seems that in these verses in Torah, betulah means "virgin."
In some places, however, the word is often translated as "maid"
or "maiden." For example, the 1917 Jewish Publication
Society translation renders betulah as "maid(s)" in
Job 31:1 and Zech.9:17. It renders it as "maiden(s)"
in 2 Chr.36:17; Ps.148:12; Jer.2:32; Jer.51:22; Lam.5:11; and
Ezek.9:6.
Likewise, the Soncino English translation of the Talmud often
translates betulah as "maiden." For example, the first
Mishnah of Kethuboth begins, "A maiden (betulah) is married
on the fourth day..." The translation of betulah as "maiden"
continues throughout the discusssion. The French translation of
this same Mishnah, in Le Talmud de Jerusalem of Moise Schwab
(1886) renders betulah as "Une vierge...", i.e. a virgin.
For the same Talmudic text, one Jewish translator chose "maiden"
for betulah, another chose "virgin." The reasons for
this difference will become evident later.
Translators, of course, try to determine the best way of rendering
a word in context. Scholars of equal ability differ as to the
most preferable renderings in particular cases, even as readers
of equal ability in any language differ in their minds
as to the proper understanding of a particular text.
To this point, almah and betulah seem to be similar words, either
of which could adequately indicate the state of virginity. The
question arises: Is there any reason why God would not have used
betulah in Is.7:14 to specifically designate "virgin"?
The answer is: Yes, there are several reasons.
1. The Talmud itself speaks of betulah in ambiguous terms, distinguishing
between a betulah and a betulah shleymah, i.e. a perfect virgin.
(cf. Yeb.60b) In other words, betulah shleymah means one who is
physically a virgin, but betulah does not, except by inference.
In fact, there is an explicit statement in the Talmud that betulah
does not mean virgin, but does mean a young woman. "R. Nahman
b. Isaac explained: It is the opinion of the following Tanna.
For it was taught: A betulah; the only meaning of betulah is young
woman (na'arah); and so it is said in Scripture, And the young
woman (na'arah) was fair to look upon, a betulah." The Soncino
editor's note says, "na'arah, one between the ages of twelve
and twelve and a half years of age." (Yeb. 61b)
The verse R. Nahman b. Isaac referred to is Gen. 24:16: "The
girl (Rebekah) was very beautiful, a betulah; and no man had ever
lain with her." Rebekah was a betulah, "and no man had
ever lain with her."
Likewise, each young woman in Jabesh Gilead was described in the
book of Judges in a similar way. "They found among the people
living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women (na'arot), betulot,
who had not known a man by lying with a male, and they took them
to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan." (Judg. 21:12)
In both these cases in Scripture, the information that the woman
was physically a virgin is additional to the fact that she was
a betulah. By itself, the word betulah was not considered sufficient
to indicate virginity.
2. The Talmud also speaks of a young married girl who has consummated
her marriage, but not yet had her first menstrual period, as betulah.
"Who is regarded as betulah? Any woman, even though she is
married, who has never yet observed a flow....Our Rabbis taught:
[If a virgin] married and observed a discharge of blood that was
due to the marriage, or if when she bore a child she observed
a discharge of blood that was due to the birth, she is still called
a betulah, because the virgin of whom the Rabbis spoke is one
that is so in regards to menstrual blood but not one who is so
in regard to the blood of virginity." (Niddah, I,2; 8b; cf
11b)
In this case of Rabbinic law, a young girl who is married and
is no longer physically a virgin is still betulah. (In Rabbinic
law, as was the case in many cultures, marriage can take place
with a girl of a very young age. Cf. Yeb. 57b, 60b) The married
girl is still considered betulah, even if she has had sexual intercourse,
naturally conceived, and given birth to a child.
3. The Talmud also speaks elsewhere of a betulah conceiving. In
a strange passage in Chagigah 14b-15a, the Rabbis accept the possibility
of a betulah becoming pregnant in what they considered to be rare
biological circumstances. The question is asked there, "May
a high priest marry a betulah who has become pregnant?"
