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Can G-d make a rock big enough that he cannot lift?

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I have chosen the title of this page to be "Can G-d make a rock big enough that he cannot lift" for a specific reason and as you continue to read further you will understand the reason why. In this page I will be discussing a contravertual topic regarding the power of G-d and the matter concerning devine intervention.

Isaiah 7:14 has become one of the most contravertual verses, provoking disagreements between Jews and Christians. The controversial topic is the virgin birth.

The English translation of the subtuiguent Bible reads “virgin woman,” alluding to a man that would be born from a direct interaction by the creator. However, in our original Hebrew transcripts virgin woman should be written Betula yoledet, but it's not! It's actually written ha-alma yoledet, which means “the young woman.” We have hebrew translation of the Tenach which was written many years prior to the time of Herod's Temple, which pre-dates Jesus's era.

The text reads like this, it says : “heenei hara ha-alma yoledet ben,” which translated means “the young woman shall conceive and bear a son". Regardless of which is right, becaue my concern is not that you believe me, only that I present the facts to you and you believe what you want to believe. So, weather you believe it is Betula or Ha-alma, let’s davel into these words that cause so much controversy between Christians and Jews.

When trying to interpret anykind of verses in the Tenach, there are usually certain key words that trigger the way in which path the verse will be interpretated. These key words help us to see beyond the surface meaning and into the depth of the passages and discover unique logical and reasonable insights. Isaiah 7:14 is an obvious illustration of this. The key words are, the L-rd himself, sign and the young woman.

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Therefore, the L-rd himself shall give you a sign. Behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The L-rd himself as it is phrazed in the text can only mean that it will be a divine intervention, because it explains away any other form of manipulant force other than the L-rd our G-d. The text that follows however, shall give you a sign,  means that it will be a noticeable & an unquestionable miracle that will occur by the power of the L-rd almighty. How so? Because in order to create a sign something must occur that will capture everyones attention so it will take a great effort to do so. 

Now, the next and most crutual text says: Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son. Why does the prophet place such emphasis on a sign coming from a young woman? There isn't really anything so unusual about a young woman conceiving in the first place, why bother in pointing to it, since this is the natural process of every woman? Why comment about an occurence in this manner? 

Let's look a little deeper shall we? When we read the writings of Yeshua's emissaries, we are told that the spirit of G-d caused Miriam to become pregnant, which is no dougbt pointed out to us by the first key word, the L-rd himself. This is called divine intervention, which is also followed by the second key word, shall give you a sign. G-d will provide a visible miracle to everyone."He, Moshaiach ha-tzaddik, “Messiah the righteous”, has become a sign to all nations.

Just as a banner is raised, so was he raised to become the focal point of all that are acquainted with the Holy city. Just as the bronze snake that Moses lifted up in the desert, so that healing would be given to the children of Israel, so too the moshiach has been lifted up to save many people.

But instead of accepting him, his own people despised and rejected him just as Israel’s sons had rejected and despised Yoseph their younger brother. The story of Yoseph is a metaphor for the life of Moshiach.

Now, what other woman in history has there ever been to be declared pregnant without the intervention of a man? And what woman’s story has been so spotlighted, whether for the positive or the negative, by so many people and nations throughout history?

You will find this portrait nowhere else, but only in the story of the one who was born in Bet-lechem, from the root of Jesse, the father of King David. His name, "Yeshua hamoshiach".

The focus is, does Isaiah implicate the prophecy of the young woman concieving to that of Miriam the mother of Yeshua hamoshiach or does it reffer to a prophecy meant specifically towards King Achaz?

