The Hebrew Israelites arguments against the virgin birth

The Hebrew Israelites arguments against the virgin birth

 

In this study we will look at some of the arguments against the virgin Birth that many of the Hebrew Israelites will use. These are additional arguments to the usual arguments against the virgin birth that I have dealt with in other writings. Here we will look at some. I will add more as I get round to answering them or when I hear something new.

1) The use of parentheses in Luke 3:23

2) The prophecy given to King David was through his bowels and the prophecy does not change.

3) A look at the word SEED.

4) Syriac Sinaiticus manuscript

 

 

1) The use of parentheses in Luke 3:23

In Luke 3:23 we read “being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,”

Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Here we see that the words “as was supposed” are in parentheses ( ).

When arguing against the virgin birth, some Hebrew Israelites will make the claim that these words are not part of the original text. They base this claim on their understanding that the use of parentheses means that the text was added by the translators but did not form part of the original text written by the author of Luke. .

Anyone who has studied textual criticism, even at a basic level would know that this claim is simply false.

These words are not at all contested as being original to the Greek text.

The Greek text of the verse reads:

Luke 3:23 Καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα ἀρχόμενος ὢν ὡς ἐνομίζετο υἱός Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Ἠλὶ

ὡς ἐνομίζετο (as was supposed) is part of the text without any doubts over its authenticity. 

It is the parentheses themselves that are added by the translators, not the text that is contained within them.

Here are just a couple of examples of this verse in other versions of the Bible , the NIV and NASB.

Luke 3:23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, NIV

Luke 3:23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, NASB

Notice that in both of these versions there are no parentheses.

None of the English translations prior to the KJV used parentheses in this verse

Luke 3:23 And Iesus him silfe was about thirty yere of age when he begane beinge as men supposed the sonne of Ioseph. which Ioseph was the sonne of Heli
Tyndale Bible 

Luke 3:23 And Iesus was aboute thirtie yeares whan he beganne. And he was taken for the sonne of Ioseph, which was the sonne of Eli,
Coverdale Bible 

Luke 3:23 And Iesus him selfe was entring the thirthy yeare of his age as men supposed hym to be the sonne of Ioseph. which was the sonne of Hely,
Matthews Bible

Luke 3:23 And Iesus him selfe beganne to be aboute thirty yere of age, so that he was supposed to be the sonne of Ioseph: whych was the sonne of Hely:
The Great Bible

Luke 3:23 And Iesus himselfe began to bee about thirtie yeere of age, being as men supposed the sonne of Ioseph, which was the sonne of Eli,
Geneva Bible

Luke 3:23 And Iesus him selfe began to be about thirtie yeres of age, beyng (as he was supposed) the sonne of Ioseph: whiche was [the sonne] of Heli,
Bishops Bible

There are no parentheses in the Greek because this is part of English grammar. The original Greek did not have spaces, commas, parentheses or capital and small letters. The parentheses are not demanded to be added by the Greek text, some versions use them, such as the KJV and some do not as we have seen.

Unlike the claim by the Hebrew Israelites, parentheses are not words added by the translators they are words added by the original author but they give us the authors thoughts or  information that they (the author) are adding to the point they are making. They are simply there to help the reader distinguish information being given. The information within the parentheses could be removed and the sentence still make perfect sense.

Parentheses are punctuation marks used to set aside tangential or unnecessary information. They’re typically used for complementary explanations or personal commentary from the author, as well as for defining acronyms.
Parentheses vs. Brackets: Definitions and Examples | Grammarly Blog

 

The words “as was supposed” were part of the original text but they are an interjected piece of information by Luke, the author. Without them the sentence would still make sense

Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

However, while making sense the sentence would give false information. It is clear that it is Luke himself that adds these words so that the reader can be privy to the information contained within, namely that Jesus was the supposed son of Joseph and not the son of Joseph.

Here is just a quick explanation of the use of parentheses in the KJV.

