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''Almah'' (עלמה, plural: ''alamot'' עלמות, in Arabic Amah آمه which means unspecified women or a women passed teen age aside of her sexual status) is a Hebrew word meaning a young woman of childbearing age who has not yet had a child, and who may be (but does not have to be) an unmarried virgin or a married young woman. It does not, in and of itself, indicate whether that woman is a virgin or not. The term occurs nine times in the Hebrew Bible – see usage below. == Definitions and etymology == The masculine equivalent of ''almah'' is ''elem'' ("עלם") meaning "youth" or "young man of the age of puberty".〔(Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for '`elem (Strong's 05958) ' " . Blue Letter Bible. 1996–2002. 22 Jun 2006. )〕 Feminizing these terms would result in "young woman" or "young woman of the age of puberty". Gesenius defines the word as a "girl of marriageable age". In modern Hebrew ''almah'' means a young woman or girl, a young or unmarried woman.〔Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary, Hayim Baltsan, Prentice Hall, 1992.〕 The notion of marriageability is typically part of the definition of ''almah''. In the ancient Near East girls had value as potential wives and bearers of children. Carolyn S. Leeb points out: "A wife, who came into her husband's household as an outsider, contributed her labor and her fertility. Her task was to build up the ''bet 'ab'' by bearing children, particularly sons".〔( ''The widow: homeless and post-menopausal.(term "widow" in the Bible)'', Biblical Theology Bulletin; 12/22/2002 )〕 This same sense of marriageability does not accrue to the masculine ''elem'' even though they also have entered puberty, but it does apply to "bachur" or "young warrior", when boys have matured to the point of being able to support a new household. "Almah" was one of a list of sequential "terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life".〔(Sketches of Jewish Social Life ), Chapter 7, "The Upbringing of Jewish Children" In relative order and by its connotation of firmness and strength, the ''almah'' (or ''elem'') suggests the period of rapid growth in adolescence (particularly early adolescence) but prior to independent responsibility or freedom. (Edersheim adds 'bachur - young warrior" to the list, but this applies to young men and is excluded here.)〕 (spellings per Gesenius translated to English): * ''yeled'' or ''yaldah'' - newborn boy or girl. * ''yonek'' or ''yanak'' - suckling baby. * ''olel'' - suckling who also eats food. Translated as "young child" in Lamentations 4:4 (KJV). * ''gamal'' - weaned child (under 3 years old). * ''taph'' - young child, one who still clings to mother. Derived from the word for brisk, small, tripping steps of young children. * ''elem'' or ''almah'' - firm and strong child * ''na'ar'' (masc) or ''na'arah'' (fem.) - "independent or free child" (from a root meaning "to shake off"). Also "handmaid", "servant" or just "girl". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「almah」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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