Immanuel is an Old Testament name that Christians call their own. It has inspired hymns, Christmas sermons and the naming of churches and hospitals. The name is found in the famous Isaiah 7:14 passage about the virgin mother and child.
For centuries, Christians have pointed Jews to this prophecy to try to win them to Jesus. But it fails because Torah-educated Jews know that Immanuel is not the promised Messiah. It is the name of one of Isaiah's sons. The Christian reader might ask, how do you explain the Immanuel reference to Christ's birth in the gospel of Matthew? We will get to that shortly. First let's look at the Old Testament prophecy to discern the true identity of Immanuel and why biblically he is an important figure, if not Messiah:
It is clear from a simple reading of the text, without the aid of commentaries, that the prophecy was given to King Ahaz as a sign that Judah would be protected from the invading armies of Assyria and the northern tribes of Israel. The prophet informs the king in Isaiah 7:14, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." This is not a direct reference to Mary and baby Jesus. The Hebrew word for "virgin" is 'almah, which can mean virgin, but also a damsel or maiden. Although W.E. Vine's expository dictionary says " 'almah appears to be used more of the concept 'virgin' than that of 'maiden' " in Scripture, the context of Isaiah 7:14 suggests the word represents young woman. Even my Accordance Bible software identifies Immanuel as "a type name of Isaiah's son." Two verses later we see that the boy is alive during the fulfillment of this prophecy: "For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings." The kings are identified in Isaiah 7:1 as Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel.
The Jewish sages, while lacking the revelation of Yeshua as Messiah, see the prophecy rightly for what it is – a sign from God to relieve the fears of Judah of an impending invasion. This from the Judaica Press commentary on Isaiah: "Both Ibn Ezra and Redak refute Christological inferences from this verse (14). Since the sign was given to Ahaz to allay his fears of Israel and Aram, it does not make sense that he should be given a sign of something to occur over four hundred years later. Moreover, verse 16, which foretells the defeat of Aram and Israel before the child knows to reject evil and choose good, proves conclusively that the child was to be born in the immediate future."
Immanuel is mentioned again in Isaiah 8 when Assyria threatens Jerusalem, and God assures Judah in the next two verses that the attack will fail: "Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! . . . take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us." The Immanuel prophecy is now fulfilled. In chapter 9 we are introduced to another Child, who clearly is the promised Messiah, but not referred to as Immanuel – "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Here is where the rabbis miss the picture; they believe the passage is referring to King Hezekiah.
Now let's jump to the virgin birth of Messiah in Matthew 1:21. The Isaiah 7:14 prophecy is repeated in verses 22 and 23 – "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.' " With the correct Old Testament understanding, we know that Immanuel is not a direct reference to Messiah. Nowhere in Scripure is Yeshua addressed by that name. But it is reasonable to view Immanuel a type and shadow of Yeshua, who hundreds of years later would deliver His people – not from the Assyrian army, but from sin itself. Just as God was with Judah during a season of war, so is He now with us during a season of grace and mercy.
Posted by Jeff King at September 17, 2004 12:11 PM