The Nativity and Isaiah 7:14: virgin or young woman?

What the text actually says

Text

A faithful retelling, step by step. Nothing added, nothing smoothed over.

Isaiah 7:1–9
Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel march against Jerusalem during the reign of Ahaz of Judah. The house of David trembles with fear: the two kings plan to put 'the son of Tabeal' on Judah's throne. Isaiah goes to meet Ahaz with his son Shear-jashub, whose name the BSB footnote explains as 'a remnant shall return'. The LORD declares that the plan will not stand.
Read it in context
^7:1Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. ²When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind. ³Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, ⁴and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. ⁵For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: ⁶‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’ ⁷But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen. ⁸For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. ⁹The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’”
Isaiah 7:10–17
Ahaz refuses an invitation to ask the LORD for a sign as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven. Isaiah gives the house of David a sign anyway: a woman, described in Hebrew as ha-almah, will bear a son and call him Immanuel. Before the child can tell good from evil, the land of the two kings Ahaz fears will be deserted. The oracle goes on to threaten Judah itself with the king of Assyria.
Read it in context
^7:10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” ¹²But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” ¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. ¹⁵By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. ¹⁶For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. ¹⁷The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”
Luke 1:26–38
In Luke, the angel Gabriel goes to Nazareth to a virgin named Mary, who is betrothed to Joseph of the house of David. He tells her she will bear a son, Jesus, and God will give him David's throne. Mary asks how this can happen when she has not had sexual relations with a man. Gabriel says the Holy Spirit will come upon her and tells her that her relative Elizabeth has conceived in old age. Mary answers that she is the Lord's servant.
Read it in context
^1:26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, ³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” ³⁴“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.” ³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
Matthew 1:18–25
In Matthew, Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Ghost while betrothed to Joseph, before they have sexual relations. Joseph, a just man, plans to end the betrothal quietly. An angel appears to him in a dream and tells him to take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus. Matthew says this fulfils what the Lord spoke through the prophet and quotes Isaiah's sign. Joseph takes Mary as his wife but has no sexual relations with her until she gives birth.
Read it in context
^1:18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”). ²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

Continue the retelling (5 more paragraphs)

Luke 2:1–7
In Luke, Caesar Augustus orders the whole world to be enrolled. Luke calls this the first enrolment and places it while Quirinius governs Syria. Joseph travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, because he belongs to David's house. Mary, who is pregnant, goes with him to be enrolled. She gives birth to her firstborn son and lays him in a manger because there is no room for them in the kataluma.
Read it in context
^2:1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire. ²This was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And everyone went to his own town to register. ⁴So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8–20
In Luke, shepherds keeping watch at night hear an angel announce that a Saviour has been born in the city of David. A heavenly host praises God. The shepherds find Mary, Joseph and the baby and tell what they have heard. Mary keeps these things in her heart and ponders them.
Read it in context
^2:8And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. ⁹Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: ¹¹Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! ¹²And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!” ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. ¹⁸And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.
Matthew 2:1–11
In Matthew, magi from the east arrive in Jerusalem after Jesus is born in Bethlehem of Judea, during Herod's reign. They ask for the newborn king of the Jews, whose star they have seen. The chief priests and scribes tell Herod that the Christ is to be born in Bethlehem, citing the prophet. The star goes ahead of the magi. They enter the house, see the child with Mary, and offer gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Read it in context
^2:1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’” ⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.” ⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:13–23
In Matthew, Joseph dreams of an angel who warns him to flee to Egypt with the child and his mother. Herod, tricked by the magi, kills all the boys aged two and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding district. Joseph returns after Herod dies, but fears Herod's son Archelaus, who rules Judea. He settles in Nazareth in Galilee.
Read it in context
^2:13When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” ¹⁴So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, ¹⁵where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” ¹⁶When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ¹⁸“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” ¹⁹After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ²⁰“Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.” ²¹So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Luke 2:22–39
In Luke, the family presents Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem after the days of purification. They then return to their own town, Nazareth in Galilee. Luke tells of no flight to Egypt.
Read it in context
^2:22And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴and to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law, ²⁸Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying: ²⁹“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. ³⁰For my eyes have seen Your salvation, ³¹which You have prepared in the sight of all people, ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” ³³The Child’s father and mother were amazed at what was spoken about Him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed— and a sword will pierce your soul as well.” ³⁶There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years, ³⁷and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

The evidence

Evidence

Each historical claim judged on its own, never a verdict on the whole story.

Against
The Hebrew word almah by itself means 'virgin'.
The stored lexicon gives 'young woman'.
Why this verdict
Claims about the text
Confidence: high
The stored lexicon gives 'young woman'. Buckles and Leonard write that almah can refer to a virgin but generally means a young woman of marriageable age. Orr argues that in Old Testament use it means an unmarried young woman, usually a virgin, while granting that its strict meaning is a marriageable young woman.^{6 sources}6 sources8. this site's data 21. Buckles 22. Orr 23. Crossan 2003 1. Matthew 1:18 24. Luke 1:34
Cross-community agreement · Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses almah 'young woman'; McConville and Buckles and Leonard (academic), Ibn Ezra (Jewish) and Insight (Jehovah's Witnesses) deny that it specifies virginity; Orr, defending the virgin birth, grants that it strictly means a marriageable young woman while arguing that it usually bears the sense virgin. (as of 2026-11-08)
Supported
Isaiah's sign addresses the crisis Ahaz faced.
Isaiah 7:15–16 ties the fall of the two kings' land to the child's early years.
Why this verdict
Claims about the text
Confidence: high
Isaiah 7:15–16 ties the fall of the two kings' land to the child's early years. RashiRashiA French commentator on the Bible and Talmud (1040–1105), also named Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, who was born and died at Troyes, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.From: JacobsAll terms → dates the sign and the kings' fall to Ahaz's fourth year; Ibn EzraIbn EzraA Spanish Jewish scholar (born 1092–1093, died 1167), according to the Jewish Encyclopedia. Steven McKenzie names him among twelfth-century readers who suspected that several documents lay behind the Bible’s first books.From: Gottheil; Gottheil; McKenzieAll terms → objects that a sign given to Ahaz cannot refer to Jesus, born many years later. Who the child was remains disputed, and whether the sign also has a later fulfilment is a separate, theological question.^{11 sources}11 sources25. Isaiah 7:15 26. Isaiah 7:16 27. Rashi 4. Isaiah 7:14 28. Isaiah 8:3 29. Rashi 30. 2 Kings 16:9 31. 2 Kings 15:30 5. Ezra 32. McConville 2015 33. Bible
Cross-community agreement · Rashi and Ibn Ezra read the sign as fulfilled in Ahaz's day; Insight and Sinclair accept a sign in that setting while adding a later fulfilment in Jesus. The Catholic Encyclopedia identifies Immanuel as the Messiah rather than a child of that day. (as of 2026-11-08)
Supported
Matthew and Luke both narrate a virginal conception.
Matthew says Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit before she and Joseph came together, and that Joseph did not know her until the birth.
Why this verdict
Claims about the text
Confidence: high
Matthew says Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit before she and Joseph came together, and that Joseph did not know her until the birth. In Luke, Mary asks how she can conceive since she does not know a man, and is told the Holy Spirit will come upon her. Miller grants that Matthew asserts Joseph did not father Jesus. Other proposed allusions elsewhere in the New Testament are disputed rather than explicit narratives.^{7 sources}7 sources23. Crossan 2003 1. Matthew 1:18 24. Luke 1:34 34. Matthew 1:24 35. Matthew 1:25 36. Luke 1:35 37. Miller
Contested · Crossan, McConville and Sebothoma read both Gospels as narrating it; Miller holds that Luke assumes Jesus had no biological father but that it is 'far from clear' Matthew believed in the virgin birth, and Lincoln, as McConville reports, that it is not absolutely clear Matthew had one in mind. (as of 2026-11-08)
Supported
Quirinius conducted a Roman census of Judea about AD 6–7.
Josephus, independently of the Gospels, reports that Quirinius was sent to assess property when Archelaus' territory was added to Syria, and dates the concluded assessment to the thirty-seventh year after Actium.
Why this verdict
What the text narrates
Confidence: high
Josephus, independently of the Gospels, reports that Quirinius was sent to assess property when Archelaus' territory was added to Syria, and dates the concluded assessment to the thirty-seventh year after Actium. Acts 5:37 links Judas of Galilee to 'the taxing', and Josephus links Judas' revolt to the same assessment. This attests the later census; it does not attest an earlier one in Herod's kingdom.^{9 sources}9 sources38. Josephus 9. Schürer 19. Luke 2:2 39. Acts 5:37 40. Josephus 41. Josephus 42. Schürer 43. Armitage 2018 18. Luke 2:1
Cross-community agreement · Josephus' dating to Archelaus' removal is followed by Bond, who places the census in 6 CE after Archelaus' deposition, and by Armitage, who builds his alternative reading of Luke on the AD 6 census. (as of 2026-11-08)
Against
Luke's census under Quirinius took place during Herod's reign.
Schürer argues that Saturninus (9–6 BC) and Varus (6–4 BC) governed Syria in Herod's last years and that Josephus knows no Roman census under Herod.
Why this verdict
What the text narrates
Confidence: medium
Schürer argues that Saturninus (9–6 BC) and Varus (6–4 BC) governed Syria in Herod's last years and that Josephus knows no Roman census under Herod. Armitage notes the 'lack of corroborating evidence' for any earlier census and the difficulty of one in a client kingdom. Tertullian names a census under Saturninus, and Justin appeals to 'registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius' without reproducing one. Ramsay's earlier enrolment is a reconstruction.^{10 sources}10 sources44. Schürer 45. Schürer 43. Armitage 2018 46. Tertullian 47. Martyr 48. Ramsay 49. Ramsay 42. Schürer 18. Luke 2:1 19. Luke 2:2
Majority view · Critical scholarship as Armitage characterises it: Quirinius' census was in AD 6, and there was no Roman enrolment in Judea during Herod's reign. Schürer concludes that Luke erred, Bond that attempts to find an earlier Quirinius census 'have not been successful', Landau finds a ten-year gap, and Brown, as Armitage reports, judged the account 'dubious on almost every score'. (as of 2026-11-08) · Minority: Ramsay (1898) argued from Egyptian enrolment papyri and a Tibur inscription for an enrolment of Herod's kingdom delayed to 6 BC; Nolland, Garland, Pearson and Porter (as reported by Armitage) read Luke 2:2 as a census 'before' Quirinius.
Open
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.
Matthew and Luke both place the birth in Bethlehem and differ over how the family came to be there; no other New Testament writing narrates it, and John 7:42 gives only a crowd's expectation.
Why this verdict
What the text narrates
Confidence: medium
Matthew and Luke both place the birth in Bethlehem and differ over how the family came to be there; no other New Testament writing narrates it, and John 7:42 gives only a crowd's expectation. Whether the two accounts are independent is argued, not established. Justin and OrigenOrigenA Christian scholar and teacher of Alexandria, born in 185 and deceased probably in 253 or 254, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Marco Rizzi explains that he interpreted the Septuagint allegorically, like Philo.From: Prat; Prat; Prat; Rizzi; PratAll terms → attest a cave shown at Bethlehem, which is reception evidence. No archaeological or non-Christian first-century attestation of the birthplace was found in the sources checked.^{8 sources}8 sources10. Bond 12. Matthew 2:1 50. Luke 2:4 51. John 7:41 52. John 7:42 53. Martyr 54. Arbez 1907 55. Origen
Contested · Bond judges a developed Davidic story 'more likely' while not excluding a factual basis, and Kohler (Jewish Encyclopedia, 1904) called the birthplace stories 'artificial'; Bird answers that there was 'no absolute necessity' to invent Bethlehem, and the Catholic Encyclopedia gives qualified weight to the two accounts' agreement. (as of 2026-11-08)
No outside evidence · silence partly expected
Herod ordered the killing of Bethlehem's young boys.
Among the first-century sources checked, Matthew alone narrates it; the saved Josephus has no such report, though it recounts Herod's late atrocities, including the killing of three of his sons.
Why this verdict
What the text narrates
Confidence: high
Among the first-century sources checked, Matthew alone narrates it; the saved Josephus has no such report, though it recounts Herod's late atrocities, including the killing of three of his sons. Jensen reports that scholars differ: the deed seems minor beside those, yet fits Matthew's new Moses. The Greek liturgy speaks of 14,000 boys; modern Catholic writers, the Catholic Encyclopedia reports, estimate about six to twenty. In Macrobius' fifth-century report of Augustus' quip, the Encyclopedia identifies the supposed infant as Antipater, Herod's adult son.^{56 57 58}
Supported
Christian writers of the second century affirmed Mary's virginity.
Ignatius of Antioch names 'the virginity of Mary' among three mysteries hidden from the prince of this world.
Why this verdict
Claims others made
Confidence: high
Ignatius of Antioch names 'the virginity of Mary' among three mysteries hidden from the prince of this world. Justin defends the virgin-birth reading against Trypho and presents its plausibility to pagan readers. Irenaeus reports that the Ebionites, following Aquila and Theodotion, said Jesus was begotten by Joseph. These texts attest early belief and early dispute; they do not by themselves attest the event.^{4 sources}4 sources59. Antioch 60. Antioch 61. Martyr 62. Irenaeus
Cross-community agreement · Ignatius' and Justin's texts affirm it; Irenaeus reports that the Ebionites denied it; Lincoln, as McConville reports, holds that the idea took time to establish itself, with Justin decisive. (as of 2026-11-08)
Outside what evidence can settle
God brought about Jesus' conception without a human father.
Matthew says Mary was with child 'of the Holy Ghost', and in Luke the angel tells her the Holy Spirit will come upon her.
Why this verdict
Theological claims
Confidence: high
Matthew says Mary was with child 'of the Holy Ghost', and in Luke the angel tells her the Holy Spirit will come upon her. Miller argues that miraculous birth stories are not admissible as historical evidence, that belief in the virgin birth rests on religious reasons, and that historians should presume Joseph's paternity; Wenham argues that two apparently independent accounts agree on a miraculous birth.^{5 sources}5 sources1. Matthew 1:18 24. Luke 1:34 36. Luke 1:35 37. Miller 63. Wenham
Outside what evidence can settle
Isaiah's sign has a divinely intended fuller fulfilment in Jesus.
Matthew applies the sign to Jesus.
Why this verdict
Theological claims
Confidence: high
Matthew applies the sign to Jesus. Sinclair and Insight allow a sign in Ahaz's day with a later fulfilment; the Catholic Encyclopedia grants that its full meaning was reached through fulfilment; McConville describes Matthew's use as transcending Isaiah's horizon. Whether a later meaning was divinely intended is outside what evidence can settle.^{12 sources}12 sources2. Matthew 1:22 3. Matthew 1:23 4. Isaiah 7:14 64. Sinclair 33. Bible 65. 2 Kings 16:2 66. 2 Kings 18:2 67. Maas 1912 68. McConville 2015 5. Ezra 29. Rashi 26. Isaiah 7:16

