Transcript Document

Counter-Missionary Education
Will A Bride Circle A Groom,
or A Divine Baby Form in A Virgin’s Womb?
A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson
by
Uri Yosef, Ph.D., Director of Education
Virtual Yeshiva of the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.
http://virtualyeshiva.com
[The article on this topic is located here - http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Jer31_21.pdf]
Copyright © Uri Yosef 2011 for the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.
All rights reserved
February 24, 2011
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
Page 1 of 7
Introduction
The doctrine of the "Virgin Birth" is a foundational "building block" of
Christian theology since it "touches" the other important doctrinal
elements of Christianity by virtue of the fact that, for Christians, it
establishes the deity of Jesus and confirms his identity as the divine
“Son of God”, i.e., "God manifest in the flesh".
Earlier, we examined two so-called "proof texts“ being used to validate
the New Testament “Virgin Birth” accounts of Jesus: Isaiah 7:14, a
natural choice since it is referenced in the account of Jesus’
conception and birth in the Gospel of Matthew, and Genesis 3:15,
though not referenced in the New Testament as a messianic prophecy,
via the phrase “seed of a woman”, taken as a euphemism for the
divine conception that resulted in the “Virgin Birth” of Jesus.
In this lesson we shall examine Jeremiah 31:21[22]*, yet another socalled “proof text” being claimed as a prophecy of the "Virgin Birth“,
even though it is not referenced in the New Testament.
* Note: The verse numbers differ between the Hebrew Bible and the Christian "Old Testament“. The
citation shows the verse number in the Hebrew Bible followed by the verse number in the Christian "Old
Testament" in brackets, i.e., Jeremiah 31:21[22].
February 24, 2011
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
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The Verse Jeremiah 31:21[22]
Source
Passage Citation Text
[TeNACH – Hebrew Bible]
‚
Jewish Translation from
the Hebrew
Jeremiah 31:21
King James Version “Old
Testament”
Jeremiah 31:22
February 24, 2011
How long will you hide, O backsliding
daughter? For the Lord has created a
new thing [or, novelty] on the earth, a
woman [or, female] shall encircle a man.
How long wilt thou go about, O thou
backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath
created a new thing in the earth, A
woman shall compass a man.
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
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Comparison of Christian and Jewish Perspectives
Christianity ()
“A woman shall compass a man” is a
metaphorical description of a woman
conceiving a child in an unusual and
unconventional way, via a creative act
by God, a “new thing” that was never
before witnessed on earth.
Judaism (Y)
Unlike the customary courtship, where a
man courts a woman, the newly created
phenomenon will see a role-reversal, in
which a woman will court a man. This is
a metaphor that points to the future
reconciliation of Israel with God. The
prophet Hosea describes a similar scenario:
Hosea 3:4-5 – (4) For the people of Israel shall remain many days without a king and without a
nobleman and without a sacrifice and without a pillar and without an ephod and without teraphim;
(5) Afterwards shall the people of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their king;
and they shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the end of days.
February 24, 2011
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
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What’s Wrong with the Christian Interpretation?
Christianity ()
Judaism (Y)
• The scenario in this passage bears a
similarity to Isaiah 7:14 since both
speak of a new and wondrous act of
God, who will create a male child in his
mother’s womb without the normal
process of fertilization
• Isaiah 7:14 speaks of a wondrous feat
by God, indeed; an historical event
that occurred in the 8th century BCE –
His divine intervention to protect the
Kingdom of Judah and the House of
David
• The use of the verb
(baRA), [he]
created, denotes a creative act by God
• The verb
is not used exclusively to
refer to ex nihilo creative acts
• This future miracle from God,
(hadaSHAH), a new thing, a novelty, is
something that never occurred before:
the conception and birth of a divine
child by a virgin
• The same term,
, is used only one
other time in the Hebrew Bible to
describe something new created by
God that has not existed in the past
(Isaiah 43:19)
• Use of the noun
(neqeiVAH), a
female, is an uncommon reference to
a woman as compared with ‫ש‬
(iSHAH), thus, it refers to “a virgin”
• Of the 22 instances of
in the
Hebrew Bible, 13 refer to “a woman”,
regardless of her sexual experience,
and 9 refer to “a female” animal
February 24, 2011
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
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What’s Wrong with the Christian Interpretation?
(Continued)
Christianity ()
Judaism (Y)
• “[A woman] shall compass”, is a
reference to the [virgin’s] womb that
will contain the fetus.
• None of the 162 instances of the verb
ֹ
\ ֹ (laSOV/lisBOV), to encircle,
to surround, to encompass, in the
Hebrew Bible refers to a female's
womb, neither in a literal sense nor as
a metaphor
• Use of the noun
(GAver), a man, is
unusual as compared with
(ISH);
thus, it refers to “a special man”, “a
mighty man”, which can only be Jesus
“God” manifest in the flesh
• All instances of
\
in the Hebrew
Bible refer to mortal men, and some
refer explicitly to sinners; never to God
Himself nor to any man who may have
had a “familial” relationship with God
February 24, 2011
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
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An Anecdotal Note
A well-known custom, the origin of which is commonly attributed to Jeremiah
31:21[22], is followed in traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies, where the bride
circles (walks around) the groom under the wedding canopy [ ‫( ֻפ‬huPAH)] before
the officiating Rabbi begins the formal wedding ceremony. The bride will make
either three or seven circles around the groom, depending on which particular
tradition the families follow, and various symbolisms are associated with the circling
as well as with the number of revolutions. For example, in some traditions the
circling symbolizes the shift in the bride’s commitment priorities from her parents to
her husband, and there are other symbolisms. In some traditions the 7 rounds
recall the 7 times T’filin strap is wrapped around a man’s arm symbolically binding
himself in love to God and, again, there are others. The tradition of 3 revolutions
comes from Hosea 2:21-22 where God says to the Jewish people: “I will betroth
you to Me forever; and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice
and with loving-kindness and with mercy; and I will betroth you to Me with faith”.
Conclusion: Jeremiah 31:21[22] is a messianic prophecy, indeed, and it
points to the national reconciliation of Israel with God. It has nothing to
do with some miraculous conception and birth of a divine child by a virgin.
February 24, 2011
Jeremiah 31:21 and the “Virgin Birth”
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