4. The first Mishnah of the Talmudic tractate Kethuboth says,
"A maiden (betulah) is married on the fourth day...so that
if he (the husband) had a claim as to the virginity (betulim)
(of the maiden-bride) he could go early (on the morning of the
fifth day of the week) to the court of justice."
Notice that what is at issue here is whether a particular betulah
is a virgin or not. Sometimes the betulah is physically a virgin,
sometimes she is not.
5. In similar languages, though the normal meaning of the equivalent
of betulah means "virgin," sometimes that equivalent
word is used to refer to a woman who is not a virgin. The Encyclopaedia
Judaica article on "Virgin,Virginity" says, "The
biblical betulah, usually rendered 'virgin,' is in fact an ambiguous
term which in nonlegal contexts may denote an age of life rather
than a physical state. Cognate Akkadian batultu (masculine, batulu)
and Ugaritic btlt refer to 'an adolescent, nubile, girl.' That
the woman who is so called need not necessarily be a virgo intacta
is shown by the graphic account in a Ugaritic myth of the sexual
relations of Baal with the goddess Anath, who bears the honorific
epithet btlt (see Pritchard, Texts, 142). Moreover, in an Aramaic
incantation text from Nippur there is a reference to a betulta
who is 'pregnant but cannot bear' (Montgomery, in bibl. 13:9,
p.178)."
Some modern scholars feel that the Encyclopaedia Judaica
article needs to be modified, and that some of the ancient material
in related languages needs to be understood differently. That
may be, but, nevertheless, the Bible itself uses the word to refer
to one whose original virginity is gone.
6. The Bible sometimes uses betulah to refer to a restored state
of purity, rather than an original one. In the beginning of the
book of Jeremiah, verses 2:20; 3:1, 6, & 8 as well as
numerous other places in the prophets the Lord rebukes Israel
for her harlotry. Her original purity had been lost. In later
places in Jeremiah, however, God refers to Israel as betulah .
For example, in Jer. 31:3 (31:4 in non-Jewish translations), God
refers to Israel as a betulah: "Again I will build you, and
you shall be rebuilt, O betulah of Israel! Again you shall take
up your tambourines, and go forth to the dances of the merrymakers."
An Israel whom God destroyed for her harlotry will be rebuilt
by God as betulah.
In Jer. 31:21-22, the Lord says, "Set up for yourself roadmarks,
place for yourself guide posts; Direct your heart to the highway,
the way by which you went. Return, O betulah of Israel, return
to these your cities. How long will you go here and there, O faithless
daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth
a woman will encompass a man." Israel had been a wayward,
"faithless daughter", i.e. an immoral one. cf. Ezek.16
With repentance, she will again become betulah.
7. Joel 1:8 says, "Wail like a betulah girded with sackcloth
for the husband (ba'al) of her youth." Some maintain that
this means a virgin who was betrothed or married to a man with
whom she never consummated that marriage. That would be very different
from the normal meaning.
Concerning the relationship of a man to a woman, the normal meaning
of ba'al is "master" or "husband." A form
of the word is used as a synonym for marrying, as in Dt.24:1:
"When a man takes a wife and marries her (b'alah)..."
The Talmud uses ba'al for husband. It does not use it for "betrothed/fiancé,"
which is "arus. "Bridegroom" is chatan, not ba'al.
One of the grave judgments that God promised for disobedience
to His covenant was, "You shall betroth a wife (eshah ti'arase),
and another will lie will her..." (Dt.28:30) A man who is
betrothed to a woman with whom he has not consummated the marriage
is arus, not ba'al. In Jewish tradition, the marriage ceremony
has two parts; the betrothal/erusin and the marriage/nissu'in
itself.
Physical intercourse consummates a marriage, making the betrothed/arus
a husband/ba'al. (Cf. Yeb. 20b) In fact, in the Talmud, ba'alti
is used as a synonym for having the initial sexual intercourse
that consummates a marriage. (cf. Ket.10a-10b) The meaning of
ba'alti is, "I have become a husband."