What people get wrong

Text

Things people commonly believe the text says, checked against it.

A common belief among believers
Myth Almah always means a woman who has never had sexual intercourse.
Actually Brown-Driver-Briggs defines it as 'young woman'. McConville writes that it describes young women who may be presumed virgins because unmarried, but is not a technical term for virgin, and Ibn Ezra allows either. Orr, defending the virgin birth, grants that it strictly means a marriageable young woman while arguing that it usually bears the sense virgin.^{6 sources}6 sources8. this site's data 69. McConville 2015 5. Ezra 70. Ezra 71. Proverbs 30:19 22. Orr
A common belief among skeptics
Myth Christians changed Isaiah's Greek translation to 'virgin' to fit Jesus.
Actually The Septuagint's parthenos predates Christianity. Irenaeus already appealed to that Jewish translation, made 'much before the period of our Lord's advent', to answer the suspicion of Christian tailoring; Hoffman, who calls parthenos a mistranslation, attributes it to the SeptuagintSeptuagintAn ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, also including books Christians call Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books, according to Jannes Smith.From: Smith; SmithAll terms → itself.^{5 sources}5 sources7. this site's data 4. Isaiah 7:14 3. Matthew 1:23 62. Irenaeus 72. Hoffman
A common belief among skeptics
Myth A mistranslation of Isaiah created the Christian belief in Jesus' virginal conception.
Actually Crossan notes that the Isaiah link is explicit only in Matthew and 'at very best, implicit' in Luke, and argues that one cannot presume prophecy generated the belief. The Catholic Encyclopedia, answering Harnack's view that the belief came from Isaiah 7:14, cites Dalman that Jews never expected a fatherless Messiah.^{4 sources}4 sources23. Crossan 2003 3. Matthew 1:23 73. Luke 1:31 67. Maas 1912

Show 8 more misconceptions

A common belief among believers
Myth Jews before Jesus read Isaiah 7:14 as a prophecy of the Messiah's virgin birth.
Actually The Jewish Encyclopedia (1904) notes that the name Immanuel is absent from the TalmudTalmudA collection of rabbinic teachings and discussions framed as commentary on the Mishnah. Sara Ronis explains that the name usually means the Babylonian Talmud, produced from the third to seventh centuries CE.From: Ronis; RonisAll terms → and MidrashMidrashBoth a body of literature and a form of rabbinic biblical interpretation. Rachel Mikva distinguishes it from peshat, the contextual meaning, and describes its interest in the richness of what scripture can teach.From: Mikva; Mikva; MikvaAll terms →, and judges that the messianic application seems to have been unknown in Jewish circles. Orr (1907), defending the virgin birth, concedes that the verse is not on Edersheim's list of passages Jews read messianically. The Targum's rendering of the verse has no messianic gloss.^{74 22 75}
A common belief among believers
Myth Josephus confirms a census at Jesus' birth in Herod's reign.
Actually Josephus attests Quirinius' census after Archelaus' removal, about AD 6–7. No ancient source outside Luke and later Christian writers records a Roman property census in Herod's Judea, among the sources checked for this page; Schürer and Armitage stress the lack of corroboration.^{7 sources}7 sources38. Josephus 9. Schürer 19. Luke 2:2 39. Acts 5:37 42. Schürer 43. Armitage 2018 18. Luke 2:1
A common belief among skeptics
Myth The Panthera story is an independent record of Jesus' real father.
Actually It reaches us through Origen's reply to Celsus, whose attack the Catholic Encyclopedia dates to about AD 178; there a Jewish character alleges adultery with a soldier named Panthera. The Jewish Encyclopedia (1904) treats the Talmudic and medieval Toledot Yeshu illegitimacy stories as legends. Miller calls them 'fabricated responses' to the Christian claim, and Crossan argues the virginity claim came first; Jane Schaberg, as reported by Crossan, holds illegitimacy 'most likely historical'.^{6 sources}6 sources76. Origen 77. Maas 1912 78. Jacobs 1904 37. Miller 79. Crossan 2003 80. Crossan 2003
A common belief among believers
Myth Matthew tells of three kings visiting the newborn in a stable.
Actually Matthew tells of magi from the east entering 'the house', without giving their number or calling them kings. Landau traces the number three to the three gifts and the names to later tradition; the Catholic Encyclopedia notes that Eastern tradition favours twelve and that Tertullian called them 'wellnigh kings'. Luke names a manger, not a stable.^{9 sources}9 sources12. Matthew 2:1 13. Matthew 2:2 81. Matthew 2:9 82. Matthew 2:10 83. Matthew 2:11 84. Landau 85. Drum 1910 86. Luke 2:6 87. Luke 2:7
A common belief among skeptics
Myth The immaculate conception means Jesus was conceived without a human father.
Actually Crossan stresses that the virginal conception of Jesus and the Catholic immaculate conception, Mary's own conception without original sin, should not be confused. Archbishop Dmitri's Orthodox account affirms the virgin birth and Mary's sinlessness but rejects the immaculate conception.^{88 89}
A common belief among believers
Myth Matthew's 'until she had given birth' settles whether Mary later had other children.
Actually Matthew states that Joseph did not know Mary until the birth, without saying what followed. JeromeJeromeA Latin Church Father associated with the Vulgate, born in the fourth century and deceased in 420. Birth dates differ: Louis Saltet gives about 340–342, while Dionisio Candido gives 347.From: Saltet; CandidoAll terms → argues that 'until' need not imply a later change, and Catholic and Orthodox teaching holds Mary ever-virgin; the Latter-day Saint Guide to the Scriptures and The Watchtower hold that she had later children.^{9 sources}9 sources34. Matthew 1:24 35. Matthew 1:25 90. Jerome 91. Deuteronomy 34:6 92. Maas 1912 89. (Royster)93. Saints 94. Mark 6:3 95. Bible
A common belief among believers
Myth The Gospels give 25 December as Jesus' birthday.
Actually Neither Matthew nor Luke gives a calendar date, Bond notes. Insight argues that shepherds in the fields at night tell against a December birth.^{10 96 97}
A common belief among skeptics
Myth Christians are known to have taken 25 December from a pagan sun festival.
Actually Insight, citing reference works, says the date stems from a pagan holiday, and the Catholic Encyclopedia grants that the solar feast 'has a strong claim on the responsibility'. McGowan notes that the borrowing theory is not found in ancient Christian writings and first appears in a 12th-century marginal note; he suggests the date 'might really derive more from Judaism', but concludes 'We cannot be entirely sure'.^{96 98 99}

Hard questions

The strongest case, the strongest responses, then a plain assessment of where the logic holds.

Does the virgin reading of Isaiah 7:14 rest on a mistranslation of almah?

Almah does not by itself mean virgin and parthenos has a wider range, but the Greek rendering predates Christianity; whether it mistook Isaiah's meaning is disputed.

