Digression: ???? / ??? from an Historical-Linguistics Perspective

Abstract

In this short reply the meaning of the roots ?LM/?LM is presented within its northwest Semitic context. The broad range of meaning allows numerous options to translate the noun ?LMH in Is 7:14. Also the nuances of later translations can be explained by looking at the original lexematic spectrum in the Semitic realm. The most ancient notion of the noun designates a „young woman“ or a „girl“. Divine or symbolic aspects can — at this stage — not be outruled; they are possible aspects included in this very usage. The verse in Isaiah 7 fits this combination of realia and divine-symbolic context in a striking way.