VIRGIN (r151M, ; Vulg. virgo). The word rl9'11-13 ocCurs.fift;times in the O. T., and is translated by rapNvos. in the Sept. except in two instances. It is rendered once by vearts (1 Kings L 2) and once by yopfpri (Joel i. 8). See Gen. xxiv. 16 ; Exod. xxii. 15, 16, ; Lev. xxi. ; Dent. xxii., xxxii. ; Judg. xxi., etc. MA) occurs seven times, in four of which it is rendered veares, puella (Exod. ii. 8 ; Ps. lxviii. 25 ; Cant. i. 3 ; vi. 8) ; in one (Prov. xxx. 19) vc6rns, and in two (Gen. xxiv. 43 ; Is. vii. 14) rap04vos. The same word is also rendered virgo in the Vulgate in these two passages ; in Exod. ii. 8, piella ; in Ps. lxviii. 26, jztvencula ; in Cant. i. 3, and vi. 8, adolescen tala ; and in Prov. xxx. 19, aa'olescentia, after the Sept. The Syriac follows the LXX. in Is. vii. 14, but in all the other passages agrees with Aquila, Synamachus, and Theodotion, who tmnslate by veCons, not only in Ps. lxviii. z6 ; Gen. xxxiv. 43 ; Exod. ii. 8 ; Prov. xxx. 19 (in which they agree with the Sept.), but also in Is. vii. 14. Justin Martyr (Dial. c. Tryph.) complains of the par tiality of the Greek translators in rendering MAI here by prams (a term which does not necessarily include the idea of virginity), accusing these Jewish writers of wishing to neutralise the application to the Messiah of this passage, which the Jews of his time referred to Hezekiah. Gesenius (Comm. in
Isa.) maintains, notwithstanding, that yeeim, not 7rapOlvos, is the correct rendering in Is. vii. 14, while he at the same time agrees with Justin that the prediction cannot possibly refer to Hezekiah, who was born nine years before its delivery. Fiirst (Concordance) explains r1n5j, by puella, virgo, bilis illa vel nupta, tenera et florens tate, valens ac vegeta ; but Hengstenberg (Christology), although admitting that rIny does not necessarily mean a virgin (which he conceives is plain from Prov. xxx. 19), maintains that it is always applied in Scrip ture to an unmarried woman. St. Matthew (i. 23), who cites from the LXX., applies the passage (Is. vii. 14) to the miraculous birth of Jesus from the blessed Virgin. Professor Robinson (Gr. and Eng. Lexicon) considers rapelros here to signify a bride, or newly-married woman, as in IIomer ii• .514)