Christograph

Isaiah 7:14 — "Virgin or Young Woman"

Whether the Hebrew word 'almah' in Isaiah 7:14 should be translated as 'virgin' (as in the Septuagint and Matthew 1:23) or 'young woman,' and the implications for the doctrine of the virgin birth.

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Overall consensus83/100

Baptist (Southern Baptist Convention)

Baptist (Southern Baptist Convention)

Evangelical

Affirms

Isaiah 7:14 prophesies the virgin birth; fulfilled in Matthew 1

Southern Baptist theology affirms the traditional reading of Isaiah 7:14 as a messianic prophecy of the virgin birth of Christ. The virgin birth is affirmed as essential Christian doctrine, central to Baptist faith and preaching. The BFM2000 explicitly affirms that Jesus was 'born of a virgin' (Article II.B).

Baptist biblical scholarship generally treats Isaiah 7:14 as a clear Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in the miraculous conception of Jesus recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 1.

Key Distinctions

Almah translation:
virgin birth essential to Baptist faith
Prophecy fulfillment:
plainly fulfilled in Matthew's account
Marian doctrine:

Scripture References

Sources

  • Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article II.B
  • E. Y. Mullins, The Baptist Faith and Message (1912)
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