See the argument

The strongest case

Joel Hoffman, a Jewish translator, writes that Isaiah 7:14 'is not about a virgin birth except through mistranslation': the Septuagint rendered almah, 'young woman', as parthenos, an inadvertent shift he calls typical of it. McConville reports Andrew Lincoln's argument that parthenos 'in itself' does not denote a virginal conception. The objection is ancient: in Justin's Dialogue the Jewish speaker Trypho says the scripture reads 'the young woman', and Irenaeus reports that Aquila and Theodotion translated it so.^{21 sources}21 sources72. Hoffman 100. Genesis 24:16 69. McConville 2015 101. Martyr 62. Irenaeus 8. this site's data 22. Orr 5. Ezra 70. Ezra 71. Proverbs 30:19 102. this site's data 64. Sinclair 103. this site's data 104. this site's data 105. Genesis 24:43 106. Exodus 2:8 7. this site's data 4. Isaiah 7:14 3. Matthew 1:23 23. Crossan 2003 73. Luke 1:31

P1. Isaiah 7:14 has almah; the Septuagint, which Matthew 1:23 quotes, has parthenos.^{5 sources}5 sources107. Isaiah 7:13 4. Isaiah 7:14 7. this site's data 3. Matthew 1:23 2. Matthew 1:22No listed response challenges this premise
P2. As Hoffman argues, parthenos was an inadvertent mistranslation of almah, and the virgin reading arises from it.

→ Conclusion. On Hoffman's reading, Isaiah 7:14 speaks of a virgin birth only through the Greek translation.

Strongest responses

Protestant: Anglican challenges P2

Jewish translators chose 'virgin' before Jesus. George Sinclair argues that Jewish translators rendered the verse a century or more before Jesus with a word 'that unambiguously means virgin', so Matthew 'quotes the text correctly'. Irenaeus made the same appeal: the Septuagint was made by Jews 'much before the period of our Lord's advent', so no one could suspect them of translating to suit Christians.^{64 62}

Tradition unspecified challenges P2

The Hebrew usage already means an unmarried young woman. James Orr (1907), defending the virgin birth, grants that almah strictly means a marriageable young woman, but argues that it 'may, and indeed usually does' bear the meaning virgin, and that in Old Testament use it means an unmarried young woman. He quotes LutherMartin LutherA German religious reformer (1483–1546), according to the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica. Henry Ganss’s Catholic Encyclopedia article reports that Luther translated the New Testament into German while at Wartburg.From: Lindsay; Lindsay; GanssAll terms → offering 100 florins to anyone, Jew or Christian, who could prove that almah anywhere in Scripture means a married woman.²²

Early church: Greek challenges the conclusion

An ordinary conception would be no sign. Justin argues that if Jesus had been born by ordinary intercourse, God would not have called it a sign, since it would not differ from other firstborn sons; Irenaeus asks what great sign there would be in a young woman conceiving by a man. They read the sign Ahaz was offered, as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven, as pointing beyond the ordinary.^{5 sources}5 sources6. Martyr 108. Irenaeus 109. Isaiah 7:10 110. Isaiah 7:11 111. Isaiah 7:12

Academic (critical) challenges the framing

The Isaiah link is explicit only in Matthew. John Dominic Crossan notes that the virginal conception appears in both Matthew and Luke, but the link to Isaiah 7:14 is explicit only in Matthew 1:23 and in Luke 1:31 'at very best, implicit'. He argues that one cannot presume prophecy generated the belief in the virginity.^{23 3 73}

Plain assessment

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses almah 'young woman', and Orr grants that this is its strict sense; Ibn Ezra allows a nonvirgin, while Luther's challenge, as Orr quotes it, concerns marriage rather than virginity. The Greek word does not settle the matter either: Liddell-Scott-Jones lists unmarried women who are not virgins, against Sinclair's 'unambiguously', and the Septuagint renders almah with both parthenos and neanis. The Greek predates Christianity, so Matthew followed a Jewish rendering rather than creating one. Whether the Isaiah link generated the belief is a separate question: Crossan finds it explicit only in Matthew.

What would change this assessment: Evidence of how the Septuagint translator understood almah in Isaiah 7:14.

Assessment uses: almah — young woman or virgin? · parthenos — the Greek translation · 'the young woman' or 'a virgin' in translation · Jewish: modern · Jewish: medieval commentator · Protestant: Anglican · Protestant: Lutheran · Early church: Greek · The Hebrew word almah by itself means 'virgin'. · The Hebrew usage already means an unmarried young woman · The Isaiah link is explicit only in Matthew

If the sign was given to Ahaz, how can it be about Jesus?

Isaiah's sign has a time limit set in Ahaz's day; whether it also points to Jesus depends on readings of a fuller meaning that evidence cannot settle.

See the argument

The strongest case

Abraham ibn Ezra is surprised that some refer the prophet's words to Jesus, since the sign was given to Ahaz and Jesus was born many years later. Rashi dates the sign to Ahaz's fourth year, when, he writes, Assyria took Damascus and killed Rezin and Hoshea killed Pekah. Buckles and Leonard judge it 'seems likely' that the young woman was Ahaz's wife and her son Hezekiah, a reading Trypho already gives in Justin's Dialogue.^{21 sources}21 sources5. Ezra 29. Rashi 30. 2 Kings 16:9 31. 2 Kings 15:30 27. Rashi 4. Isaiah 7:14 28. Isaiah 8:3 21. Buckles 112. Isaiah 8:8 101. Martyr 25. Isaiah 7:15 26. Isaiah 7:16 69. McConville 2015 113. McConville 2015 64. Sinclair 33. Bible 65. 2 Kings 16:2 66. 2 Kings 18:2 114. Maas 1909 67. Maas 1912 68. McConville 2015

P1. Isaiah 7:15–16 sets a time limit: before the child is old enough to tell good from evil, the land of the two kings Ahaz fears will be deserted.^{25 26}No listed response challenges this premise
P2. As Ibn Ezra argues, a sign given to Ahaz cannot refer to Jesus, born many years later.

→ Conclusion. On Ibn Ezra's reading, the sign concerned a child of Ahaz's own day, not Jesus.

Strongest responses

Catholic challenges P2

Immanuel is the Messiah. The Catholic Encyclopedia argues that Immanuel is neither a son of Isaiah nor of Ahaz but the Messiah, because Isaiah 8:8 calls Palestine 'the land of Emmanuel' as elsewhere it is the land of the LORD. It grants that Jewish Christians reached the verse's 'full meaning' only through its fulfilment.^{114 112 67}

Protestant: Anglican challenges P2

A prophecy with more than one meaning. George Sinclair argues that Old Testament prophecies 'regularly have multiple meanings', so the verse can refer to a young woman in one case and find a greater fulfilment in a virgin.⁶⁴

Jehovah's Witnesses challenges P2

A first Immanuel as a type of Jesus. Insight on the Scriptures rules out Hezekiah, who would have been at least nine, and allows a first Immanuel in Isaiah's day, perhaps a son of Isaiah, as a type of Jesus. It says Matthew, 'under divine inspiration', used parthenos to show the verse's final fulfilment.^{4 sources}4 sources33. Bible 65. 2 Kings 16:2 66. 2 Kings 18:2 115. Bible

Academic (critical) challenges the framing

Matthew reads beyond Isaiah's horizon. McConville writes that Matthew applies Isaiah's Immanuel to Jesus 'in a way that transcends the horizons of Isaiah', following the Septuagint for his own purpose. He treats this as a question of how a text can gain new meaning, not as a simple error or a simple prediction.⁶⁸

Plain assessment

The time limit is in the text, and Rashi and Ibn Ezra read the sign as fulfilled in Ahaz's day. Who the child was is unresolved: McConville calls the woman and son unidentifiable, and Blenkinsopp, as McConville reports, finds the chronology too confused to rule Hezekiah in or out. Sinclair and Insight accept a sign in Ahaz's day and add a later fulfilment; the Catholic Encyclopedia instead identifies Immanuel as the Messiah, while granting that the full meaning was reached through fulfilment. McConville frames Matthew's use as a question of how a text gains new meaning.

What would change this assessment: Identifying the child of Ahaz's day would settle the sign's first referent, but not the theological claim of a further fulfilment.

Assessment uses: Isa.7.10-Isa.7.17 · Who was Immanuel? · Jewish: medieval commentator · Jewish: medieval commentator · Catholic · Protestant: Anglican · Jehovah's Witnesses · Academic (critical) · Isaiah's sign addresses the crisis Ahaz faced. · Isaiah's sign has a divinely intended fuller fulfilment in Jesus.

Is the virginal conception a historical event, or a belief held on religious grounds?

Two Gospels narrate the virginal conception and early Christian writers affirm it; whether such narratives count as historical evidence divides Miller's method from Wenham's.

See the argument

The strongest case

Robert J. Miller argues that miraculous births announced by angels are 'not admissible as historical evidence', that belief in the virgin birth rests on religious reasons, and that historians should presume Joseph fathered Jesus. Crossan asks why, if the story simply recorded what happened, 'nobody else in the New Testament' shows knowledge of it. Sebothoma concludes that what is peculiar about the infancy narratives is 'the non-historicality of the extraordinary circumstances' ascribed to the birth.^{13 sources}13 sources37. Miller 23. Crossan 2003 116. Sebothoma 1994 117. John 1:45 1. Matthew 1:18 24. Luke 1:34 59. Antioch 60. Antioch 61. Martyr 63. Wenham 118. Orr 119. Orr 120. Moldovan 2025

P1. Only Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26–38 explicitly narrate a virginal conception; Paul speaks of God's Son 'made of a woman' without describing it, and in John 1:45 Philip calls Jesus 'the son of Joseph'.^{7 sources}7 sources23. Crossan 2003 1. Matthew 1:18 24. Luke 1:34 121. Galatians 4:4 122. Romans 1:3 117. John 1:45 123. John 1:46No listed response challenges this premise
P2. As Miller argues, birth stories announced by angels are not admissible historical evidence, so historians should presume Joseph's paternity.

→ Conclusion. On Miller's method, the virginal conception is held on religious grounds, not established as history.

Strongest responses

Protestant: evangelical challenges P2

Two apparently independent accounts. David Wenham argues that Matthew and Luke are apparently independent accounts, 'witness their differences', which both agree that Jesus was miraculously born of Mary. He judges it 'very probable' that the tradition predates both Gospels, and argues that the silence of other New Testament authors settles nothing.⁶³

Tradition unspecified challenges the conclusion

Silence cannot decide. James Orr answers the argument from silence: Mark's Gospel begins with John's baptism and gives no account of the birth, so it cannot contradict those that do. He grants that 'Paul nowhere expressly mentions the Virgin Birth', but argues that even complete silence would not support the objectors' conclusion, since Paul rarely recalls incidents of Jesus' life.^{118 119}

Orthodox challenges the framing

Literary form alone does not decide history. Alexandru Moldovan calls Matthew 1–2 'historical-artistic-midrashic' and says its facts are 'not grounded in rigor and historical precision', yet holds that its historical basis, including Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Herod and Jesus' Davidic lineage, is not a 'fabrication' of the evangelist. He cites Léon-Dufour that a literary form alone is not enough to deny historicity.¹²⁰

Plain assessment

Two Gospels narrate the conception explicitly, and belief in it is attested early: Ignatius names Mary's virginity among three mysteries, and Justin defends it. Miller's case is a rule of method: angel-announced birth stories are excluded as evidence, so Joseph's paternity is the historian's default. Wenham instead counts two apparently independent accounts as grounds, and Orr and Wenham deny that the silence Crossan and Miller point to can decide the matter. Moldovan holds that literary form alone cannot settle historicity. Miller places belief in the conception on religious grounds; Wenham finds historical grounds as well.

