The Closed Mem Inside 'Increase' — Isaiah 9:6 (9:7 in English Bibles)
לְםַרְבֵּה
What to look for
In 'of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,' the mem inside lemarbeh is written as a final (closed) mem — the sealed form that belongs only at the end of a word.
What it is
The only closed mem in the middle of a word in the entire Bible — a form so unusual it is unique in Scripture.
Why it matters
This is the throne-of-David prophecy that follows 'unto us a child is born.' In its key word about the endless increase of that reign, a sealed letter stands where an open one belongs.
How it has been understood
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 94a) says the closed mem marks a kingship that was offered and closed up in Hezekiah's day — sealed, awaiting its true heir. Messianic readers have treasured this letter for centuries: a womb-shaped, closed mem hidden in the birth-and-throne prophecy, the mystery of the promised Son sealed inside the very script. However far you follow those readings, the scribal fact is simply there on the page — unique in all of Scripture, exactly here.