BeTHuL(T)aH ... or... ALMAH ?

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^{Isaiah 7}

^{Courtesy of www.Biblegateway.com}

¹⁰ Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. ¹² But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.  ¹³ And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God  also?

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself 

shall give you a SIGN; 

 Behold, 

a virgin 

[  ALMAH, Hebrew,]

[BETHULTAH, Aramaic ]

shall conceive, 

and bear a SON+,  

and shall call HIS Name 

IMMANUEL +. 

¹⁵ Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Now, let's look at the Aramaic of Isaiah 7:14 
courtesy of the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL), 
Cincinnati, Ohio; 
Hebrew Union College:

ܡܛܠ ܗܢܐ ܢܬܠ ܠܟܘܢ ܡܪܝܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܐܬܐ܂ ܗܐ ܒܬܘܠܬܐ ܒܿܛܢܬ ܘܝܿܠܕܐ ܒܪܐ܂ ܘܢܬܩܪܐ ܫܡܗ ܥܡܢܘܐܝܠ 

Abbreviations Help

CAL CODE HELP

Click on a headword to see a complete lexicon entry in another window

btwlh noun sg. emphatic

btwlh, btwltˀ (bt̠ūlā, bt̠ūltā) n.f. virgin

Mand: ptulta

  1 virgin Com. --(a) woman who has not given birth JBA.
  2 (astron.) Virgo Qum, Syr.

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We see above that CAL lists "bethula or bethulta" as VIRGIN, as found referenced in the dialects of Common Aramaic and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, and additionally as VIRGO ( the Latin "virgin" ) in the Qumran scrolls as well as the Syriac.

The witness of Scripture tells us that "this ALMAH" written by Isaiah in 7:14,   the Hebrew virgin Mariam, was chaste... that is, she had not yet exercised the organs of pro-creation of the human race ... as she became with Child+. 

We know this is true due to: 

• the words of Gabriel
• Mariam's own questions
• by Joseph, her Gowra-guardian, her betrothed husband's reaction
• by ALAHA speaking to Joseph in a dream, with instructions and ALAHA'S defense of Mariam's chastity and fidelity
• by Joseph's obedience to the Voice of The LORD 

Thus, the focus of our discussion today is NOT upon Mariam's chastity which has already been established in the HOLY TEXTS, but rather why did Isaiah's Anointing state that she was an ALMAH... and not a Bethulah or Bethultah ?

The significance of this "bethultah" being identified as an ALMAH is revealed by the root of the word ALMAH... a word inspired by ALAHA, recorded under Divine Inspiration by Isaiah. 

ALMAH's root is from the Hebrew word "OLAM." That word has reference to the hidden Eternal place or era... that which is to come... that which is hidden from our view. Thus it most often is translated as "eternity."

Now then, does this understanding of ALMAH fit the context ?  

YES!   Looking at Isaiah 7:11, we see The LORD instructing the king of Judah, King Ahaz, to do something: 

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 

King Ahaz refused to co-operate, but The LORD took care of that problem.  HE hid the SIGN+ ...which was intended to be of comfort to King Ahaz ...from his view !

> > >  The SIGN+ was hidden due to his un-belief. <  <  <

Here, in the setting we find for Isaiah 7:14, were grown men, yea, even a king of JUDAH, with whom no-one could do anything. King Ahaz was, unfortunately, un-interested in what  The LORD had to say and totally un-yielded unto HIS ways .... loudly and visibly un-yielded !

The SIGN+, we see, was that The LORD would show these leaders exactly whom HE would choose: a little, hidden-away Galilean girl, chaste and pure in her maidenhood yet to be sure, but  whose ONLY IDENTITY in life was that she was The LORD'S servant, HIS hand-maiden. 

This little hand-maiden, non-important in the eyes of man and the leaders of Judah, was important in the eyes of The LORD. 

HE could call to her... and she answered !

HE could speak to her... and she obeyed !

HE could use her to bring forth HIS own humble SON+ ... and she would house HIM+ in her UN-OPENED WOMB and robe HIM+ with her humble flesh.  

Was she "immaculate?"  

NO.  

But she was obedient 

and that obedience stemmed from 

a heart of humbleness. 

 As a matter of fact, her ONLY identity is summed up as an obedient heart to do HIS Divine Will. 

