She Was A Virgin - The Law Of First Mention

She Was A Virgin
(The Law Of First Mention)

Genesis 24:16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

This is interesting. Rebekah is stated to be both a virgin and not to have known a man. The Hebrew word here (Strong’s # h1330) for virgin is used often to denote a healthy young woman or young maiden (comparable to another word meaning healthy young man, not necessarily denoting purity) - though the next phrase shows she was pure (neither had any man known her).

However, a little later in the chapter it says this about her:

Genesis 24:43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;

The word for virgin here is different - almah, Strong’s # h5959, which ALWAYS means virgin, pure, and is used in Isaiah 7:14 about the Messiah’s mother and in the title of Psalm 46 (ie. alamoth - virgins were to sing those songs in the temple worship).

The interesting thing is the differentiation between the two words. The first one means "young woman," not necessarily pure - so God clarifies on this case that Rebekah was pure. The second word continued the idea - showing she is what we typically refer to as a virgin. This is also the first use in the Bible of each word - therefore the first use of almah definitely shows a true virgin was in view, not just a young woman. And the law of first mention gives the usage of a word usually as it is used throughout the rest of the Bible.

The critics don’t have a leg to stand on with the word almah, as it only ever refers to a virgin in the Scriptures - never to just a young woman or maiden, AND the first time this word is used in the Bible, there is no doubt what kind of woman is being talked about; therefore setting the meaning and usage intended for the rest of God’s Word.

I thought that was worth passing on to all those who love to hold onto and defend their King James Bibles!

December 2, 2022
Jerry Bouey