The Use of Parentheses in the KJV

Punctuation in your King James Bible remains a mystery to most. For one thing, in the earlier posts on orthography it was explained that the rules of punctuation changed in the early 1700s, and that the work of Parris in 1762, and of Blayney in 1769 brought the punctuation of the King James Bible up to date with modern punctuation without changing any words or translations.

The rule for parentheses does not appear to have changed from 1611 until now. A set of parentheses is used whenever the translators identified a thought within a thought. Wherever parentheses are employed in your bible, it is possible to read the surrounding verse or verses without the words in parentheses and have it still make sense.

The use of Parentheses (purecambridgetext.com)

The Hebrew Israelites have simply not understood what it means that the words in the parentheses are added. They clearly understand this to mean that the words are a later addition rather than the added thought of the author for informative purposes.

When the translators added English words to the text (which was done to make the English translation make sense to English readers) …note my use of parentheses here in order to add information. The words that are added by the translators are in Italics.

We shall just have a quick look at the usage of italics

Why did the KJV use Italics

Why did the King James Bible translators use italics in the King James Bible? Was it because God miraculously gave the translators additional inspiration the same way He did as recorded in 2 Peter 1:21, “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”? Or is it, as some have assumed, that these words were printed in this fashion for emphasis? The answer to both of these questions is, NO.

In fact, the words in italics in the King James Bible are words that were added by the translators to help the reader. This is usually necessary when translating from one language to another because a word in one language may not have a corollary word in English and idiomatic expressions often do not easily move from one language to another. Hence, the words in italics are words which do not have any equivalence in the Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek text. By adding these words, the translators’ goal was to make the meaning of the sentence clearer and produce a more readable translation that read smoothly, yet was true to the original. However, to make sure that the reader understood that these words were not in the manuscripts, they set them in italics.

The Use of Italics in the King James Bible

 

So you are not confused, I remind you that the 1611 Bible was in fancy Black Letter type. The added words were in smaller Roman type and not italics. In later editions that were set in Roman type, italics were used. This is what we see in our King James Bibles today.

Greek is an elliptical language

Matthew 1:19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

Here man is in italics. Man is not in the original Greek but that is what is being stated.

The Greek reads

Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς δίκαιος ὢν καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν δειγματίσαι ἐβουλήθη λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν.

A literal translation would say

Joseph now the husband her, righteous being and not willing her to expose purposed secretly to send away her

This is not how we would say this sentence in English, it doesn’t make for very good English. So words are added in the English that are implied or meant in the Greek that the Greek does not require.

 

Lets look at one of the Hebrew Israelites favourite verses Deuteronomy 28:68

Deuteronomy 28:68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

There is no YOU at the end of this verse in the Hebrew. But what is the thing that won’t be bought? Without the word YOU added in the English the referent would not be clear in English.

Deuteronomy 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

They will be in want of all what? Things is added to make the meaning clear.

Not all versions of the Bible put these added words in italics so it is much harder to spot when a word is not found in the original text. While the words are added, they make the meaning clearer. They do not change the meaning of the original text.

The word “supposed” is the Greek word ἐνομίζετο, enomizeto  which has a meaning, to think, to consider, to suppose. It is used to show someone’s thought about something that they presume is correct. It was thought that Joseph was the father of Jesus.

We see this word used elsewhere in regards to the thoughts of people, who thought something was true.

It is used in Acts 14:19 where Paul had been stoned and the people thought that he was dead.

Acts 14:19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Paul was not, in fact, dead, it was simply thought, or assumed that he was.

 

It is also used in Luke 2:44 where Jesus was thought to be in the company of those that had left with Mary and Joseph out of Jerusalem to head back to Nazareth when Jesus was 12.

Luke 2:44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

They had thought Jesus was with them, but Jesus was actually back in Jerusalem in the temple.

The word, it seems, is almost always used when a thought is actually an incorrect one as we have seen in these examples. What was assumed, supposed, was, in fact, not the case. Jesus was not with the company, Paul was not dead and Joseph was not the father of Jesus.

