Prophecy 3
The Messiah in Human Flesh, Born of a Virgin.
Prophecy 3: The Messiah in Human Flesh, Born of a Virgin.
As it was written in the Tanakh (NIV & TLV),
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
Virgin or Young Woman?
The Hebrew word “almah” (“עַלְמָה”) in Isaiah 7:14 can refer to a young woman of marriageable age, who is still a virgin. In the Bible, “almah” was used on various occasions, which explicitly or implicitly represents a virgin, “betulah,” or “בְּתוּלָה”. For example:
- In Genesis 24:16, Rebekah is described as a virgin by the Hebrew word “betulah,” “בְּתוּלָה”. However, in Genesis 24:43, Rebekah, who has not yet become Isaac’s bride, is described as a young woman by the Hebrew word “almah,” “עַלְמָה֙”. Therefore, a young woman who is a virgin and unmarried is described as either almah or betulah.
- The infant Moses’s older sister Miriam (Exodus 2:8) is called an “almah”. As Moses is still an infant, his sister is implicitly still a virgin and an unmarried young woman at that time.
- In the Song of Songs 1:3, alamot (“עֲלָמ֥וֹת”) was used to describe the young women that are attracted by the king but are distinguished from the king’s queen and concubines. When you compare it with the words “queen” (“מַּלְכָּ֛”) used in Esther 1:11 and “concubines” (“פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤ים”) used in 2 Samuel 5:13, it is implicit that these young women had not yet had sexual relations with the king.
How did the Messiah Jesus fulfill the prophecy?
Pregnancy by the Holy Spirit
Nothing is impossible with God. The Tanakh and the New Covenant described all kinds of wonders and miracles that our Almighty God performed, like creating the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1); the burning bush (Exodus 3:14); the dividing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21); the bringing down of the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:20); and on and on. Mary being pregnant by the Holy Spirit was only one of them (Matthew 1:18).
As it was written in the New Covenant (NIV & TLV), to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, the virgin Mary was conceived through the Holy Spirit with Jesus before she was married to Joseph.
Matthew 1:18 “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”
Indeed, our Jewish Messiah Jesus lived with us in the first century CE; He was resurrected three days after His death.