I have been told by a Jewish friend that 'almah' is used to connote a young unmarried woman or a maiden in most cases; to a Jew, her virginity is a gimme. But sometimes in modern use the word is used for a specific female virgin also. One of the debaters in question takes the same stance, saying both renderings are correct, while the other gent says that 'young woman' can leave the wrong impression with new Bible-readers, and takes away from the majesty of Jesus' conception.
I know enough Hebrew that if I were to order dinner in a Hebrew restaurant,the waiter would challenge me to a duel, but I've seen the Hebrew word 'b'thuwlah' used to indicate a young woman was definitely a virgin, and 'na'arah' used for damsel or young woman as well as almah for either one. I would like to see the thoughts of the other readers on this matter-is the NIV incorrect, is the KJV incorrect, are both correct or incorrect?
Given the verses where I've seen almah used,I tend to believe that both renderings are correct.