What would change this assessment: Independent early evidence about Jesus' conception, or a firmer account of where the two infancy traditions came from.

Assessment uses: Matt.1.18-Matt.1.25 · Luke.1.26-Luke.1.38 · Protestant: evangelical · Orthodox · Matthew and Luke both narrate a virginal conception. · Christian writers of the second century affirmed Mary's virginity. · God brought about Jesus' conception without a human father. · Gal.4.4 · John.1.45-John.1.46 · Silence cannot decide

Can Luke's census under Quirinius fit a birth in Herod's reign?

Quirinius' census is attested for AD 6–7, after Herod; placing Luke's birth census in Herod's reign requires an unattested earlier census or a disputed reading of Luke.

See the argument

The strongest case

Emil Schürer (1890) dates Herod's death to 4 BC and writes that Luke places a census like Quirinius' 'somewhere about ten or twelve years earlier' than it was made. He objects that history knows no general census under Augustus, that a Roman census would not have required the journey to Bethlehem, that none could be held in Herod's kingdom, that Josephus knows none under Herod, and that Quirinius did not govern Syria in Herod's lifetime. Brent Landau restates the problems, and Raymond Brown, as Armitage reports, judged Luke's account 'dubious on almost every score'.^{24 sources}24 sources14. Schürer 124. Schürer 9. Schürer 125. Schürer 126. Schürer 127. Schürer 45. Schürer 44. Schürer 128. Schürer 129. Landau 130. Armitage 2018 38. Josephus 19. Luke 2:2 39. Acts 5:37 10. Bond 42. Schürer 43. Armitage 2018 18. Luke 2:1 131. Ramsay 132. Armitage 2018 133. Schürer 134. Armitage 2018 135. Armitage 2018 136. Bird

P1. Matthew places the birth in the days of Herod the king; Luke dates the enrolment to Quirinius' governorship of Syria; Josephus dates Quirinius' census of Judea to Archelaus' removal, about AD 6–7.^{8 sources}8 sources12. Matthew 2:1 13. Matthew 2:2 18. Luke 2:1 19. Luke 2:2 20. Luke 2:3 38. Josephus 9. Schürer 39. Acts 5:37No listed response challenges this premise
P2. As Schürer argues, every way of reconciling these is closed, so Luke wrote from imperfect information.

→ Conclusion. On Schürer's reconstruction, Luke's dating of the birth census does not accord with history.

Strongest responses

Tradition unspecified challenges P2

An earlier enrolment, delayed. W. M. Ramsay (1898) argues that the Romans numbered the people in a fourteen-year cycle, the first Syrian enrolment falling under Saturninus in 8–7 BC, and that Herod's kingdom was probably enrolled late, in 6 BC, when Varus ran Syria's internal affairs and Quirinius commanded its armies. He identifies with Quirinius an unnamed official on a Tibur inscription who 'twice governed Syria', and reads Tertullian's census under Saturninus as Tertullian correcting Luke.^{5 sources}5 sources137. Ramsay 48. Ramsay 138. Ramsay 49. Ramsay 131. Ramsay

Tradition unspecified challenges P2

A census 'before' Quirinius. Armitage reports that Nolland, Garland, Pearson and Porter favour reading Luke 2:2 as a census taken 'before' Quirinius was governor. Pearson, as Armitage reports, adds that the Greek is strange and that grammar alone cannot decide.¹³²

Tradition unspecified challenges P2

A later registration, told as a digression. David Armitage accepts for argument's sake that Quirinius' census was in AD 6 and that Herod's Judea had no Roman enrolment. He proposes that Luke 2:1–5 is a digression describing that census, at which Joseph and Mary registered in Bethlehem years after the birth, to stress the family's link to David. He says the proposal 'clearly cannot definitively establish Luke's accuracy'.^{134 135 139}

Protestant: evangelical challenges the conclusion

The journey had precedents. Michael Bird grants that an empire-wide census 'is certainly unlikely', but answers the objection to the journey: returning to ancestral lands to claim property or register for tax 'was not unprecedented'.¹³⁶

Plain assessment

Josephus attests Quirinius' census about AD 6–7, and Schürer, Bond and Armitage accept that date. No record of a Roman census in Herod's Judea was found outside Luke and later Christian writers. Ramsay's earlier enrolment is a reconstruction resting partly on an inscription whose name is lost. The 'before' reading has named supporters, but Edwards calls it 'grammatically offensive' and Schürer rejected it. Armitage's reading separates the census from the birth, and he does not claim it establishes Luke's accuracy. Bird's answer concerns the journey, not the date.

What would change this assessment: An inscription or document recording a Roman census in Herod's Judea, or naming Quirinius in Syria during Herod's lifetime.

Assessment uses: Luke.2.1-Luke.2.7 · Matt.2.1-Matt.2.11 · The census Josephus records · first enrolment — or 'before' Quirinius? · Quirinius conducted a Roman census of Judea about AD 6–7. · Luke's census under Quirinius took place during Herod's reign. · An earlier enrolment, delayed · A later registration, told as a digression · The journey had precedents

Was Jesus born in Bethlehem, or was the birthplace drawn from prophecy?

Bethlehem rests on Matthew, Luke and an early local tradition; Bond's case for a developed story and Bird's reply both stand, so the birthplace remains open.

See the argument

The strongest case

Helen Bond notes that no New Testament text besides Matthew and Luke mentions the Bethlehem birth, not Paul or Mark, and that John is silent even when Nathanael scorns Nazareth. She grants that this 'does not prove' the tradition baseless, but judges it 'seems more likely' the story was developed to connect Jesus with the Davidic Messiah. Kaufmann Kohler, in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1904), called the birthplace stories 'artificial' legends produced by Micah's prophecy, with Nazareth as Jesus' home town. Sebothoma asks whether Luke depends on Matthew.^{10 sources}10 sources10. Bond 123. John 1:46 140. Jacobs 1904 141. Sebothoma 1994 12. Matthew 2:1 50. Luke 2:4 136. Bird 54. Arbez 1907 53. Martyr 55. Origen

P1. Matthew and Luke explicitly narrate a Bethlehem birth, and Matthew cites Micah 5:2; in John 7:42 a crowd states the scriptural expectation, but no other New Testament writing explicitly narrates Jesus' birth there.^{9 sources}9 sources10. Bond 12. Matthew 2:1 50. Luke 2:4 142. Matthew 2:4 143. Matthew 2:5 144. Matthew 2:6 145. Micah 5:2 51. John 7:41 52. John 7:42No listed response challenges this premise
P2. As Bond judges, the silence of other New Testament writings makes it more likely that the Bethlehem story was developed to link Jesus with the Davidic Messiah.

→ Conclusion. On Bond's assessment, the Bethlehem birth is more likely a developed tradition than a remembered fact, though she does not rule out a factual basis.

Strongest responses

Protestant: evangelical challenges P2

No need to invent Bethlehem. Michael Bird argues that Bethlehem did not figure widely in Jewish messianic hopes, so there was 'no absolute necessity' to invent that birthplace; Mark and Paul, he says, 'do not seem to know' the tradition yet regard Jesus as Messiah.¹³⁶

Catholic challenges P2

Two accounts agree, with a caution. The Catholic Encyclopedia sets out the argument that Matthew and Luke agree independently on Bethlehem, Luke without any sign of Micah's influence, and warns: 'We must not, however, exaggerate the value of that argument.'⁵⁴

Early church: Greek challenges the conclusion

A cave shown at Bethlehem. Justin, about AD 150 by the Catholic Encyclopedia's dating, places the birth in a cave near Bethlehem because Joseph found no lodging in the village. Origen reports that the cave 'where He was born' and its manger were shown at Bethlehem, and that this was talked of even among enemies of the faith; he offers it as additional evidence.^{53 54 55}

Plain assessment

Two Gospels name Bethlehem and give different routes there; their independence is argued, and Sebothoma raises the question of dependence. Bond rests her judgement on the silence elsewhere and does not exclude a factual basis; Bird answers that the messianic claim did not require Bethlehem, and the Catholic Encyclopedia gives the double account only qualified weight. The cave tradition shows that a birthplace was being shown by Justin's and Origen's time; an early tradition need not be accurate. No archaeological or non-Christian first-century evidence for the birthplace was found in the sources checked.

What would change this assessment: Independent first-century evidence about Jesus' birthplace, or a settled account of whether Luke depends on Matthew.

Assessment uses: Matt.2.1-Matt.2.11 · Luke.2.1-Luke.2.7 · Academic (critical) · Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. · reception cave · No need to invent Bethlehem · Two accounts agree, with a caution

Was the virgin birth borrowed from pagan myths?

Pagan parallels were drawn from the second century on; whether the story was borrowed from them is disputed, and Crossan notes that Augustus' divine conception was not virginal.

See the argument

The strongest case

Joseph Jacobs, writing in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1904), calls the virgin birth 'a legend which is common to almost all folk-heroes'. The Catholic Encyclopedia reports that Usener, Hillmann, Holtzmann, Conrady (pointing to Isis) and Soltau (pointing to Augustus) held versions of a pagan-origin theory, and that Gunkel proposed that the idea reached Judaism before Christianity through syncretism. The comparison is ancient: in Justin's Dialogue, Trypho likens the Christian claim to Perseus, born of the virgin Danae.^{8 sources}8 sources146. Jacobs 1904 147. Maas 1912 148. Maas 1912 101. Martyr 149. Martyr 77. Maas 1912 79. Crossan 2003 23. Crossan 2003

P1. In Justin's Dialogue Trypho compares the Christian claim to the Greek fable of Perseus born of Danae, and in his First Apology Justin asks pagan readers to accept it 'in common with what you accept of Perseus'.^{101 149 77}No listed response challenges this premise
P2. As Jacobs judges, the virgin birth is a legend of the kind told of almost all folk heroes.

→ Conclusion. On this view, the Gospel story belongs with hero legends of the pagan world rather than with history.

Strongest responses

Catholic challenges P2

A pagan import would have met opposition. The Catholic Encyclopedia rejects the theory that the virgin birth was borrowed from pagan myth, asking how such an import could reach Jewish-Christian sources without any trace of opposition. It dismisses Gunkel's syncretism as resting on 'airy combinations rather than historical evidence'.^{147 148}

Academic (critical) challenges the framing

A reaction against Roman claims, not a copy. Crossan argues that the pre-Matthean tradition of divine and virginal conception is 'rather a reaction against Roman tradition' than something drawn from Jewish tradition. He compares the story, told by Suetonius and Dio Cassius, that Augustus was conceived by Apollo, noting that Atia's was 'not, of course, a virginal conception'.^{79 23}

Plain assessment

The comparison with Perseus is as old as Justin and Trypho, and Justin himself used it with pagan readers. Jacobs' statement is his judgement, not a survey of folk tales, and the theorists the Catholic Encyclopedia names proposed different sources, from Isis to Augustus. The Encyclopedia asks how a pagan import could enter Jewish-Christian sources unopposed. Crossan sets the tradition in a Roman context but as a reaction against it, and notes that the divine conception told of Augustus was not virginal.

What would change this assessment: Evidence tracing the Gospel story to a particular earlier myth, or showing that early Jewish Christians knew of such a source.

