245. Peter Gentry on The Mother of the Infant King, Isaiah 7:14
1h 38m | Oct 4, 2026In this episode, we welcome Dr. Peter Gentry to discuss the book, co-authored with Dr. Christophe Rico, The Mother of the Infant King, Isaiah 7:14: ‘alma and parthenos in the World of the Bible: A Linguistic Perspective. Isaiah 7:14, especially given the quotation in Matthew 1:23 – is considered one of the most controversial passages in the Old Testament. Translated traditionally as “virgin”, and yet in modern translations typically rendered “young woman” – what is the actual meaning of the world ‘alma and how do we know? Whether from arguments from etymology, to the argument of “duplicate use”, to the alleged counter-point in Proverbs 30:19, to even broad claims regarding Jewish tradition – Dr. Gentry takes us into each of these arguments, why they are made, and what is wrong with them. Focusing quite a bit on linguistic analysis, both of ‘alma and the Greek translation of “parthenos” – Dr. Gentry answers the question of whether or not Genesis 24:43 is a counter-point. What is the context of Isaiah 7, the textual evidence regarding Isaiah 7:14 specifically – and how does it tie into the larger context of Isaiah’s book as a whole? We then ask about whether or not the evangelist Matthew rightly reads and understands Isaiah 7:14 in his quotation in Matthew 1:23? Contrary to the modern consensus, Dr. Gentry explains to us some of why a close study of Isaiah suggests that the Prophet did actually predict a virgin birth in the distant future – and that Jesus of Nazareth does indeed fulfill that specific prophecy.
Other resources by Dr. Gentry:
- “Does Isaiah Predict the Virgin Birth?”
- How To Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets
- Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants
- Text History of the Greek Ecclesiastes
- Check out the Hexapla Institute
Other resources:
Biblical Words and Their Meaning by Moises Silva
Exegetical Fallacies by D.A. Carson
The Virgin Birth of Christ by J. Gresham Machen
- Check out our interview with Dr. Bernard Aubert about this book
Scourby: Isaiah, Matthew, Luke
LDS resources:
“The Father and the Son” (Q15)
Prophet-President Brigham Young: JD 1.46-53; 4.217-218; 8.115; 11.268
Elder Heber C. Kimball: JD 8.211
The Seer by Elder Orson Pratt (also JD 19.319)
Jesus the Christ by Elder James Talmage
Doctrines of Salvation (3 vol.’s) by President Joseph Fielding Smith (also here)
Mormon Doctrine; Doctrinal New Testament Commentary (3 vol.’s); “The Mystery of Godliness” by Elder Bruce R. McConkie (also here, and here)