Dt.22:22 says that, "If a man is found lying with a woman
married to a husband (isha ba'alah ba'al), then they shall both
of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so
you shall put away the evil from Israel." The woman (isha)
is married (ba'alah) to a husband (ba'al). To have a husband/ba'al
is to be married/ba'alah.
The text then continues, "If there is a girl who is a betulah
engaged to a man... (betulah m'arusah l'ish)." In this verse,
Dt.22:23, ba'al is not used to designate the man, because he is
not yet the husband of the betulah. Since ba'al is used in Joel
1:8, the meaning is that the betulah in that verse is a woman
who has been married and has consummated that marriage.
In Dt.24:1, we read, "When a man has taken a woman (ki yikakh
ish isha) and married her (ba'alah, i.e. become her ba'al/husband)..."
In Is.54:1, we read, "...For the sons of the desolate are
more than the sons of the married (be'ulah, i.e. the one who has
a ba'al/husband). To Zion, the Lord says, "No longer will
they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will
be called Hephzibah, and your land Be'ulah/Married; for the LORD
will take delight in you, and your land will be married (ti'ba'ale,
i.e. will have a husband)." (Is. 62:4)
The word ba'al is used to mean "master" or "husband,"
not "betrothed." The Talmud explicitly uses be'ulah
to refer to a woman who has consummated her marriage. (Cf. Yeb.
60b)
If God meant that a woman who was physically a virgin would conceive,
as a sign to Israel, betulah would NOT have been the correct
word to use.
The third claim of some modern rabbis: "The context has nothing to do with the
Messiah."
At first glance, this seems to be correct, but closer examination
shows it not to be the case at all. What is the historical, scriptural
context of Is. 7:14?
Isaiah chapter 6 seems to set the stage for chapters 7-12, but
it is dated "in the year that King Uzziah died." That
was some 15 years before Pekah and Rezin attacked Ahaz the
situation in chapter 7. It is therefore not part of the immediate
historical, scriptural context.
Is.7 begins: "When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah,
was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah
king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they
could not overpower it." (Is. 7:1)
Pekah became king of Israel in Uzziah's fifty-second year, and
reigned for 20 years.(cf. 2K15:27). Ahaz became king of Judah
in the seventeenth year of Pekah's reign.(cf.2Kgs. 16:1) So this
attack must have taken place during the last three years of Pekah's
reign, which were the first three years of Ahaz's reign.
To understand the Biblical chronology, it is important to note
that there were several co-regencies during this time. For example,
when King Uzziah of Judah violated the holiness of the Temple,
"The LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he
died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king's son
had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land."
(2Kgs. 15:5)
Uzziah was still king, even though he was isolated from the Temple,
the palace, and the people. Jotham was also king, but it was not
solely his reign.
Jotham also shared the throne at the end of his reign with his
son Ahaz. Sometimes the Scriptures refer to the length of a king's
reign including any co-regency (e.g. 2K.15:30); and sometimes
excluding any co-regency (e.g. 2K.15:33). This complicates the
calculation of the time when specific events took place, but when
the co-regencies are taken into account, the figures agree.
The Lord told Isaiah to go with his son, Shear Yashuv which
means "a remnant will return" and go to meet Ahaz.
(v.3)
Chapter 8 refers to this same military confrontation between Judah
and the allied enemies, Aram (Syria) and Israel (with its capital
in Samaria). There is also mention of Isaiah's second son Maher
Shalal Hash Baz which means"swift is the booty, speedy
is the prey" and of Immanuel, whose name means "God
with us".
Chapter 9 continues to address this confrontation with Rezin of
Syria and with Samaria. It also refers to a special son to be
born, one who will be called many impressive names, among them
"Mighty God," signifying that God is dwelling with His
people in other words, "Immanuel/God with us."
He will rule from David's throne over David's kingdom, i.e. Judah
and Israel.
Chapter 10 addresses the issue of the Assyrian king, Tiglath-pileser,
whom God is going to use to destroy Syria and Israel (Ephraim)
and to stop their war against Judah. It also contains (v.21) the
promise of the name of Isaiah's first son, Shear Yashuv, i.e.
"a remnant will return." The chapter ends with the promise
that the Lord will cut down the forest of Judah's enemies.