 

2) The prophecy given to King David was through his bowels and the prophecy does not change.

 

The Hebrew Israelites will argue that the prophecy of the Messiah was that it would come from the bowels of King David. They take this to mean that the Messiah must come through the male line (seed)

2 Samuel 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

In an online debate between Vocab Malone and Captain Tazaryach, the captain asked Vocab to show where the prophecy changed.
CAPT TAZARYACH VS VOCAB MALONE LIVE “IS JOSEPH THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER OF JESUS BASED ON PROPHECY”? (youtube.com)

This shows that Captain Tazaryach does not fully understand the Messianic prophecy. The prophecy of the Messiah was a progressive prophecy throughout scripture. Details were added by God and the original prophecy was narrowed down.

So lets just examine this claim and the prophecy itself.

The promise of a future Messiah was actually given to Abraham long before King David was born and even before the Israelites had become a people.

Genesis 12: 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

 

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

The Messiah then had to be of the lineage of Abraham.  Abraham had numerous children with multiple woman.

He had Ishmael with Hagar

Genesis 16:3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of .Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Genesis 16:15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 

 

Abraham had multiple children with his wife Keturah

Genesis 25:1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah

But Abraham had  Isaac with his first wife Sarah and it was specifically through Isaac that this line would continue.

Genesis 17: 15And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Isaac himself had more than one child, he had twin boys, Esau and Jacob.

Genesis 25:19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac: 20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

The line that was passed from Abraham to Isaac went through Jacob and not Esau.

Genesis 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 

 

Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel had 12 sons who became the nation of Israel and the tribes of Israel.

Genesis 35:9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

 

There were 12 tribes of Israel

Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. 5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. 13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. 14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: 15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. 16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. 19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. 20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties 21Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. 22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel: 25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

 

This was later narrowed down further when God promised that the kingly line would continue through just one tribe,  the tribe of Judah.

Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

The tribe of Judah did not come into existence until Abrahams grandson Jacob had children and didn’t exist at the time God made the promise to Abraham.

God then further narrowed down the Messianic line when he gave the promise to King David, who was from the Tribe of Judah, that it would be through his descendants alone that the Messianic line would come when he told David that all future kings would come from his line.

2 Samuel 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

 

So now, after this promise to King David, the Messiah who had to be of Abraham and  of the tribe of Judah also had to be from the line of David.

 

Then later, through the prophet Isaiah, the Messianic prophecy is specifically stated that it would be through a woman.

Isaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This is actually the full circle of the very first Messianic prophecy that was given to Eve back in Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

There is also an allusion to this prophecy found in Psalm 132:11

Psalm 132:11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

Here, unlike in 2 Samuel 7:12, we find that the promise is from the seed of his body. Body is the Hebrew בִטְנְךָ֑ ḇiṭ-nə-ḵā; and is a feminine construct. It is a word that often refers to a womans womb. 

Furthermore, later prophecy also stated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2: 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

This was not prophesied of until the prophet Micah somewhere around 700BC

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

 

The Messianic prophecy changed throughout scripture in such it started of broad but was later  narrowed down.

 

The word SEED in the Bible. 

Many Hebrew Israelites will argue that the Messiah must have a physical father in order to be the Messiah. They argue that this is made clear by the word seed. Jesus is said to be the seed of David.

Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

They argue that this means that Jesus must have a physical father for him to be the seed of David as seed refers to sperm.

Seed being the Greek σπέρματος spermatos this being from the root σπέρμα Sperma.

However, this is simply incorrect. The Greek sperma does not mean male human sperm (although it CAN refer to that in CONTEXT, which we will see).

Original Word: σπέρμα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: sperma
Phonetic Spelling: (sper’-mah)
Definition: that which is sown, seed
Usage: (a) seed, commonly of cereals, (b) offspring, descendents.