In verse 13, Isaiah turns from addressing Achaz as an individual and addresses the entire house of David. The English language does not distinguish between you ["ata" hebrew singular] addressed to one person and you ["atem" hebrew plural] addressed to many people. In Hebrew there is a clear difference, and there is a clear change between the singular :you" of verses 9,11,16,17 and the plural "you" of verses 13-14. The sign therefore is not just for Ahaz, but for the whole house of David. This becomes clear if we state the passage again with the singular [s] and the plural [pl] words indicated:

"10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 "Ask a sign for yourself [s] from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." 12 But Ahaz said "I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!" 13 Then he said "Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you [pl] to try the patience of men, that you [pl] will try the patience of my God as well? 14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you [pl] a sign: Behold, the young woman shall concieve and bear a son, and she shall call His name Immanuel.

15 "He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 "For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you [s] dread will be forsaken. 17 The Lord will bring on you [s], on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the King of Assyria."



In verse 14, the Hebrew word for ‘behold’ is a word which draws attention to an event which could be past, present, or future. However, grammatically, whenever "behold" is used with the Hebrew present particle, it always refers to a future event. That is the case here. Not only is the birth future, but the very conception is future.

The key point of this should not be missed. God is promising that the House of David cannot be deposed or lose its identity until the birth of a son born from this young woman. Again, this requires that Messiah be born prior to the destruction of the temple and its genealogical records in 70ACE.

Having concluded that Isaiah 7:12-14 is a long range prophecy concerning the birth of Messiah (my comment – this is after far more proof in his book which I have not included here), that still leaves a problem. What about Ahaz? An event 700 years in the future is of little significance to him.

There is however a second sign in verses 15-17, and this time is specifically for Ahaz (Note: from the above passage this portion is in the singular meaning a sign for Ahaz himself as opposed to the sign to the house of David in the plural of verses 13 and 14).

Before Isaiah’s son is old enough to make moral distinctions between right and wrong, the kings of Israel and Syria will be deposed and their threat removed. This was fulfilled within three years. Isaiah again uses the definitive article before the term "boy". The boy of verse 16 cannot be the son of verse 14 but refers back to Isaiah’s son in verse 3. Why else was Isaiah commanded to take him?...

There's an interesting debate about a topic that made it's way into our Jewish litterature, it was actually in the rhelm of reasoning and logic which merrited to be found useful to our perception of G-d's power. The question was posed; "Can G-d make a rock which he himself could not lift up?" If he can, is his power limited because now the rock becomes more powerful than he? If he can't, isn't he also limited because he shows that he cannot make it? These questions pose a very worry some scenerio for us because it challanges our understanding of his power and the faith with which we have deposited in him as being an all powerful G-d.

However, the final outcome to this debate was given it's explanation by a rabbi who said; G-d can make a rock large enough that he cannot lift "but" he can lift it up anyways and the moral to this debate is that there is no way of measuring or phathoming G-d or his power he is just on a level that man cannot comprehend. As it is stated my thoughts are higher than your thoughts and my ways higher than your ways.

So I conclude with this, can G-d cause a woman to become pregnant without the intervention of a man? If he could, will he be breaking his covenant by doing so? If he couldn't, wouldn't his power also be limited if he wasn't able too? You be the one to fill in the blanks!

Most of what I have written here though are for those who do believe, since only those who do posses the spirit of holiness will understand me without any opposition what so ever. Those who opose the message, that Moshiach came to his people Israel, died but rose again are not of us. Why? Because the spirit of truth is not in those who oppose the anointed, whom we call Salvation. Therefore, they do not have the ability to make the correct choice because they have called evil to what is good and good to what is evil. I conclude by pointing out that when the prophet Isaiah made this declaration, he was not speaking in the past tense. “Shall give you a sign” speaks of the future, so it cannot be speaking about the birth of Israel, as some rabbis claim it says. This passage cannot refer to b'nei yisroel.

Israel  also came about in a miraculous way, in the birth of the promised heir to Avraham through his wife, Sarah, “a woman advanced in her years.” Sarah was 90 years old, so she certainly was not the “young woman” of whom Isaiah spoke.This prophecy confounds many, as it is written: “I will confound the wisdom of the wise, and again, I will work a work in your days that even if I tell you, you will not believe it.”

You Shall Know The Truth And The Truth Shall Make You Free.