Chapter 11 begins with the promise that the Lord will bring forth
a new shoot from the cut down royal family of David, son of Jesse.
In the days of this "branch," this son of David, God
will regather the remnant of Judah and the exiles of Israel from
Assyria and the four corners of the earth i.e. a remnant
will return. The hostility between Ephraim/Samaria/Israel and
Judah will cease.
Chapter 12 describes what it will be like "in that day."
All Israel will recognize, "God is my salvation," and
not look to Assyria for deliverance.
Chapter 13 is an oracle about Babylon, and clearly belongs to
another context. Therefore, the historical, scriptural context
of Is. 7:14 is chapters 7-12. (The chapter and verse numbers are
not part of the Biblical text. They were added later to help refer
to and locate specific texts.)
Some parts of this prophetic portion were fulfilled within three
years following the invasion of Judah. Some were fulfilled later,
and some have not yet been fulfilled.
Some modern rabbis maintain that Isaiah 7:14 was completely fulfilled
in the birth of Isaiah's second son, Maher Shalal Hash Baz. They
claim that his mother, "the prophetess" of Is. 8:3 is
the almah of Is.7:14. As we will see, that is not the case.
At the time of chapter 7, Isaiah had been a prophet for at least
17 years. He already had one son, Shear Yashuv. The mother of
Shear Yashuv could not be indicated by almah in Is.7:14, because
she would already have given birth.
So some modern rabbis say that the mother of Shear Yashuv had
died, and Isaiah was a widower at the time of the prophecy. At
the time of the prophecy of Is.7:14, the prophetess was an almah.
Subsequent to the prophecy, Isaiah married her.
In this scenario, the prophetess was designated as ha'almah in
7:14 simply to note that she was then unmarried. She would not
have been an almah when she conceived and gave birth. She would
then have been be'ulah, i.e. married.
The Scriptures do not provide any supporting evidence for such
a scenario, but even if we grant it to be so, problems remain.
Would the prophetess conceiving and giving birth to Maher Shalal
Hash Baz completely fulfill the promise of the Lord in Is.7:14?
No, it would not.
Isaiah said, "Here am I, and the children the LORD has given
me. We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of Hosts,
who dwells on Mount Zion." (Is. 8:18) If Isaiah's wife-to-be,
the prophetess, is the almah of 7:14, then she also is a sign
to Israel. In that case, Isaiah should have said, "Here am
I, the children the LORD has given me, and my second wife. We
are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who
dwells on Mount Zion."
The almah of 7:14 is for a sign in Israel. Isaiah does not mention
the prophetess, or any wife he ever had, as being a sign to Israel.
If she were the fulfillment of the almah of 7:14, he would have.
As for Isaiah himself, what does he signify? His name means "the
Lord is salvation." That is the summation of all his prophesying.
That is why his prophesying is filled with references to Messiah.
What Isaiah signifies is not fulfilled during his lifetime.
What about Isaiah's sons, what do they signify? Shear Yashuv,
who is mentioned in 7:3, signifies "the remnant will return."
When will what remnant return where? The answers are given in
what we have seen to be the context of this portion of Isaiah.
"In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the
house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down
but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant
will return (shear yashuv), a remnant of Jacob will return to
the Mighty God/el gibor. Though your people, O Israel, be like
the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return (shear yashuv).
Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous."
( Is. 10:20-22)
"In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time
to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people from Assyria,
from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from
Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea....There
will be a highway for the remnant of His people that is left from
Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt."
(Is. 11:11,16)
It is Assyria which will destroy Aram/Syria, and take the northern
kingdom of Israel into captivity, thus ending the threat to Ahaz
and the kingdom of Judah. It is from Assyria that some of the
remnant will return.
Shear Yashuv signifies that one day the remnant of Israel will
return to the land of Israel and to the Mighty God of Israel.
What he signifies could only take place after the Babylonian exile
still hundreds of years in the future when Isaiah prophesied.