(Outline Biblical usage from BlueLetterBible)

1. from which a plant germinates

   1. the seed i.e. the grain or kernel which contains within itself the germ of the future plants

      1. of the grains or kernels sown

   2. metaph. a seed i.e. a residue, or a few survivors reserved as the germ of the next generation (just as seed is kept from the harvest for the sowing)

2. the semen virile
   1. the product of this semen, seed, children, offspring, progeny

   2. family, tribe, posterity

   3. whatever possesses vital force or life giving power

      1. of divine energy of the Holy Spirit operating within the soul by which we are regenerated

So we see Semen as being one usage because it refers to a seed (the male seed) that can be planted.

The English word sperm is derived from Sperma but they do not mean the same thing. You cannot read the definition of the English word sperm back into the Greek word Sperma

“male seminal fluid, male seed of any kind,” late 14c., sperme, probably from Old French sparme, esperme “seed, sperm” (13c.) and directly from Late Latin sperma “seed, semen,” from Greek sperma “the seed of plants, also of animals,” literally “that which is sown,” from speirein “to sow, scatter” (from PIE *sper-mn-, from root *sper- “to spread, to sow,” for which see sparse; also compare
sperm | Etymology of sperm by etymonline

 

Seed = Offspring

Genesis 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Seed is translated as descendants in the NIV

Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. NIV 

It is translated as offspring in the ESV
Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

The correct understanding of seed in this verse is not human male sperm but children.

Another passage that is often used by

Onan spilled his semen on the ground (the KJV does not use semen in this verse)

Genesis 38:9  And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

Genesis 38:9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. NIV

The word translated as semen in the NIV is שָׁחַת shachath, which means go to ruin.

The KJV does translate THIS word as Semen a few times (all within the same context).

1. Leviticus 15:16
   “‘When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.
2. Leviticus 15:17
   Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening.
3. Leviticus 15:18 When a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both of them must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
4. Leviticus 15:32
   These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen,
5. Leviticus 22:4
   “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen,

So while Onan spilled his semen on the ground, he failed to raise up seed (a descendant) for his brother. Seed here in the Greek Septuagint is sperma

Romans 1:3 simply means that Jesus was a human being.

Does Leviticus 15:16 show that the Greek sperma means “sperm”?

It has been argued that the Greek spermtos does mean male sperm and Leviticus 15:16 will sometimes be used to demonstrate this claim.

Leviticus 15:16 And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.

There is no doubt that the word seed here is referring to sperm. The Greek word used here in the Septuagint is spermatos. 

καὶἄνθρωποςᾧἐὰνἐξέλθῃἐξαὐτοῦκοίτησπέρματοςκαὶλούσεταιὕδατιπᾶντὸσῶμααὐτοῦκαὶἀκάθαρτοςἔσταιἕωςἑσπέρας

However, notice that while we do get the word seed (spermatos) this is actually clarified within the text as being the seed of copulation. Not simply seed but now we get specific information regarding the seed.

We find this 3 times in the Bible (all 3 within this context Leviticus 15:16,17,18

Leviticus 15:16 And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. 17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. 18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

When referring to the seed of a man, in reference to sperm, it is always clarified with “of copulation”.

The Septuagint of Genesis 3:15 uses the word spermatos in reference to the womans seed.

Genesis 3:15 καὶ ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς αὐτός σου τηρήσει κεφαλήν καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν

 

Genesis 3:15 seed of the woman understood to be a child (and Messiah)

Targum Onkolos And I will put enmity between thee and between the woman, and between thy son and her son. He will remember thee, what thou didst to him (at) from the beginning, and thou shalt be observant unto him at the end.

Targum Jonathan And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between the seed of thy son, and the seed of her sons; and it shall be when the sons of the woman keep the commandments of the law, they will be prepared to smite thee upon thy head; but when they forsake the commandments of the law, thou wilt be ready to wound them in their heel. Nevertheless for them there shall be a medicine, but for thee there will be no medicine; and they shall make a remedy for the heel in the days of the King Meshiha.

