From: ljmorly@polaris.utu.fi (Laura Johanna Manninen)
Subject: Re: Prov. 30:18-19
Organization: University of Turku
	<1992Sep22.202135.14445@cbfsb.cb.att.com>
Date: 26 Sep 92 12:40:24

In article <1992Sep22.202135.14445@cbfsb.cb.att.com> hillel@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (hillel.e.markowitz) writes:
> In article <LJMORLY.92Sep22220111@polaris.utu.fi> ljmorly@polaris.utu.fi (Laura Johanna Manninen) writes:
> >Prov. 30:18-19: "There are three things that are too amazing for me,
> >four that I do not understand: the way of and eagle in the sky, the way 
> >of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way
> >of a man with a maiden. (b'almah)" (NIV) 
[...]
> >BT>I read that verse on my own for years and never once thought of looking at
> >BT>it that way until I found out what the rabbis said.  Instead, I understood
> >BT>the *obvious* meaning, for which the implication *is* clear:  The way an
> >BT>eagle flies is wonderful (and it is), also the way a serpent moves, and
> >BT>the way a ship moves in the sea.  These things are marvelous.  I know,
> >BT>I've observed or participated in all of them!  :-)  No matter how much I
> >BT>learn about flight, muscle control, the construction of feathers, the
> >BT>skeletel structure of snakes, or marine navigation, I'll never fully
> >BT>understand how they do it; it's too wonderful for me.

> And of course, you understood how the wonderfulness was tied into
> the next sentence.

Really ?

> 20:  So is the way of an adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes
>     her mouth, and says, "I have not sinned".

> That is just as the previous things happen and cannot be seen
> afterwards, so too the adulterous woman says it hasn't happened
> because you cannot detect it.

It surely can be detected afterwards !!! Especially if you are talking 
about a not-married girl, who used to be virgins back then. (ref. the 
4th case in verse 19) That's why the word 'almah' means 'virgin', no
matter married or not. 

> >I'll explain briefly, why the word 'almah' can't mean anything else but
> >'virgin'. So far, there are three possibilities for its meaning:
> >1. virgin - the traditional Christian view
> >2. young woman, not married - the traditional Rabbinic view
> >   (R. Alcalay: young woman, maiden, damsel, marriegeable girl; Miss)
> >3. young woman, married or not - Hillel Markowitz
> >   (although Hillel thinks it can mean 'virgin' as well <grin>)

> Just to show that it is not something I made up, I will repeat what
> I originally wrote.

> RaDak goes into detail on this pointing out that the term almah
> is a reference to the young woman's age just as "naarah" is.  He
> quotes the usage of the masculine term "elem" which is used as a
> reference to the age of a young man as well as the quote from
> Proverbs above.  He then lists the two possibilities (the
> prophet's or the king's wife) and says that it must have been
> the king's wife.

Errare humanum est. It would be interesting to know, what YOU think 
about this. I'll give you once again the references for the word
'almah': Gen. 24:43, Ex. 2:8, Ps. 68:26, Prov. 30:19, Song of Songs
1:3, 6:8, Is. 7:14.

- Laura
--
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