Isaías 7
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 7
Spurgeon has a great sermon on this text which is worth taking a moment to ingest and digest - The Inexhaustible Barrel) Faith can be refused by the will, no matter how strong the evidences Ray Ortlund comments that "Ahaz proves here that faith can be refused by the will, no matter how strong the evidences. If we don’t want God, we can find a way to make our unbelief sound plausible, even pious!" The real problem with King Ahaz was the fact that he did not want to put his trust in God at all. Rod Mattoon - King Ahaz gave a pious answer to God's offer. Ahaz claimed he did not want to ask the Lord for a sign of deliverance because he didn't want to tempt or test the Lord. However, he wasn't concerned about this at all. Furthermore, the request for a sign would not be tempting the Lord because God was extending the invitation to him (cf Mal 3:10). The real problem with King Ahaz was the fact that he did not want to put his trust in God at all. His trust was in the King of Assyria. People today make the same mistake when they reject God's promise of salvation and the wonderful promises in His Word. They would rather trust in something else or be content in their unbelief. Brevard S. Childs, Isaiah, Old Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001), p. 65. Commenting on Ahaz’s response states, “Taken by itself, his response seems to have the trappings of true piety before such an awesome decision. However, this possible interpretation is immediately excluded by the prophet’s vehement response, which brands it as wearisome hypocrisy arising out of sheer unbelief” Ron Teed - Whereas Isaiah’s encounter with a holy God caused him to fall to his knees in true humility, Ahaz stands upright and displays a pseudo or pretend humility. Ahaz is being given a wonderful opportunity, but he blows it. God was willing to perform the most extraordinary miracle as a sign to Ahaz that Ahaz could trust God. Ahaz responds to God’s offer with a counterfeit piety, here drawing on Deuteronomy 6:16, which states it is wrong to put God to the test. The real reason, however, that he doesn’t want a sign is that he doesn’t want to follow God’s advice. He doesn’t want to do what God has told him to do. Ahaz preferred to worship idols and to say, “No thanks, I’ll do it myself.” How pig-headed can a person be? Oswalt...Evidence cannot create faith; it can only confirm it. Where there is not faith, evidence is merely unwelcome, something which needs to be explained away. But why should Ahaz hand himself over to the tender mercies of his ultimate enemy, a far worse threat than Syria or Ephraim? Once abandon a heartfelt conviction that God does truly care for us and is intimately involved with us, once abandon his perspective for our own, then suddenly decisions which are utterly foolish viewed from his perspective become intelligent and wise. When we cannot trust God, it suddenly makes good sense to trust our worst enemy. So John Wesley said, "If a man will not believe God, he will believe anything. Why he may believe a man could put himself into a quart bottle!" (Letters, VI:123). (BORROW The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39) Ray
Isaías 7
Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Hinneh is translated in the Septuagint with the interjection idou (strictly speaking a command in the second person aorist imperative, middle voice) a demonstrative particle (used 1377 times in the Septuagint and NT) which is found especially in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke "and giving a peculiar vivacity to the style by bidding the reader or hearer to attend to what is said: "Behold! See! Lo!" (Thayer) The command is calling for urgent attention. Do this now! Don't delay! It could be loosely paraphrased "Pay attention!" or "Listen up!" to arouse attention and introduce a new and extraordinary fact of considerable importance. W E Vine says that it is notable that when behold (hinneh) is used in Isaiah, it always introduces something relating to future circumstances. (BORROW isaiah prophecies promises warning) Uses of hinneh in Isaiah - Isa 3:1; 5:7, 26, 30; 6:7f; 7:14; 8:7, 18, 22; 10:33; 12:2; 13:9, 17; 17:1, 14; 19:1; 20:6; 21:9; 22:17; 24:1; 25:9; 26:21; 28:2, 16; 29:8, 14; 30:27; 34:5; 35:4; 36:6; 37:7, 11, 36; 38:5, 8, 17; 39:6; 40:9f; 41:15, 27; 42:9; 43:19; 47:14; 48:7, 10; 49:12, 22; 51:22; 52:6, 13; 54:11; 58:9; 59:9; 60:2; 62:11; 65:1, 6, 13f, 17f; 66:12, 15 Virgin (05959) ('almah) has several meanings depending on the context - young woman of marriageable age (Ge 24:43), maiden (Pr 30:19), girl (Ex 2:8), virgin. While some argue that 'almah is by no means an unambiguous Hebrew term for a virgin, it is notable that a passage such as Genesis 24:43 describes not only a young woman of marriageable age but one who undoubtedly is a virgin. Thus the use of 'almah by no means excludes the possibility that the intended meaning in Isaiah 7:14 is a literal virgin. 