The complete fulfillment of his name still has not happened even
today. The return of the remnant, promised in the name of Isaiah's
son Shear Yashuv, will be a return to the Mighty God. The return
of the remnant is therefore connected to the child who, according
to chapter 9, will bear the name "Mighty God." The return
of the remnant is set in a Messianic context in chapter 11.
Isaiah's second son, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, the son of the prophetess,
signifies that God is going to spoil and destroy Damascus and
Samaria. "Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or
'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria
will be carried off by the king of Assyria." (Is. 8:4, cf.
7:16) That happened shortly after he was born.
But this prophecy continues: "Therefore the Lord is about
to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River - the
king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over
it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread
wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!"
"Raise the war cry, you peoples, and be shattered! Listen,
all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare
for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will
be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, because
Immanuel. (i.e., God is with us)." (Is. 8:7-10)
Was this all fulfilled in the lifetime of Maher Shalal Hash Baz?
No.
The promise related to the name of Maher Shalal Hash Baz is that
Samaria and Damascus will be quickly destroyed by Assyria. The
king of Assyria came, but the many "peoples" from "distant
lands" did not. This prophecy therefore refers to a future
invasion, an invasion that still has not yet happened.
The promise related to the name of Immanuel is different. It concerns
peoples from distant lands who will come against Judah. When those
many "peoples" from "distant lands" come against
Immanuel's land, the reason they will be shattered is "Immanuel.'
Immanuel signifies something different from Maher Shalal Hash
Baz. Maher Shalal Hash Baz signifies the destruction of those
who destroy Judah. Immanuel signifies a deliverance for Immanuel's
land. "Immanuel" is explicitly applied to the Messiah
in the Targum.
The phrase "your land, O Immanuel" is very distinctive.
The land that is spoken of is either the land of Judah in particular
or all the land of Israel. There are only three specific individuals
in the Bible of whom it is said that the land of Israel is "your
land." They are King David, the Lord God Himself, and Immanuel.
In the first instance, King David's sin of numbering the people
brought judgment on the land. "So Gad went to David and said
to him, 'Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your
land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they
pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think
it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.'"
(2Sam. 24:13)
In the second instance, the grace of the Lord brings restoration,
salvation, and forgiveness to the land and the people. "You
showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of
Jacob." (Ps. 85:2, 85:1 in non-Jewish translations, cf. the
rest of the psalm)
That puts Immanuel in a very special category. Maher Shalal Hash
Baz does not qualify to be so distinguished. He is only mentioned
in Is. 8, and very briefly at that. We are not told of any distinctive
greatness that would put him in the same exclusive company of
David and God.
There is, however, another child mentioned in the context of Is.7:14.
According to Is.7:13, the promise of the almah and her child in
7:14 is not made just to Ahaz. It is made to "the house of
David." Verses 11 and 17 are addressed to Ahaz, in the singular.
Verses 13 and 14 are addressed to the house of David, in the plural.
In the same historical scriptural context of Is. 7:14, there are
two portions that explicitly refer to a unique child born to the
house of David - chapters 9 and 11. Both of these portions were
acknowledged by the ancient rabbis to be speaking of Messiah.
It is important to keep in mind what the Talmud itself observes,
"All the prophets prophesied not except of the days of the
Messiah." (Sanh.99a) And, "The world was not created
but only for the Messiah." (Sanh.98b) I.e., the ultimate
focus of all prophecy is Messiah and his kingdom. After all, the
culmination of this age is the complete deliverance/salvation
of Israel which God brings through His Messiah.
The book of Isaiah is filled with prophecies about the Messiah.
Some of these are readily identifiable, others are embedded in
Isaiah's historical context. That is the way it is with all Messianic
prophecy, and with prophecy in general, whether it appears in
the Torah, the Writings, or the Prophets.
The ancient rabbis found at least 16 Messianic prophecies in chapters
7 to 12 of the book of Isaiah. Some of these are transparently
Messianic, others are embedded in the context. All of these rabbinically
acknowledged Messianic references are part of the scriptural context
for Is.7:14.
They considered this a very Messianic portion. In fact, the only
portion of Scripture in which the ancient Rabbis found more Messianic
prophecies is Isaiah chapters 49 to 54.
