Isaiah 7:14 — "Virgin or Young Woman"

Congregationalist scholarship has adopted historical-critical approaches to Isaiah 7:14. Many scholars acknowledge that the Hebrew almah ('young woman') is the primary meaning in original context, likely referring to a historical figure in Hezekiah's court. However, Congregationalists affirm the virgin birth of Jesus as a Christian doctrine attested in Matthew and Luke, arguing that Christian belief in the virgin birth does not depend on reading Isaiah 7:14 as a direct prophecy. The denomination's approach separates the historical meaning of Isaiah from the christological reinterpretation in Matthew's Gospel.