'Almah is never employed of a married woman. Rydelnik - Controversy has long surrounded the translation of ‘almah. Does it mean “young woman” or “virgin?” Etymologically, ‘almah is derived from a word which means “to be sexually strong, sexually mature, sexually ripe or ready,” emphasizing the age of the woman (pubescent) rather than indicating whether she was sexually active. However, the best way to determine the meaning of ‘almah is by examining its usage throughout the Hebrew Bible. If there were but one place in Scripture where ‘almah were to refer to a non-virgin (that is, as some maintain, “a young woman of marriageable age who is engaging in intercourse and on the verge of conception”), then it would dismiss the translation of the word as “virgin.” However, in every usage, the word is used either of a virgin (a woman who has not had sexual relations) or in a sense that is indeterminate, meaning it does not address the sexual experience of the young woman (cf. Gn 24:43; Ex 2:8; 1Ch 15:20; Pss 46:1; 68:25; Pr 30:19; Sg 1:3; 6:8). The passages that speak to the sexuality of the ‘almah always indicate that she was not sexually active. For example, in Gn 24, Rebekah is called an ‘almah (v. 43) and a betulah (general word for virgin, v. 16). In Ex 2:8, Miriam, Moses’ sister, is described as an ‘almah, and she is young and plainly a virgin. In Sg 6:8, the king’s harem is described as having sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens [alamot, plural of ‘almah] without number. The queens were those married to the king, the concubines those with whom he has had sexual relations, and the alamot were virgins who would either become concubines or queens. In Pr 30:19, the word ‘almah is used to describe the pure, romantic attraction between a maiden and a young man. Since the following verse (v. 20) contrasts that attraction with an immoral woman, it would be unlikely that the attraction in 30:19 was anything other than wholesome, and the word ‘almah would refer to a virgin. Beyond usage in the Hebrew Bible, in the intertestamental period the Septuagint (second-century BC Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) translated ‘almah as parthenos in Mt 1:23, an undisputed Greek word for virgin. (See the extended word study in Rydelnik’s The Messianic Hope, 151–55; see also the comments on Mt 1:22–23.) Based on the use of ‘almah in the Hebrew Bible, the meaning of the word is precise and specific, referring to a maiden who has just arrived at puberty but has not been sexually active. She is a virtuous maiden in the truest and purest sense. (SEE PAGE 1021 in MOODY BIBLE COMMENTARY) 'Almah - 7x in OT - Gen 24:43; Ex 2:8; Ps 68:25; Pr 30:19; Song 1:3; 6:8; Isa 7:14 Related Resources: The Virgin Birth in the Old Testament and Isaiah 7:14 - Charles Feinberg The Immanuel Prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 and its use in Matthew 1:23 - R Bruce Compton Word study on - Virgin (maiden) (01330) bethulah Word study on - Virgin parthenos Virgin - Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Virgin; Virginity - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Virgin virginity - Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament Without going into the various interpretations and arguments concerning the meaning of the Hebrew word 'almah, the Greek word parthenos chosen by the Hebrew translators of the Septuagint (Lxx) lends support to the interpretation of 'almah in Isaiah 7:14 as a virgin. BDAG says that parthenos is used "generally of a young woman of marriageable age, with or without focus on virginity" (See Mt 25:1, 11, 1Co 7:25, 28, 34). As an interesting aside, because the Jews' own Greek translation of the OT (Lxx was translated by Jewish scholars circa 150BC) negated their claims that 'almah did not mean virgin, Isaiah 7:14 is one of the reasons Jewish synagogues ceased using the Septuagint Scriptures and returned to the Hebrew Scriptures! When individuals are not willing to believe God's Word of Truth (whether in Hebrew or Greek!), it is amazing (and sad) the lengths to which they will go in order to try to cover up or refute the Truth! W A Criswell adds that "The Septuagint (Lxx) also uses parthenos to translate another Hebrew word meaning "virgin" (betulah), again underscoring the fact that parthenos meant "virgin" in the Lxx and for Matthew (Ed: See Mt 1:23 below). It is clear that both Matthew and the Lxx translators understood that Isaiah was speaking of a virgin when he used `almah. And this is precisely the purity which both Matthew and Luke ascribe to Mary (cf. Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-35). D A Carson notes, “the overwhelming majority of the occurrences of parthenos in both biblical and profane Greek require the rendering ‘virgin’; and the unambiguous context of Matthew 1 (cf. vv. 16, 18, 20, 25) puts Matthew’s intent beyond dispute” (See Matthew) Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7:14 and uses the Greek noun parthenos... BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN (parthenos) SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US. (Mt 1:23+) Luke also uses parthenos in his description of Jesus' mother Mary... Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin (parthenos) engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's (parthenos) name was Mary. (Lk 1:26, 27+) In the conclusion of a well referenced study (72 references cited) of the meaning of 'almah in Isaiah 7:14 Niessen concludes that The evidence supports both the traditional translation of “virgin” and the modern translation of “young woman,” but each must be qualified. The English term “virgin” does not suggest age limitations while the English phrase “young woman” does not suggest virginity. The word עַלְמָה ('almah) demands both, and so a more accurate translation would be “young virgin.” (The Virginity of the עַלְמָה in Isaiah 7:14 - Bibliotheca Sacra 137:546, April, 1980) Net Note on virgin... The Hebrew article has been rendered as a demonstrative pronoun (“this”) in the translation to bring out its force. It is very likely that Isaiah pointed to a woman who was present at the scene of the prophet’s interview with Ahaz. Isaiah’s address to the “house of David” and his use of second plural forms suggests other people were present, and his use of the second feminine singular verb form (“you will name”) later in the verse is best explained if addressed to a woman who is present. Because Isaiah 7:14 is quoted in Mt 1:23 in connection with Jesus’ birth, the Isaiah passage has been regarded since the earliest Christian times as a prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth. Much debate has taken place over the best way to translate this Hebrew term, although ultimately one’s view of the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ is unaffected. Though the Hebrew word used here (עַלְמָה, ’almah) can sometimes refer to a woman who is a virgin (Ge 24:43), it does not carry this meaning inherently. The word is simply the feminine form of the corresponding masculine noun עֶלֶם (’elem, “young man”; cf. 1Sa 17:56; 20:22). The Aramaic and Ugaritic cognate terms are both used of women who are not virgins. The word seems to pertain to age, not sexual experience, and would normally be translated “young woman.” The Septuagint (Lxx) translators who later translated the Book of Isaiah into Greek sometime between the second and first century BC, however, rendered the Hebrew term by the more specific Greek word parthenos, which does mean “virgin” in a technical sense. This is the Greek term that also appears in the citation of Isa 7:14 in Mt 1:23. Therefore, regardless of the meaning of the term in the OT context, in the NT Matthew’s usage of the Greek term parthenos clearly indicates that from his perspective a virgin birth has taken place. Thomas
Isaías 7
Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” —Isaiah 7:14 Let us to-day go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance his miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, “The seed of the woman," (See Ge 3:15 - commentary) not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly Man, was as to His Human nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that He may be formed in us (Gal 4:19-note), the hope of glory (Col 1:27-note). Fail not to note His humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as “a virgin,” (Luke 1:27-note) not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King! Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendor. Henry