Assessment uses: A pagan import would have met opposition · A reaction against Roman claims, not a copy · Early church: Greek · Christian writers of the second century affirmed Mary's virginity.

Background

A sign in a war Scholarship

Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel threaten Ahaz and plan to set up their own king in Judah. Isaiah's sign carries a deadline tied to the child's early years, and the oracle then threatens Judah itself with Assyria. McConville dates the encounter to 735–33 BC. Buckles and Leonard date Ahaz's reign to 742–727 BCE and note that the biblical accounts and Assyrian annals are hard to reconcile in every detail; Insight gives 761–746 BCE. Rashi dates the sign to Ahaz's fourth year.^{17 sources}17 sources150. Isaiah 7:1 151. Isaiah 7:2 152. Isaiah 7:5 153. Isaiah 7:6 154. Isaiah 7:7 155. Isaiah 7:9 25. Isaiah 7:15 26. Isaiah 7:16 156. Isaiah 7:17 157. Isaiah 7:20 158. Isaiah 7:23 159. Isaiah 7:24 11. McConville 2015 21. Buckles 27. Rashi 4. Isaiah 7:14 28. Isaiah 8:3

Who was Immanuel? Scholarship

Rashi reads the young woman as Isaiah's own wife; Ibn Ezra thinks Immanuel was a son of Isaiah. Buckles and Leonard judge it 'seems likely' that she was Ahaz's wife and the son Hezekiah, a reading Trypho already gives in Justin's Dialogue. Rashi rejects Hezekiah because, counting his years, Hezekiah was born nine years before his father's reign, and Insight also rules him out; McConville reports Blenkinsopp's judgement that the confused chronology cannot settle it alone. The Catholic Encyclopedia identifies Immanuel as the Messiah.^{14 sources}14 sources27. Rashi 4. Isaiah 7:14 28. Isaiah 8:3 5. Ezra 160. Isaiah 8:18 21. Buckles 112. Isaiah 8:8 101. Martyr 161. Rashi 33. Bible 65. 2 Kings 16:2 66. 2 Kings 18:2 113. McConville 2015 114. Maas 1909

The census Josephus records Evidence

Josephus says that when Archelaus' territory was added to Syria, Quirinius was sent to take account of property; the Jews at first took the report of a taxation 'heinously', and Judas the Gaulonite urged revolt. Josephus dates the concluded assessment to the thirty-seventh year after Actium, about AD 6 or 7. Schürer (1890) dates Herod's death to 4 BC from Josephus' reign lengths, a lunar eclipse and his successors' reigns; Insight calls the date 'a debated one' and argues for 1 BC.^{9 sources}9 sources40. Josephus 38. Josephus 39. Acts 5:37 41. Josephus 14. Schürer 15. Bible 12. Matthew 2:1 16. Luke 1:5 17. Bible

Show 3 more background topics (Virginal conception, virgin birth, immaculate conception; Jesus' brothers and Mary's virginity; The date is a later question)

Virginal conception, virgin birth, immaculate conception Scholarship

Mary Foskett writes that the Gospels narrate a virginal conception, "commonly but mistakenly called the 'virgin birth'", and that a virgin birth proper, virginity kept in giving birth, is recounted only later, as in the Protevangelium of James. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines the dogma as Mary's virginity 'before, during, and after' her son's conception and birth. Crossan stresses that the virginal conception should not be confused with the Catholic immaculate conception, which concerns Mary's own conception without original sin.^{4 sources}4 sources162. Foskett 163. Protevangelium of James (tr. Walker, ANF 8, 1886)92. Maas 1912 88. Crossan 2003

Jesus' brothers and Mary's virginity Tradition

Mark 6:3 names four brothers of Jesus and mentions sisters. Jerome, answering Helvidius' claim that they were Mary's later children, argues they were cousins, as does the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Protevangelium has Joseph already a father, and Orthodox icon tradition identifies James as Joseph's son. Archbishop Dmitri says Orthodox call Mary ever-virgin, and Luther's Smalcald Articles keep '[always] Virgin'. The Latter-day Saint Guide to the Scriptures and The Watchtower hold that Mary had later children.^{10 sources}10 sources94. Mark 6:3 164. Matthew 13:55 165. Jerome 166. Bechtel 1907 167. Protevangelium of James (tr. Walker, ANF 8, 1886)168. America 89. (Royster)169. Luther 93. Saints 95. Bible

The date is a later question Scholarship

Bond notes that neither Matthew nor Luke gives a calendar date for the birth. The Catholic Encyclopedia reports that about AD 200 Clement of Alexandria mentions Egyptians who dated it to 20 May, with others giving April dates; the OCA's feast account says instead that Clement indicates 25 December. The Encyclopedia gives the Philocalian Calendar (Rome, 354) as the earliest Roman evidence for 25 December. McGowan discusses a calculation from a 25 March conception and concludes 'We cannot be entirely sure'.^{4 sources}4 sources10. Bond 170. Martindale 1908 171. America 99. McGowan

Where translations differ

Text

Where the wording in different Bibles diverges, and why.

Isaiah 7:14 · “almah — young woman or virgin?” עַלְמָה (almah)

Almah occurs in seven verses of the Hebrew BibleHebrew BibleA name academics offered as a neutral alternative to “Old Testament”. Amy-Jill Levine argues the label blurs real differences between the Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Tanakh.From: LevineAll terms →. The stored Brown-Driver-Briggs entry defines it as 'young woman', glossed as ripe sexually, a maid or newly married. Ibn Ezra explains it as a girl of a certain age 'whether she be a virgin or not'. McConville writes that it describes young women who may be presumed virgins because unmarried, 'but this does not make it a terminus technicus' for virgin. Orr grants that it strictly means a marriageable young woman, but argues it 'may, and indeed usually does' mean virgin.^{7 sources}7 sources172. this site's data 8. this site's data 5. Ezra 70. Ezra 71. Proverbs 30:19 69. McConville 2015 22. Orr

Compare the versions

JPSTherefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

BSBTherefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

Show all 3 versions

JPSTherefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

KJVTherefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

BSBTherefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

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Isaiah 7:14 · “'the young woman' or 'a virgin' in translation”

Of the English editions in the database, only the JPS Tanakh (1917) reads 'the young woman'; the KJV, BSB and eight others read 'virgin', and the BSB adds the footnote 'Or young woman'. The Aramaic Targum Jonathan, in its 1871 English rendering, reads 'a young woman', with no messianic gloss on the verse. In Justin's Dialogue the Jewish speaker Trypho says the scripture reads 'the young woman', and Irenaeus reports that Aquila and Theodotion translated it so.^{6 sources}6 sources173. this site's data 174. this site's data 175. this site's data 75. Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 7:14 (London "Chaldee Paraphrase", 1871, public domain, via Sefaria)101. Martyr 62. Irenaeus

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JPSTherefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

BSBTherefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

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JPSTherefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

KJVTherefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

BSBTherefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

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Isaiah 7:14 · Genesis 24:43 · Exodus 2:8 · Genesis 34:2 · Genesis 34:3 · “parthenos — the Greek translation” παρθένος (parthenos)

The Septuagint, which predates Christianity, renders Isaiah 7:14 with he parthenos, 'the virgin', the word Matthew quotes. Liddell-Scott-Jones gives 'maiden, girl' and 'virgin', and also lists unmarried women who are not virgins. The Septuagint renders almah with parthenos at Genesis 24:43 but neanis, 'young woman', at Exodus 2:8, and it calls Dinah parthenos just after Genesis 34:2 says Shechem lay with her. McConville reports Andrew Lincoln's argument that parthenos 'in itself' does not denote a virginal conception.^{12 sources}12 sources7. this site's data 4. Isaiah 7:14 3. Matthew 1:23 102. this site's data 103. this site's data 104. this site's data 105. Genesis 24:43 106. Exodus 2:8 176. this site's data 177. Genesis 34:2 178. Genesis 34:3 69. McConville 2015

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Show 4 more translation notes (“betulah — the other Hebrew word”, “kataluma — inn or guest room”, “first enrolment — or 'before' Quirinius?”…)

Joel 1:8 · “betulah — the other Hebrew word” בְּתוּלָה (betulah)

Brown-Driver-Briggs defines betulah simply as 'virgin'; in the database's tagging it appears in 50 verses, but not in Isaiah 7:14. McConville reports Childs' common view that betulah is the technical term, and a challenge to that view. Joel 1:8, as Orr notes, uses betulah for a woman mourning the husband of her youth.^{4 sources}4 sources179. this site's data 180. this site's data 181. Joel 1:8 69. McConville 2015

Joel 1:8

BSBWail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.

KJV¶ Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

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Luke 2:7 · “kataluma — inn or guest room” κατάλυμα (kataluma)

Luke says there was no room in the kataluma, which the KJV renders 'inn', and names a manger without specifying a stable or a cave. A Bible Odyssey sidebar proposes an overcrowded relatives' guest room, while still assuming a stable. Justin, about AD 150 by the Catholic Encyclopedia's dating, places the birth in a cave near Bethlehem, as do the Protevangelium of James and the Orthodox Nativity feast.^{7 sources}7 sources86. Luke 2:6 87. Luke 2:7 182. Bird 53. Martyr 54. Arbez 1907 183. Protevangelium of James (tr. Walker, ANF 8, 1886)171. America

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KJVAnd she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

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Luke 2:2 · “first enrolment — or 'before' Quirinius?”

Luke dates this first enrolment to when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Huschke and Wieseler proposed translating it as a census taken 'before' Quirinius was governor, and Schürer (1890) rejected the proposal. Armitage reports that Nolland, Garland, Pearson and Porter favour the 'before' reading, that James Edwards calls it 'grammatically offensive', and that Pearson judges the Greek strange and grammar alone unable to decide.^{5 sources}5 sources18. Luke 2:1 19. Luke 2:2 20. Luke 2:3 133. Schürer 132. Armitage 2018

Luke 2:2

BSBThis was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

KJV(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

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Luke 3:23 · “'Joseph begot Jesus' — a Syriac reading”

The Sinaitic Syriac manuscript, published in 1894, reads at Matthew 1:16 that Joseph 'begot Jesus'. The Catholic Encyclopedia argues that its translator still knew the virgin birth, since the context keeps 'the virgin', and explains the reading as a copying change or a legal sense of 'begot'. Luke introduces Jesus' genealogy as '(as was supposed) the son of Joseph'.^{184 185 186}

Luke 3:23

BSBJesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

KJVAnd Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

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How it has been interpreted

Tradition

How different traditions have read the story, in their own terms.