 

Rebekah is also referred to having seed.

Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

The Greek Septuagint renders this sperma

Genesis 24:60 καὶ εὐλόγησαν Ρεβεκκαν τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῇ ἀδελφὴ ἡμῶν εἶ γίνου εἰς χιλιάδας μυριάδων καὶ κληρονομησάτω τὸ σπέρμα σου τὰς πόλεις τῶν ὑπεναντίων

We also see the word seed used of Hagar

Genesis 16: 10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

Genesis 16:10 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ οὐκ ἀριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους

This simply refers to the offspring of the women.

Romans 1:3 simply means that Jesus was flesh, he was human.

Here, some Hebrew Israelites will argue that in order to be a human Jesus would have had to be born of a man and woman or otherwise he would not be human.

This is simply shown false when we look at Adam and Eve.

Neither Adam or Eve was born with two human parents.

Adam was created from the dust of the ground meaning that Adam had no biological parents at all, neither a father or a mother.  Eve was created from Adams rib (side). While we could technically  say that Adam was the “father” of Eve, she most certainly did not have a human mother.

Both Adam and Eve were considered humans. Adam is called the first man and Eve is called the mother of all living.

 

 

A very important verse in this discussion is 1 John 3:9. If sperma must mean sperm then we must ask Does God have sperm and does Gods sperm remain in believers. Are we born of God through Sperm?

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 

Syriac Sinaiticus 

 

The Hebrew Israelites will often try to use this manuscript to support their claim that Joseph was the biological father of Jesus.

This manuscript reads, in Matthew 1:16 that Joseph Begat Jesus.

Matthew 1:16

Matthan begat Jacob; Jacob begat Joseph; Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, begat Jesus, who is called the Christ.

This is a stand alone reading, no other manuscript in the world reads as this manuscript does here including all other Syriac manuscripts. It is generally accepted that this reading cannot be the original reading but has been deliberately changed.

 

The Curitonean Syriac manuscript reads:

Matthew 1:16 Eleazar. Eleazar begat Matthan. Matthan begat Jacob. Jacob begat Joseph, him to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, she who bare Jesus the Messiah.‘

 

The Syriac Sinaitic manuscript contradicts itself just 2 verses later when it says that Mary was found with child of the holy spirit before they had come near to one another.

Matthew 1:18 When Mary his mother was espoused to Joseph, when they had not come near one to the other, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

 

The manuscript also says that both Joseph and Mary were from the house of David. Which supports the position that Mary was also of Judah.

Luke 2:4 And Joseph also… . Joseph… . from Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, he, and Mary his 5 wife, being great with child; that there they might be enrolled, because they were both of the house of David.

Curitonian manuscript says that both Joseph and Mary were fro David

luke 2:4 And Joseph also had gone up from Nazareth a city of Galilee to Judaea, to the city of David that is called Beth Lehem, he and Mary his wife who was great with child, that there they might be enrolled, because both of them were of the House of David.

The Syriac codex was found in 1892 in Saint Catherine’s Monastery.  It dates to around the late 4th or early 5th Century. This makes it the oldest manuscript we have of the Gospels in Syriac.

It is a palimpsest manuscript, meaning the original text (that of the Gospels) has been wiped and has been re written. Clearly this manuscript was not considered of any worth. The overwriting was done around the end of the 7th Century. The new text is a vita (biography) of female saints and martyrs.

The manuscript contradicts itself again by saying that the virgin will be with child, thus the woman must still be a virgin even after conception

Matthew 1: Now this which happened was that it might be 22 fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by Isaia® the prophet, who said, Behold a virgin shall be with 23 child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. When Joseph arose from his sleep, 24 he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took his wife: and she bore to him a son, and 25 he called his name Jesus.

 

The manuscript also says that Jesus was as he was called the son of Joseph.