Even King Ahaz, the king of Judah, could not match that obedience. 

Furthermore, this ALMAH of GOD's choosing, The Hebrew virgin Mariam, remained hidden throughout her days.  She fled to her cousin Elizabeth's house to rejoice in her calling.  

Her guardian-gowra, yes, her espoused husband Joseph whom she had not "known" yet as a husband,  hid her in a cave used as a stable in over-crowded Bethlehem at the time of her delivery of the LAMB+ of GOD, the Immanuel+, the WORD+ Made Flesh Who+ dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.   

By hiding her, the Royal BIRTH+ was hidden from all the hierarchy of Jerusalem and revealed to the lowly, humble shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night.  Even the inn-keeper's eyes were hidden from the event ! 

The dragon with its 7 heads and 10 crowned-horns of Revelation 12 was not even aware  of the specifics of this Royal BIRTH+.  

We know this is true because the dragon missed devouring the Man-CHILD+ that was born of the ALMAH, the Hebrew Bethultah , the HIDDEN VIRGIN of Israel...  even though he stood before her as she was about to give birth!   

BUT.... SIGNS are not meant to be hidden from EVERYONE... just from the hardened of heart. 

So... to whom was the Arm of The LORD revealed  in this event of the BETHULTAH / ALMAH's virgin conception and subsequent virgin birth of Our LORD YESHUA+ HA MASHIYACH+ ? 

To quite a few, as listed in Scripture: 

1. Firstly, to the Prophet Isaiah ! 
2. then, to the lowly Galilean maiden, Mariam
3. her Gowra-espoused husband, Joseph
4. her cousin Elizabeth
5. to Elizabeth's child, John the Baptist, leaping in the womb ! 
6. to the Magi enroute to give worship, following the Star
7. to the Angels announcing HIS+ Birth, filling the sky with their worship and praise and song
8. to the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night who received the Angelic host
9. to all those the shepherds told as they hastened into Bethlehem that night
10. to the Righteous and Devout man, Simeon, who was awaiting the Consolation+ of Israel
11. To the Prophetess Anna
12. To those who knew that Joseph, Mariam, and the Divine BABE+ had fled into Egypt to escape Herod's killing of the Innocents

( To be continued: How the Early Church Fathers viewed this Momentous  Hidden Event ). 

The Hidden ALMAH and Revelation 12

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artist: Justinen Creative
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Revelation 12

Courtesy of  BibleGateway.Com

Graphics and Aramaic changes by Sr. Judith Hannah  + + +

And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven; a WOMAN  clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

² And she being with CHILD+ cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

³ And there appeared another wonder in Heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

⁴ And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the WOMAN which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her CHILD+ as soon as it was born.

⁵ And she brought forth a MAN CHILD+, WHO+ was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her CHILD+ was caught up unto ALAHA and to HIS throne.

⁶ And the WOMAN fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of ALAHA, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

⁷ And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven.

⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our ALAHA and the power of HIS MASHIYACH+: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our ALAHA day and night.

¹¹ And they overcame him by the Blood of the LAMB+, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

¹² Therefore rejoice, ye Heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

¹³ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the WOMAN which brought forth the MAN CHILD+.

¹⁴ And to the WOMAN were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

¹⁵ And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the WOMAN, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

¹⁶ And the earth helped the WOMAN, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 


¹⁷ And the dragon was wroth with the WOMAN, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of ALAHA, and have the testimony of YESHUA+ HA+ MASHIYACH+.

The HIDDEN Connection  ~ ~ ~

Here we see a strange vision of something happening in the supernatural realm , in a supernatural way, which supersedes the NORMAL way things are done in the realm of man.

 The Aged Apostle John was given this vision, in part, to explain the First Coming of YESHUA+ HA MASHIYACH+. 

Through the eyes of GOD (ALAHA), this is  what actually took place in the Heavenlies. 

It is a more real account of His+ Advent than that account which deals only with His+ human, physical descent into the physical womb of the physical Hebrew virgin, Mariam... even though HIS+ physical descent was SUPERNATURAL in itself!

It was an event that remained secluded, hidden from the eyes of MOST of the Jewish public, even as it was occurring. It was hidden back then... and it remains hidden even NOW... to the vast majority of our Jewish brethren, alas.  

~ ~ ~ More to come ! ~ ~ ~