Is.9:5-6 (9:6-7 in non-Jewish translations) says: "For to
us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will
be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God (el gibor), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of
the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing
and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time
on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish
this."
The entire eleventh chapter was recognized as referring to Messiah
and his kingdom. Is.11:1-5,10-11 says: "A shoot will come
up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear
fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him the Spirit
of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD and
he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by
what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his
ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice
he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike
the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips
he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness
the sash around his waist....
"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for
the peoples; the goyim (the Gentiles) will rally to him, and his
place of rest will be glorious. "In that day the Lord will
reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is
left of his people from Assyria..."
Did the Gentiles rally to Maher Shalal Hash Baz? No. Did the remnant
return in his day? No.
Was Maher Shalal Hash Baz even of the house of David? There is
no scriptural evidence that he was. There is a rabbinic tradition
that Amoz, the father of Isaiah, was the brother of Amaziah, King
of Judah. (Meg.10b) If the tradition is correct, then Isaiah and
King Uzziah were first cousins; and Isaiah's son Maher Shalal
Hash Baz would have been of the house of David.
The Biblical data, however, shows that there was a difference
of about fifty years in age between Uzziah and Isaiah. (cf. 2K.15:2)
That would make it very unlikely that they would have been first
cousins. The Bible does not indicate that Isaiah was of the house
of David, or even of the tribe of Judah. There is nothing in the
Bible that would indicate that Isaiah and his sons were of the
royal line. If they had been, and if that were in any way significant,
the Bible would have mentioned it.
Nevertheless, we can, for the moment, assume the unsupported rabbinic
claim to be correct, that Maher Shalal Hash Baz was of the house
of David. Could he then have been the fulfillment of these promises
to the house of David? No.
In both chapters 9 and 11, it is made clear that this child raised
up as David's heir rules on David's throne and over his kingdom.
Maher Shalal Hash Baz never ruled on David's throne or anyone
else's. The prophecies must therefore be speaking of someone else,
some other son of David.
Additionally, there is much more to the transparent context of
Is.7:14 than some modern rabbis seem to have noticed. What is
taking place?
"Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 'Ask a sign/oht
for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or
high as heaven.' But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask...' Therefore
the Lord Himself will give you a sign/oht: Behold the almah will
conceive and bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel ('God
with us')." God is here promising to give a sign/oht, a great
supernatural indication, of the deliverance of His people.
In Is.38:1-8, God gives Hezekiah a sign that he will recover and
not die. It is a supernatural event "So the sun's shadow
went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down."
But the sign that God is promising in Is.7:14 is a greater sign
than that it is deep as Sheol or high as heaven. Sheol is
the realm of the dead. The heavens belong to the Lord. What qualifies
as such a tremendous sign/oht? Exactly that which the prophet
prophesies: a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a child who
is "God with us."
Notice also that the text does not read an almah but the almah.
The particular virgin will conceive supernaturally, and her supernatural
offspring will be called Immanuel, because that is who he is,
"God with us." That certainly qualifies as a sign as
"deep as Sheol or high as heaven" language which
is appropriate to use in describing Messiah. When Messiah reigns,
the earth is transformed into the kingdom of God, as indicated
in chapters 11 and 12 of Isaiah.
The prophecy of the supernatural son in Is.7:14 is related to
the prophecy of the supernatural son in Is.9:6-7, and to the prophecy
of the supernatural son in Is.11. They all point to the Messiah.
The context is very Messianic.
The three claims of some modern rabbis are found not to be true.
They are in opposition to both the historical and scriptural record.
To this point, we have been examining what the prophecy means, not whether or not it is true. Now we will examine whether or not the prophecy could be true. Is it possible for the God of the Bible, i.e. the God of Israel, to cause a virgin to conceive?
NOTES
1. Revised by M. Friedlander, Sinai Publishing House, Tel Aviv,
1979
2. Gordon, Cyrus H., Almah in Isaiah 7:14, The Journal of Bible
& Religion, Vol.21 (April 1953), p.106
3. "Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary," The Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible, James Strong, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA,
P.89
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