Jewish: medieval commentator · Rashi — the prophet's wife, in Ahaz's fourth year

Rashi reads the young woman as Isaiah's own wife, glossing the verse 'My wife will conceive this year', which he dates to Ahaz's fourth year. The sign is that she, who had never prophesied, is inspired to name the child; he links her to 'the prophetess' of Isaiah 8:3. In that year, he writes, Assyria took Damascus and killed Rezin, and Hoshea killed Pekah. He rejects Hezekiah, who by his count was born nine years before his father's reign.^{7 sources}7 sources27. Rashi 4. Isaiah 7:14 28. Isaiah 8:3 29. Rashi 30. 2 Kings 16:9 31. 2 Kings 15:30 161. Rashi

Jewish: medieval commentator · Ibn Ezra — a son of the prophet, a sign for Ahaz

Ibn Ezra explains almah as a girl of a certain age, 'whether she be a virgin or not', citing Proverbs 30:19. He rejects Hezekiah and concludes, 'I think', that Immanuel was a son of Isaiah like Maher-shalal-hash-baz and Shear-jashub, citing Isaiah 8:18 on the prophet's children as signs. He is surprised that some refer the verse to Jesus, since the sign was given to Ahaz and Jesus was born many years later.^{4 sources}4 sources5. Ezra 70. Ezra 71. Proverbs 30:19 160. Isaiah 8:18

Jewish: modern · Hoffman and the Jewish Encyclopedia — a young woman, not a messianic text

Joel Hoffman, a Jewish translator, writes that Isaiah 7:14 'is not about a virgin birth except through mistranslation': the Septuagint rendered almah, 'young woman', as parthenos, an inadvertent shift he calls typical of it, citing Genesis 24:16. The Jewish Encyclopedia (1904) notes that the name Immanuel does not occur in the Talmud and Midrash, which it says seems to show that the messianic application was not known in Jewish circles.^{72 100 74}

Show 11 more interpretations (Early church: Greek, Catholic, Orthodox…)

Early church: Greek · Justin and Irenaeus — an extraordinary sign

Justin argues that if Jesus had been born by ordinary intercourse, God would not have called it a sign; Irenaeus asks what great sign there would be in a young woman conceiving by a man. Irenaeus stresses that Jews made the Septuagint 'much before the period of our Lord's advent', so that no one could suspect them of translating to suit Christians. Justin accuses Trypho's teachers of rejecting the Septuagint in places so as to apply the verse to Hezekiah.^{4 sources}4 sources6. Martyr 108. Irenaeus 62. Irenaeus 187. Martyr

Catholic · The Catholic Encyclopedia — the Messiah, and ever-virgin

The Catholic Encyclopedia argues that Immanuel is neither a son of Isaiah nor of Ahaz but the Messiah, because Isaiah 8:8 calls Palestine 'the land of Emmanuel' as elsewhere it is the land of the LORD. It grants that Jewish Christians reached the verse's 'full meaning' only through its fulfilment. It defines the virgin birth as Mary's virginity 'before, during, and after' her son's conception and birth, and reports that Mary's virginity was defined under anathema at the Lateran Council of 649.^{5 sources}5 sources114. Maas 1909 112. Isaiah 8:8 67. Maas 1912 92. Maas 1912 188. Maas 1912

Orthodox · Orthodox writers — the sign, the ever-virgin, and the narrative

Vladislav Topalović (2017) writes that a birth from a woman who was not a virgin would be no sign, and that the entire patristic tradition holds this. Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) writes that Orthodox call Mary ever-virgin because it has never been demonstrated that she had other children, and rejects the immaculate conception. Alexandru Moldovan (2025) calls Matthew 1–2 'historical-artistic-midrashic' while holding that its historical basis is not a 'fabrication' of the evangelist.^{189 89 120}

Protestant: Lutheran · Luther — almah and the always-virgin

Luther's Smalcald Articles (1537), a Lutheran confession in the Book of Concord, confess the Son born of 'the pure, holy [and always] Virgin' Mary. Orr (1907) quotes Luther offering 100 florins to anyone, Jew or Christian, who could prove that almah anywhere in Scripture means a married woman.^{169 22}

Protestant: evangelical · David Wenham — two apparently independent accounts

Writing in the evangelicalEvangelicalThe National Association of Evangelicals describes evangelicals as people who take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; it derives the name from Greek euangelion, “good news” or “gospel”.From: EvangelicalsAll terms → journal Themelios, David Wenham argues that Matthew and Luke are apparently independent accounts, 'witness their differences', which both agree that Jesus was miraculously born of Mary. He judges it 'very probable' that the tradition predates both Gospels, and grants that the accounts are difficult to harmonise.⁶³

Protestant: Anglican · George Sinclair — the right word, and a greater fulfilment

George Sinclair (Anglican Network in Canada) argues that Jewish translators rendered the verse a century or more before Jesus with a word 'that unambiguously means virgin', so Matthew 'quotes the text correctly'. He argues that Old Testament prophecies 'regularly have multiple meanings': the verse can refer to a young woman in one case and find a greater fulfilment in a virgin.⁶⁴

Academic (critical) · McConville — beyond Isaiah's horizon

J. G. McConville concludes that the sign concerns a young woman who cannot be identified, bearing a son who cannot be identified, at a time that cannot be determined, and endorses Childs' view that it is 'idle to speculate'. He writes that Matthew applies Immanuel to Jesus 'in a way that transcends the horizons of Isaiah', following the Septuagint's parthenos to support Jesus' virginal conception.^{69 68}

Academic (critical) · Bond and Sebothoma — two accounts, two routes

Helen Bond reads the infancy stories as setting up each Gospel's themes: Matthew's royal Jesus and new Moses, Luke's Jesus who came for the poor and whose story touches world events. Both place the birth in Bethlehem, she notes, but in Matthew the family already lives there, while Luke brings a Nazareth family there by a census. Sebothoma lists the accounts' agreements, notes that Matthew 2:2–22 has no parallel in Luke, and asks whether Luke depends on Matthew.^{10 141 190}

Jehovah's Witnesses · Insight on the Scriptures — a first Immanuel and a final fulfilment

Insight on the Scriptures says almah means 'maiden' and can apply to a virgin or a nonvirgin, and that Matthew, 'under divine inspiration', used parthenos to show the verse's final fulfilment. It rules out Hezekiah and allows a first Immanuel in Isaiah's day, perhaps a son of Isaiah, as a type of Jesus. The Watchtower calls James and Jude Jesus' half brothers, later children of Mary and Joseph.^{5 sources}5 sources115. Bible 33. Bible 65. 2 Kings 16:2 66. 2 Kings 18:2 95. Bible

Latter-day Saints · Born of a virgin, without perpetual virginity

The Book of Mormon reproduces Isaiah 7 as 2 Nephi 17, whose chapter heading says 'Christ will be born of a virgin'. In 1 Nephi 11 Nephi sees in vision a virgin in Nazareth, called 'the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh', and Alma 7:10 says the Son of God shall be born of Mary, 'she being a virgin'. The Guide to the Scriptures adds that after Jesus' birth 'Mary had other children'.^{5 sources}5 sources191. Saints 192. Saints 193. Saints 93. Saints 94. Mark 6:3

Islamic · The Qur'an — a fatherless birth, without divine sonship

In the Qur'an God's Spirit appears to Mary as a man and announces a son, and she asks how, since no mortal has touched her (19:16–21). The pangs of childbirth drive her to the trunk of a palm tree (19:22–25), and the infant Jesus speaks from the cradle as God's servant and a prophet (19:27–30). The Qur'an says it does not befit God to take a son (19:35). Ibn KathirIbn KathirAn Arab historian and scholar who taught at Damascus (1301–1373), according to the first Encyclopaedia of Islam. He wrote a universal history and a commentary on the Qur’an.From: Islam; Islam; IslamAll terms → explains the name 'son of Maryam' by his having no father.^{7 sources}7 sources194. The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)195. The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)196. The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)197. The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)198. The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)199. The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)200. Kathir

Where it fits

Isaiah 7:14 — Isaiah announces a sign to the house of David: a woman described as ha-almah will bear a son and call him Immanuel. The verse does not say who the woman is or link the child to a named historical person.^{107 4}
Isaiah 7:16 — The land of the two kings Ahaz fears will be deserted before the child is old enough to tell good from evil. This gives the sign a time limit.^{25 26}
Matthew 1:23 — Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14 with the Greek parthenos and explains Emmanuel as 'God with us'. He says these events fulfil what the Lord spoke through the prophet.^{2 3 4}

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Luke 1:34–35 — Mary asks how she can conceive when she has not had sexual relations with a man. The angel says the Holy Spirit will come upon her and she will be overshadowed by the power of the Most High.^{24 36}
Luke 2:2 — Luke places the first enrolment during Quirinius' governorship of Syria. Schürer writes that this dates a census like Quirinius' about ten or twelve years before it took place.^{4 sources}4 sources18. Luke 2:1 19. Luke 2:2 20. Luke 2:3 9. Schürer

Where else the Bible mentions it

Text

Isaiah 8:3–4 The prophetess bears a son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, with a time limit, before he can say 'my father' or 'my mother', that echoes 7:16. Justin reads 8:4 with 7:14 to challenge the Hezekiah reading.
^8:3And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. ⁴For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
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Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel recurs as the Assyrian flood fills the land. The Catholic Encyclopedia reads the verse as identifying Immanuel with the Messiah; Buckles and Leonard say it 'certainly refers to Hezekiah'.
⁸It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
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Isaiah 8:18 Ibn Ezra cites the prophet's children as signs when proposing that Immanuel was a son of Isaiah.
¹⁸Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
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Show 8 more passages

Micah 5:2 In Matthew 2:4–6 the chief priests and scribes cite this prophecy when they tell Herod that the Christ is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea.
²But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel — One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
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Hosea 11:1 Matthew links the family's stay in Egypt with Hosea's words about God calling his son out of Egypt.
¹When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.
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John 7:41–42 Some in a Jerusalem crowd object that the Christ comes from David's town, Bethlehem, not from Galilee; John states their expectation without narrating Jesus' birth there.
^7:41Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? ⁴²Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
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John 1:45–46 Philip calls Jesus 'of Nazareth, the son of Joseph'; Miller notes that John gives no hint this is mistaken.
^1:45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
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Mark 6:3 Jesus' townspeople call him 'the son of Mary' and name four brothers. Miller writes that 'We just don't know' whether the phrase was derogatory, but in context no insult seems intended.
³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
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Luke 3:23 Luke introduces the genealogy with Jesus '(as was supposed) the son of Joseph', son of Heli, while Matthew names Joseph's father as Jacob. The Catholic Encyclopedia reports two harmonisations: Luke gives Mary's line; or, after Julius Africanus, both lines are Joseph's, joined by a levirate marriage.
²³Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
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Acts 5:37 Acts mentions Judas of Galilee, who rose up at the time of 'the taxing'; Josephus links his revolt to Quirinius' assessment.
³⁷After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.
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Galatians 4:4 Paul says God's Son was 'made of a woman' and 'of the seed of David', without explicitly describing a virginal conception. Orr grants this but argues that even complete silence would not support the objectors' conclusion.
⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
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Test your understanding

Which word stands in Isaiah's Hebrew, and which in the Greek translation Matthew quotes?

Isaiah has almah; the Septuagint and Matthew have parthenos.^{4 sources}4 sources107. Isaiah 7:13 4. Isaiah 7:14 7. this site's data 3. Matthew 1:23

Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23

Whom does Rashi identify as the young woman of the sign?

Isaiah's own wife, who conceives in the fourth year of Ahaz.^{27 4 28}

Isaiah 7:14

What does Isaiah say will happen before the child is old enough to tell good from evil?

The land of the two kings Ahaz fears will be deserted.^{25 26}

Isaiah 7:15–16

What census does Josephus attest under Quirinius?

