[Mrs. Don-o]

Sorry I don't have time to look this up right now and give you links, but as I remember it:

• the original Hebrew word , almah, doesn't distinguish between "young woman" and "technical virgin," but it doesn't matter, because a young woman of good character was assumed to be a virgin, and nobody was asking for a gynecological examination--- not to be crude, but there were certain cultural assumptions that if she was a normal young Jewish woman, not married, and not a whore, she was a virgin.
• The Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, produced by Jewish Hebrew scholars a couple of centuries BC, which was used by Jewish communities throughout the Mediterranean basin --- which was by far the mot widespread version at the time of Christ, and was the translation used by the New Testament writers themselves, the Septuagint, used a word which did mean, specificially, virgin--- parthenos? --- which certainly indicates that THEY (Jewish scholars of the time)thought it means "virgin."
• If the prophcy was fulfilled by the birth of an (ordinary) child in the time of Ahaz, that's no problem, since most prophecies have multiple layers of meanings. The earlier fulfillments are called "types," and they serve as prefigurings of the greater miracles to come.
• The Isaiah prophecy is supposed to be a "great sign" or "wonder" or "miracle." A "young woman" becoming pregnant is not much of a miracle. A virgin becoming pregnant --- that would qualify!

  OK, here's a link with some discussion on th translation issue.

[kosciusko51]

Sorry I did not see your link before I wrote. Good stuff!

[RegulatorCountry]

My great grandmother was named Parthenia, and I’ve understood the meaning that inspired the name to support what you’ve written.

Birth to a young woman would not have been noteworthy. Birth to a virgin, however, would definitely have been.