TOPICS LIST: http://www.eztech.com/bibletalks/topics.htm EMAIL: bibletalks@eztech.com Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Bible Talks about THE VIRGIN BIRTH. ISAIAH 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Immanuel means God with us. Jesus was God in the flesh. See BT #34, "The Trinity.") (Of all the prophecies in the Tenach (Old Testament) that point to the Messiah and help identify the promised Jewish Messiah, the prophecy regarding the virgin birth of Jesus probably brings on the most arguments and debates. The arguments are over the word "virgin." If the fact is accepted that Mary was truly a virgin then the fact must also be accepted that Jesus was and is the prophecied Jewish Messiah because He and only He was born of a virgin as prophecied. Those who refuse to accept the virgin birth point to the fact that the Hebrew word that is translated "virgin" really means "young woman," not "virgin." Therefore, to them, Jesus was born in a natural manner of a young woman and is not the Messiah). THEN WHY DOES "VIRGIN" CONTINUE TO BE USED IN BIBLE TRANSLATIONS? BECAUSE THE WORD "VIRGIN" MUST BE USED IN ORDER TO BE TRUE TO THE CONTEXT, NOT A DICTIONARY. NOTE THE USE IN CONTEXT: 1).GENESIS 24:16 "Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her...." (Although the Hebrew word meaning young woman is used, it is obvious thatthis young woman (Rebekah) was a virgin. It is stated she was a virgin and this was verified by stating that no man had known her ("Known her" in the Bible is a euphemism for sexual intercourse). Using "young woman" in this case would be hiding the fact of her virginity. 2). GENESIS 24:43 'behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink," (Again: In the original Hebrew the word for "young woman" is used. But we already know, without any doubt, that Rebekah was a virgin so it is correct,and even necessary to use "virgin" here.) 3). ISAIAH 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Since we now know that the Hebrew word for "young woman" can and must be translated "virgin, it is correct here). ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE GIVES US THE CONFIDENCE TO USE THE WORD "VIRGIN" IN ISAIAH 7:14. A).ISAIAH 7:14 says, "....the Lord Himself will give you a sign...." (To "give a sign meant that something unusual and out of the ordinary would happen. A normal birth of normal parents would hardly stand out as a "sign."But a virgin birth, a miracle, certainly would be a sign. B). JEREMIAH 31:22 ".... For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth - a woman shall encompass a man." (Encompass: To go around; not use. A woman, Mary, will do something without a man that normally requires a man: Give birth to a child.). ALL THE EVIDENCE POINTS TO JESUS BEING BORN OF A VIRGIN. ISAIAH 7:14. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." In order to receive a particular Bible Talks, visit the web page at http://www.eztech.com/bibletalks/topics.htm to select a Bible Talks by topic. Click on the topic you want and print or read it on the screen.