Doesn't the Hebrew word almah just mean "young woman"? And how could Isaiah's sign to King Ahaz point to a birth 700 years later? Answering a letter, Dr. Brown explains what almah and betulah really mean, why the sign had to be miraculous (with a nod to Rashi), and why the prophecy was addressed to the whole house of David. He shows how Isaiah 7, 9, and 11 form one messianic section, and how a prophecy can begin in its own day and reach its full meaning in the Messiah.