Luke 3:23And Jesus when he was about thirty years old, as he was called the

24son of Joseph

 

The Curitonian manuscript contains Luke 3:23

Luke 3:23 Now Jesus, being about thirty years old, [was] supposed to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, son of Matthath, son of * *, son of

Curitonean also says that the virgin would conceive

Matthew 1:23

Lorp through the mouth of Isaiah the prophet who had said: “Lo,

he virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, and his name CS

shall be called Emmanuel, which is interpreted ‘Our God with us,

 

The distinct agreements between the Curetonian and Sinaitic manuscripts practically compel the conclusion that was reached in the early 1900s by researcher Frederick Burkitt:  “The Sinai palimpsest and Cureton’s manuscript are clearly representatives of one and the same translation.”  This translation, however, seems to have never been very popular among the Syriac-speaking churches; the Old Syriac Gospels never caught up with the Diatessaron’s head start. 

            Even the two copies that we possess have barely survived:  the Sinaitic Syriac is a palimpsest; it has survived, not because anyone valued it as a copy of the Gospels, but because a copyist in the year 778 erased its Gospels-text and recycled the pages as material on which to write part of a later composition (a collection of stories about female saints and martyrs).”
James Smapp Jr https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2016/02/early-syriac-versions-of-gospels.html

 We must also note that we have writings from Syriac writers who affirmed the virgin birth that 

Ephraim, a Syrian writer of the 4th Century who died in 373 AD wrote Hymns on the nativity. In these hymns he explicitly refers to the virgin.

This is the day that gladdened them, the Prophets, Kings, and Priests, for in it were their words fulfilled, and thus were the whole of them indeed performed! For the Virgin this day brought forth Immanuel in Bethlehem.
Hymn 1

How much more should Eve’s daughter be believed to have borne a Child without a man! The virgin earth, she bare that Adam that was head over the earth! The Virgin bare today the Adam that was Head over the Heavens. The staff of Aaron, it budded, and the dry wood yielded fruit! Its mystery is cleared up today, for the virgin womb a Child has borne!
Hymn 1

Women heard that a Virgin should conceive and bring forth a Son: honourable women hoped that you would rise from them; yea noble ladies that You might spring up from them! Blessed be Your Majesty, that humbled Itself, and rose from the poor!
Hymn 6

Blessed be Mary, who without vows and without prayer, in her Virginity conceived and brought forth the Lord of all the sons of her companions, who have been or shall be chaste and righteous, priests and kings.

Who else lulled a son in her bosom as Mary did? Who ever dared to call her son, Son of the Maker, Son of the Creator, Son of the Most High?
Hymn 6

Sealed was the sepulchre whereto they had entrusted You, that it might keep the dead [safe], Virgin was the womb which no man knew. Virgin womb and sealed sepulchre, like trumpets, proclaimed Him in the ears of a deaf people.
Hymn 8

For she was Your Bride by nature ere You had come; she conceived You not by nature after You had come, O Holy One, and was a Virgin when she had brought You forth holily.
Hymn 8

To whom are You like, glad Babe, fair little One, Whose Mother is a Virgin, Whose Father is hidden, Whom even the Seraphim are not able to look upon? Tell us whom You are like, O Son of the Gracious!
Hymn 9

5. Blessed are you, O Church, for lo! Over you — Isaiah too exults in his prophecy —Lo a Virgin shall conceive and bear — a Son Whose name is great mystery!— O interpretation revealed in the Church! — two names that were joined and became one —Emmanuel, — God be with you ever, Who joined you with His members!
Hymn 18
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3703.htm

Aphrahat who died in 345AD refers to the virgin referenced in Isaiah (7:14) in a rebuttal against the arguments of the Jews that Jesus was not the Messiah and King.

For if we call Christ the Son of God, David taught us (this); and that we call Him God, this we learned from Isaiah. And His government was laid upon His shoulder; for He bare His cross, and went out from Jerusalem. And that He was born as a child, Isaiah again said:— Lo, the virgin shall conceive and bear; and His name shall be called Immanuel, which is, our God with us.
Aphrahat Demonstration 17.9

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