A property assessment of Judea after Archelaus' removal, about AD 6–7.^{5 sources}5 sources38. Josephus 9. Schürer 19. Luke 2:2 39. Acts 5:37 40. Josephus

Luke 2:2 Acts 5:37

Which Gospel tells of the shepherds, and which of the magi?

Luke tells of the shepherds; Matthew tells of the magi, who enter a house.^{9 sources}9 sources201. Luke 2:15 202. Luke 2:16 203. Luke 2:17 204. Luke 2:18 205. Luke 2:19 206. Luke 2:20 81. Matthew 2:9 82. Matthew 2:10 83. Matthew 2:11

Luke 2:15–20 Matthew 2:11

The full text

Text

Isaiah 7:1–25

^7:1Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. ²When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind. ³Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, ⁴and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. ⁵For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: ⁶‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’

Continue reading (19 more verses)

^7:7But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen. ⁸For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. ⁹The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’” ¹⁰Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” ¹²But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” ¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. ¹⁵By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. ¹⁶For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. ¹⁷The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.” ¹⁸On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. ¹⁹And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes. ²⁰On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates —the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well. ²¹On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep, ²²and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. ²³And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found. ²⁴Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. ²⁵For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.

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Keep going

The crucifixion and burial of Jesus

McGowan presents the theory that Jesus' birth date was reckoned from his death: if he was conceived and died on 25 March, as some early Christians held, he was born nine months later on 25 December.⁹⁹

Did the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan happen?

Bond reads Matthew's infancy story as presenting Jesus as a new Moses, and Matthew links the return from Egypt to Hosea's words about God's son.^{5 sources}5 sources10. Bond 207. Matthew 2:13 208. Matthew 2:14 209. Matthew 2:15 210. Hosea 11:1

Cite this page

Plain citation

The Nativity and Isaiah 7:14: virgin or young woman? Know the Text. Question lens, version 1, revised 2026-11-08, Fact-checked. https://knowthetext.com/question/stories/nativity-isaiah-7-14/

Chicago-style note

Know the Text, “The Nativity and Isaiah 7:14: virgin or young woman?” Question lens, version 1, revised 2026-11-08, Fact-checked, https://knowthetext.com/question/stories/nativity-isaiah-7-14/.

BibTeX

@misc{knowthetext-nativity-isaiah-7-14,
  author = {{Know the Text}},
  title = {The Nativity and Isaiah 7:14: virgin or young woman?},
  howpublished = {Know the Text, Question lens},
  url = {https://knowthetext.com/question/stories/nativity-isaiah-7-14/},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Version 1; revised 2026-11-08; Fact-checked}
}

Sources

210 sources from 151 works

1
Matthew 1:18↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
2
Matthew 1:22↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
3
Matthew 1:23↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ ↩^j
4
Isaiah 7:14↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ ↩^j ↩^k ↩^l ↩^m ↩ⁿ ↩^o
Abraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Isaiah 7:14 (tr. M. Friedlander, 1873, public domain, via Sefaria)
- 5
  Isaiah 7:14↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ
- 70
  Isaiah 7:14, on Proverbs 30:19↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, chs. 69-88 (tr. Dods and Reith, ANF 1, 1885)
- 6
  ch. 84↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 53
  ch. 78↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
7
Checked in this site's verse database: Septuagint Isaiah 7:14 (Brenton Greek)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
How this was derived
SELECT std_ref FROM verses WHERE work_id='lxx-brenton-gr' AND std_ref='Isa.7.14' AND text LIKE '%παρθένος%'
8
Checked in this site's verse database: BDB entry for almah (H5959)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
How this was derived
SELECT a.text FROM lexicon_links l JOIN lexicon_articles a ON a.lexicon=l.lexicon AND a.id=l.article_id WHERE l.strong='H5959' AND l.lexicon='BDB'
Emil Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Div. I, vol. 2 (Eng. tr., T&T Clark/Scribner, 1890)
- 9
  p. 107↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
- 42
  p. 124↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 44
  p. 133↩^a ↩^b
- 45
  §17, Excursus I, objection 4↩^a ↩^b
- 125
  §17, Excursus I, objection 1↩
- 126
  §17, Excursus I, objection 2↩
- 127
  §17, Excursus I, objection 3↩
- 128
  p. 142↩
- 133
  p. 135↩^a ↩^b
10
Helen K. Bond, “The Nativity (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, The Nativity↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ ↩^j
J. G. McConville, “Figures in Isaiah 7:14, in Conception, Reception and the Spirit (Cascade, 2015), author post-print” (2015)
- 11
  section "The Meaning of Immanuel"↩^a ↩^b
- 32
  section on the child↩
- 68
  section on reception↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 69
  section on ha-almah↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
- 113
  n. 11↩^a ↩^b
12
Matthew 2:1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
13
Matthew 2:2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
Emil Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Div. I, vol. 1 (Eng. tr., T&T Clark/Scribner, 1890)
- 14
  p. 466↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 124
  p. 465↩
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, “Insight on the Scriptures, vol. 2: Jesus Christ”
- 15
  Jesus Christ↩^a ↩^b
- 17
  His birth in relation to Herod's death↩^a ↩^b
- 96
  No basis for winter date of birth↩^a ↩^b
16
Luke 1:5↩^a ↩^b
18
Luke 2:1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h
19
Luke 2:2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ
20
Luke 2:3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
21
Emma K. Buckles and Jeffery Leonard, “Ahaz (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, Ahaz↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
James Orr, The Virgin Birth of Christ (Hodder and Stoughton, 1907)
- 22
  chapter on Old Testament prophecy↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
- 118
  lecture on the silence of Mark↩^a ↩^b
- 119
  lecture on the silence of Paul↩^a ↩^b
John Dominic Crossan, “Virgin mother or bastard child? (HTS Teologiese Studies 59.3)” (2003)
- 23
  section 6↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g ↩^h ↩ⁱ
- 79
  abstract↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 80
  section 3↩
- 88
  section 1↩^a ↩^b
24
Luke 1:34↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
25
Isaiah 7:15↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
26
Isaiah 7:16↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
Rashi, Rashi on Isaiah 7:14 (Judaica Press, tr. A. J. Rosenberg, CC BY, via Sefaria)
- 27
  Isaiah 7:14, s.v. "the young woman"↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 161
  Isaiah 7:14, s.v. "Immanuel"↩^a ↩^b
28
Isaiah 8:3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
29
Rashi, Rashi on Isaiah 7:16 (Judaica Press, tr. A. J. Rosenberg, CC BY, via Sefaria), Isaiah 7:16↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
30
2 Kings 16:9↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
31
2 Kings 15:30↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
33
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, “Insight on the Scriptures, vol. 1: Immanuel”, Immanuel↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
34
Matthew 1:24↩^a ↩^b
35
Matthew 1:25↩^a ↩^b
36
Luke 1:35↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
37
Robert J. Miller, “Was Jesus Illegitimate? (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, Was Jesus Illegitimate?↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (tr. William Whiston, 1737; Project Gutenberg 2848)
- 38
  Antiquities 18.1.1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 40
  Antiquities 17.13.5↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 41
  Antiquities 18.2.1↩^a ↩^b
39
Acts 5:37↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
David J. Armitage, “Detaching the Census: An Alternative Reading of Luke 2:1-7 (Tyndale Bulletin 69.1)” (2018)
- 43
  p. 76↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 130
  p. 76, n. 3↩
- 132
  p. 76, n. 6↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 134
  Summary↩^a ↩^b
- 135
  conclusion↩^a ↩^b
- 139
  p. 77↩
46
Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book 4 (tr. Holmes, ANF 3, 1885), 4.19↩
Justin Martyr, First Apology (tr. Dods and Reith, ANF 1, 1885)
- 47
  ch. 34↩
- 149
  ch. 22↩^a ↩^b
W. M. Ramsay, Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? A Study on the Credibility of St. Luke (Hodder and Stoughton, 1898)
- 48
  ch. 11↩^a ↩^b
- 49
  ch. 9↩^a ↩^b
- 131
  ch. 11, p. 228↩^a ↩^b
- 137
  Preface, postscript↩
- 138
  ch. 7↩
50
Luke 2:4↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
51
John 7:41↩^a ↩^b
52
John 7:42↩^a ↩^b
54
Edward Arbez, Bethlehem (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2) (1907), Bethlehem of Juda↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
Origen, Against Celsus, Book 1 (tr. Crombie, ANF 4, 1885)
- 55
  ch. 51↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 76
  ch. 32↩
56
Morten Hørning Jensen, “Herod the Great (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, Herod the Great↩
57
Frederick Holweck, Holy Innocents (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 7) (1910), Holy Innocents↩
58
Matthew 2:16↩
Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Ephesians (ANF 1, 1885)
- 59
  ch. 19↩^a ↩^b
- 60
  Ephesians 19↩^a ↩^b
61
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, chs. 31-47 (tr. Dods and Reith, ANF 1, 1885), ch. 43↩^a ↩^b
Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.21 (ANF 1, 1885)
- 62
  3.21.1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 108
  3.21.6↩^a ↩^b
63
David Wenham, “Virgin birth and bodily resurrection (Themelios vol. 11, issue 1, editorial)”, editorial↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
64
George Sinclair, “Does Matthew Get Isaiah's Prophecy of the Virgin Birth Wrong? (The Gospel Coalition Canada)”, TGC Canada article↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
65
2 Kings 16:2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
66
2 Kings 18:2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
Anthony Maas, Virgin Birth of Christ (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 15) (1912)
- 67
  The Jewish Origin Theory↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 77
  Non-historical source of the Virgin Birth↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 92
  opening definition↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 147
  The Pagan Origin Theory↩^a ↩^b
- 148
  The Syncretic Theory↩^a ↩^b
- 184
  Integrity of the Gospel text↩
- 188
  Councils and creeds↩
71
Proverbs 30:19↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
72
Joel M. Hoffman, “Was There Really a Virgin Birth in the Bible? (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, Bible Odyssey article↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
73
Luke 1:31↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
74
Ludwig Blau and the Executive Committee of the Editorial Board, Immanuel (Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 6, p. 562) (1904), IMMANUEL↩^a ↩^b
75
Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 7:14 (London "Chaldee Paraphrase", 1871, public domain, via Sefaria), Isaiah 7:14↩^a ↩^b
Joseph Jacobs, Kaufmann Kohler, Richard Gottheil, Samuel Krauss, Jesus of Nazareth (Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 7) (1904)
- 78
  Jesus of Nazareth: In Jewish Legend↩
- 140
  Jesus of Nazareth: In Theology (signed K.)↩
- 146
  Jesus of Nazareth: In History (signed J.)↩
81
Matthew 2:9↩^a ↩^b
82
Matthew 2:10↩^a ↩^b
83
Matthew 2:11↩^a ↩^b
84
Brent Landau, “The Magi (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, The Magi↩
85
Walter Drum, Magi (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 9) (1910), Magi↩
86
Luke 2:6↩^a ↩^b
87
Luke 2:7↩^a ↩^b
89
Archbishop Dmitri (Royster), “Preparing for Christ's Nativity: The Virgin Mary in Prophecy and Christian Tradition (Orthodox Church in America)”, Preparing for Christ's Nativity↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
Jerome, The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary (Against Helvidius) (NPNF2 6, 1893)
- 90
  ch. 6↩
- 165
  translator's introduction↩
91
Deuteronomy 34:6↩
93
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Guide to the Scriptures: Mary, Mother of Jesus”, Mary, Mother of Jesus↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
94
Mark 6:3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
95
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, “Learning From Jesus' Human Family (The Watchtower, 2003)”, Learning From Jesus' Human Family↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
97
Luke 2:8↩
C. C. Martindale, Christmas (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3) (1908)
- 98
  Natalis Invicti↩
- 170
  Christmas↩
99
Andrew McGowan, “How December 25 Became Christmas (Bible History Daily, Biblical Archaeology Society)”, How December 25 Became Christmas↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
100
Genesis 24:16↩^a ↩^b
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, chs. 55-68 (tr. Dods and Reith, ANF 1, 1885)
- 101
  ch. 67↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
- 187
  ch. 68↩
102
Checked in this site's verse database: LSJ entry for parthenos (G3933)↩^a ↩^b
How this was derived
SELECT a.text FROM lexicon_links l JOIN lexicon_articles a ON a.lexicon=l.lexicon AND a.id=l.article_id WHERE l.strong='G3933' AND l.lexicon='LSJ' AND a.text LIKE '%unmarried women who are not virgins%'
103
Checked in this site's verse database: Septuagint Genesis 24:43 with parthenos↩^a ↩^b
How this was derived
SELECT std_ref FROM verses WHERE work_id='lxx-brenton-gr' AND std_ref='Gen.24.43' AND text LIKE '%παρθένος%'
104
Checked in this site's verse database: Septuagint Exodus 2:8 with neanis↩^a ↩^b
How this was derived
SELECT std_ref FROM verses WHERE work_id='lxx-brenton-gr' AND std_ref='Exod.2.8' AND text LIKE '%νεᾶνις%'
105
Genesis 24:43↩^a ↩^b
106
Exodus 2:8↩^a ↩^b
107
Isaiah 7:13↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
109
Isaiah 7:10↩
110
Isaiah 7:11↩
111
Isaiah 7:12↩
112
Isaiah 8:8↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
114
Anthony Maas, Emmanuel (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 5) (1909), Emmanuel↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
115
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, “Insight on the Scriptures, vol. 2: Virgin”, Virgin: Messianic Prophecy↩^a ↩^b
W. A. Sebothoma, “Why did Paul make so little of the birth of Jesus? (HTS Teologiese Studies 50.3)” (1994)
- 116
  conclusion↩
- 141
  section 3.2.2↩^a ↩^b
- 190
  section 3.2.1↩
117
John 1:45↩^a ↩^b
120
Alexandru Moldovan, “Matthew 1-2 as Infancy Narrative: History, Theology and Midrashic Interpretation (Studia UBB Theologia Orthodoxa 70.2)” (2025), Literary Structure and Genre↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
121
Galatians 4:4↩
122
Romans 1:3↩
123
John 1:46↩^a ↩^b
129
Brent Landau, “Was Luke a Historian? (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, Was Luke a Historian?↩
Michael Bird, “Bethlehem (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”
- 136
  Bethlehem↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 182
  Bethlehem, sidebar↩
142
Matthew 2:4↩
143
Matthew 2:5↩
144
Matthew 2:6↩
145
Micah 5:2↩
150
Isaiah 7:1↩
151
Isaiah 7:2↩
152
Isaiah 7:5↩
153
Isaiah 7:6↩
154
Isaiah 7:7↩
155
Isaiah 7:9↩
156
Isaiah 7:17↩
157
Isaiah 7:20↩
158
Isaiah 7:23↩
159
Isaiah 7:24↩
160
Isaiah 8:18↩^a ↩^b
162
Mary Foskett, “Virgin Birth and What It Means (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)”, Bible Odyssey article↩
Protevangelium of James (tr. Walker, ANF 8, 1886)
- 163
  ch. 20↩
- 167
  ch. 9↩
- 183
  ch. 18↩
164
Matthew 13:55↩
166
Florentine Bechtel, The Brethren of the Lord (Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2) (1907), Brethren of the Lord↩
168
Orthodox Church in America, “Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God (Lives of the Saints, 26 December)”, Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God↩
169
Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles, Part I (1537), Book of Concord (bookofconcord.org), Part I↩^a ↩^b
171
Orthodox Church in America, “The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (Lives of the Saints, 25 December)”, Nativity of our Lord↩^a ↩^b
172
Checked in this site's verse database: Verses using almah (H5959)↩
How this was derived
SELECT group_concat(std_ref, ', ') FROM (SELECT DISTINCT std_ref FROM tokens WHERE root_strong='H5959' ORDER BY std_ref)
173
Checked in this site's verse database: Editions rendering Isaiah 7:14 "young woman"↩
How this was derived
SELECT group_concat(work_id, ', ') FROM verses WHERE std_ref='Isa.7.14' AND text LIKE '%young woman%'
174
Checked in this site's verse database: English editions reading "virgin" at Isaiah 7:14↩
How this was derived
SELECT count(*) FROM verses WHERE std_ref='Isa.7.14' AND work_id IN ('kjv','asv','web','bsb','ylt','darby','drc','geneva1599','lsv','brenton') AND lower(text) LIKE '%virgin%'
175
Checked in this site's verse database: BSB footnote on Isaiah 7:14↩
How this was derived
SELECT n.body FROM verse_notes n JOIN verses v ON v.id=n.verse_id WHERE v.std_ref='Isa.7.14' AND v.work_id='bsb' AND n.body='Or young woman'
176
Checked in this site's verse database: Septuagint Genesis 34:3 with parthenos↩
How this was derived
SELECT std_ref FROM verses WHERE work_id='lxx-brenton-gr' AND std_ref='Gen.34.3' AND text LIKE '%παρθένον%'
177
Genesis 34:2↩
178
Genesis 34:3↩
179
Checked in this site's verse database: BDB entry for betulah (H1330)↩
How this was derived
SELECT a.text FROM lexicon_links l JOIN lexicon_articles a ON a.lexicon=l.lexicon AND a.id=l.article_id WHERE l.strong='H1330' AND l.lexicon='BDB'
180
Checked in this site's verse database: Verses using betulah (H1330 and variants)↩
How this was derived
SELECT count(DISTINCT std_ref) FROM tokens WHERE root_strong LIKE 'H1330%'
181
Joel 1:8↩
185
Matthew 1:16↩
186
Luke 3:23↩
189
Vladislav Topalović, “Isaiah's Prophecy of the Birth of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) in Matthew's Account of the Birth of Messiah (Matthew 1:23) (Godišnjak, Orthodox Theological Faculty, Foča, 16)” (2017), section "A Virgin that gives birth – a sign"↩
191
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 17 (chapter heading)”, 2 Nephi 17 chapter heading↩
192
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 11”, 1 Nephi 11:18↩
193
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Book of Mormon, Alma 7”, Alma 7:10↩
The Qur'an, tr. M. M. Pickthall (in Three Translations of the Koran, Project Gutenberg 16955)
- 194
  Surah 19:20 (Pickthall)↩
- 195
  Surah 19:23 (Pickthall)↩
- 196
  Surah 19:29 (Pickthall)↩
- 197
  Surah 19:30 (Pickthall)↩
- 198
  Surah 19:35 (Pickthall)↩
- 199
  Surah 3:59 (Pickthall)↩
200
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged English) on Qur'an 3:45-47, via quran.com API, on 3:45↩
201
Luke 2:15↩
202
Luke 2:16↩
203
Luke 2:17↩
204
Luke 2:18↩
205
Luke 2:19↩
206
Luke 2:20↩
207
Matthew 2:13↩
208
Matthew 2:14↩
209
Matthew 2:15↩
210
Hosea 11:1↩

