Virgin or Young Woman? Septuagint Slip

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible known as the Septuagint, translators may have misrendered the Hebrew 'almah ("young woman") as parthenos ("virgin"). That choice produced the prophecy "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son…" in Isaiah 7:14, shaping centuries of Christian theology about Mary. This mistranslation blurred the difference between youth and virginity, giving the verse a messianic meaning that continues to fuel debate.

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