Maid, Maiden
A maid or maiden is a young unmarried woman. The term can also refer to a young woman who is a servant.
Hebrew Words Translated as "Maiden"
In the Old Testament, five Hebrew words are translated as “maiden”:
’amah. Possible English translations of this word are:
“bondmaid,”
“bondwoman,”
“handmaid(en),”
“maid(en),”
“maidservant,”
“female servant,”
“female slave,”
“slave girl,” and
“girl.”
shiphchah. This word means something similar to ’amah. It can be translated as:
“handmaid,”
“maid(en),”
“female slave,” and
“slave girl.”
Both shiphchah and ’amah refer to female slaves. Shiphchah implies a closer relationship between the slave and her owner. In the stories of the patriarchs, this term is used to refer to female slaves in general and concubines who were slaves to the wives of their husbands (Genesis 16, 29–30).
bethulah. This term refers to a virgin, or a young woman of marriageable age (Genesis 24:16; Exodus 22:16). The Old Testament prophets used this term symbolically to refer to a city or country as a “virgin” (Jeremiah 31:21; Amos 5:2).
na‘arah. This term often refers to an unmarried girl (Esther 2:4). It can also be used for a servant (Esther 4:4; Ruth 2:23). This word is also the name of a woman (Naarah, the wife of Ashhur, in 1 Chronicles 4:5–6) and a city in Ephraim near Jericho (Joshua 16:7).
'almah. There is much controversy around this word used in Isaiah 7:14. This word can be translated as:
"girl,"
"young woman," or
"young woman of marriageable age, presumably a virgin."
Only context can accurately determine the meaning of ‘almah in any given instance. Looking at Isaiah 7:14 from a New Testament perspective, ‘almah is a reference to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus (see Matthew 1:23).
Greek Words Translated as "Maiden"
Several Greek words are translated as “maiden” in the English New Testament:
korasion. This word can be translated as:
“girl” (Matthew 9:24–25),
“little girl,” or
“maiden.”
paidiske. This word originally referred to a “young woman.” Itt later came to mean:
“female slave,”
“maidservant” (Luke 12:45), or
“servant girl” (Mark 14:66).
It comes from the word pais, which can be translated as:
“a young girl,”
“maiden,” or
“child” (Luke 8:51, 54).
numphe. This word can be translated as:
“young wife,”
“bride” (Revelation 21:2); and
“daughter-in-law” (Luke 12:53).
parthenos. This is the usual Greek word for “virgin” and occurs 14 times in the New Testament.
See also Slave, Slavery.