What the text actually says

Isaiah 7:1–9

Isaiah 7:10–17

Luke 1:26–38

Matthew 1:18–25

Luke 2:1–7

Luke 2:8–20

Matthew 2:1–11

Matthew 2:13–23

Luke 2:22–39

The evidence

The Hebrew word almah by itself means 'virgin'.

Isaiah's sign addresses the crisis Ahaz faced.

Matthew and Luke both narrate a virginal conception.

Quirinius conducted a Roman census of Judea about AD 6–7.

Luke's census under Quirinius took place during Herod's reign.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.

Herod ordered the killing of Bethlehem's young boys.

Christian writers of the second century affirmed Mary's virginity.

God brought about Jesus' conception without a human father.

Isaiah's sign has a divinely intended fuller fulfilment in Jesus.

What people get wrong

Hard questions

Does the virgin reading of Isaiah 7:14 rest on a mistranslation of almah?

The strongest case

Strongest responses

Plain assessment

If the sign was given to Ahaz, how can it be about Jesus?

The strongest case

Strongest responses

Plain assessment

Is the virginal conception a historical event, or a belief held on religious grounds?

The strongest case

Strongest responses

Plain assessment

Can Luke's census under Quirinius fit a birth in Herod's reign?

The strongest case

Strongest responses

Plain assessment

Was Jesus born in Bethlehem, or was the birthplace drawn from prophecy?

The strongest case

Strongest responses

Plain assessment

Was the virgin birth borrowed from pagan myths?

The strongest case

Strongest responses

Plain assessment

Background

A sign in a war Scholarship

Who was Immanuel? Scholarship

The census Josephus records Evidence

Virginal conception, virgin birth, immaculate conception Scholarship

Jesus' brothers and Mary's virginity Tradition

The date is a later question Scholarship

Where translations differ

Isaiah 7:14 · “almah — young woman or virgin?” עַלְמָה (almah)

Isaiah 7:14 · “'the young woman' or 'a virgin' in translation”

Isaiah 7:14 · Genesis 24:43 · Exodus 2:8 · Genesis 34:2 · Genesis 34:3 · “parthenos — the Greek translation” παρθένος (parthenos)

Joel 1:8 · “betulah — the other Hebrew word” בְּתוּלָה (betulah)

Luke 2:7 · “kataluma — inn or guest room” κατάλυμα (kataluma)

Luke 2:2 · “first enrolment — or 'before' Quirinius?”

Luke 3:23 · “'Joseph begot Jesus' — a Syriac reading”

How it has been interpreted

Jewish: medieval commentator · Rashi — the prophet's wife, in Ahaz's fourth year

Jewish: medieval commentator · Ibn Ezra — a son of the prophet, a sign for Ahaz

Jewish: modern · Hoffman and the Jewish Encyclopedia — a young woman, not a messianic text

Early church: Greek · Justin and Irenaeus — an extraordinary sign

Catholic · The Catholic Encyclopedia — the Messiah, and ever-virgin

Orthodox · Orthodox writers — the sign, the ever-virgin, and the narrative

Protestant: Lutheran · Luther — almah and the always-virgin

Protestant: evangelical · David Wenham — two apparently independent accounts

Protestant: Anglican · George Sinclair — the right word, and a greater fulfilment

Academic (critical) · McConville — beyond Isaiah's horizon

Academic (critical) · Bond and Sebothoma — two accounts, two routes

Jehovah's Witnesses · Insight on the Scriptures — a first Immanuel and a final fulfilment

Latter-day Saints · Born of a virgin, without perpetual virginity

Islamic · The Qur'an — a fatherless birth, without divine sonship

Where it fits

Where else the Bible mentions it

Test your understanding