Matt 1:23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

 Matt 1:23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH  CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME  IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

How is the messianic prophecy spoken by the Lord through Isaiah introduced? 
 “Behold” (Matt 1:23, Isaiah 7:14).

    • The demonstrative particle “behold” (הִנֵּה) announces the sign that the Lord gives. One of the functions of the Hebrew particle הִנֵּה is to introduce “clauses involving prediction . . . with reference to the future” (BDB, 244).

What sign must be fulfilled for the prophecy to be realized?
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel...” (Matt 1:23, Isaiah 7:14).

    • The sign that the Lord gives in Isaiah 7:14, quoted in Matt 1:23, is the conception of the virgin who will be with child and bear a son. The definite article (ה) accompanies the noun and signifies specificity. The word translated “virgin” with the definite article (הָעַלְמָה) appears in two other Old Testament texts in reference to the virgins Rebekah (Gen 24:43) and Miriam (Exod 2:8).

    The Isaianic virgin (הָעַלְמָה) is pregnant (הָרָה) and bearing a son (וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן). The term הָעַלְמָה is used to emphasize the chastity of a woman of marriageable age, who would presumably be a virgin. When a woman’s lack of sexual experience with a man is emphasized, the term בְּתוּלָה is commonly used. For example, in Ezekiel 23:3, בְּתוּלָה is used to describe the sexual experience of the metaphorical women who played the “harlot in Egypt. They played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and there their virgin (בְּתוּלָה) bosom was handled.” Though both terms הָעַלְמָה and בְּתוּלָה  presumably refer to virgins, the distinction is whether the emphasis is on the chastity of the young woman (הָעַלְמָה) or her lack of sexual experience (בְּתוּלָה).

     In Matthew’s quotation of Isaiah 7:14, the introductory reference to the sign, which is included in the Septuagint, is omitted: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:” (διὰ τοῦτο δώσει κύριος αὐτὸς ὑμῖν σημεῖον).  The New Testament quotation of Isaiah 7:14 begins with the declaration of the sign itself, introduced with the interjection “Behold” (ἰδού). The sign that the Lord himself had given to the Davidic house in 734 BC is now proclaimed several hundred years later within the context of its imminent fulfillment in the conception of the virgin Mary who would give birth to the Messiah. Apart from Micah’s mention of “she who is in labor” following the prophecy of the Messiah’s birthplace (Mic 5:2-3), the Isaianic sign has not been reiterated since 734 BC. Now, several hundred years later, the sign is remembered, testifying to the Lord’s remembrance of his covenant with David (2 Sam 7). The sign confirms God’s covenant with David (2 Sam 7). The Messiah who would establish the kingdom of David and reign on his throne forever would be miraculously conceived and born by the virgin Mary.

     The phrase “behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son” (ἰδού ἡ παρθένος έν γαστρὶ ἕξιει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν) reflects the exact wording of the Septuagint. As previously discussed, the term ἡ παρθένος refers to a maiden of marriageable age who does not have sexual experience with a man. Matthew introduces Mary as a virgin, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1:18). No previous occurrence of such a miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit is recorded. After meticulous study of the various views that have been discussed concerning Isaiah 7:14, Alexander concludes, “While some diversity of judgment ought to be expected and allowed, in relation to this secondary question, there is no ground, grammatical, historical, or logical, for doubt as to the main point, that the Church in all ages has been right in regarding this passage as a signal and explicit prediction of the miraculous conception and nativity of Jesus Christ” (Joseph Addison Alexander, Prophecies of Isaiah, Rev. ed., 172.)

For a prophecy to be deemed fulfilled, every precise detail of the prophecy must be fully realized in its occurrence.       

Only by divine intervention could a virgin conceive. So the natural birth of a son through the sexual union of a man and woman would be disqualified from consideration as a referent to the Isaianic prediction of the virgin’s conception and the birth of her son who would be called Immanuel. Some argue that the sign demands immediate fulfillment for the word that was first spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah to Ahaz to be confirmed. But if the sign is not intended for Ahaz, but rather for the house of David, as indicated by the plural pronoun, the sign does not demand immediate fulfillment. For the sign of the Lord in Isaiah 7:14 is given to a future audience.

Those who argue that the sign demands immediate fulfillment suggest that the maiden was the wife of the prophet Isaiah or Ahaz. However, at the time the sign is given by the Lord, Isaiah’s son accompanies him, which means that Isaiah’s wife was not a virgin. In the case of Hezekiah, the chronological record indicates that he was already a young child at the time the sign was given. In no circumstance has a sign been given by Yahweh that was fulfilled prior to its announcement. The Immanuel sign demands the conception of a virgin to be realized. Matthew announces the first recorded occurrence of a virgin conception of a Davidic son.

    Conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin, the God-man Messiah would be born and dwell with God’s people. The Davidic Messiah would be recognized as Immanuel, God with us. Immanuel is a Hebrew word (Isa 7:14). “Greek Christians spell it Ἐμμανουήλ" (BDAG, 322).  Since the name occurs only twice (Isa 7:14; 8:8), its referent must be the Isaianic Immanuel.

    For the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 to be realized, the referent must bear the divine title. Neither the Old Testament nor New Testament bestows the title on any other person or nation. Only through the progressive revelation of the Messiah in the Old Testament is the idea developed that God would abide with his people. And only in the New Testament is the Isaianic sign fully realized in Jesus, who was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin by the Holy Spirit, and uniquely bears the name Immanuel, or God with us.

What is the meaning of Immanuel when translated?
“Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us’” (Matt 1:23).

    • Bearing a son, the virgin will call his name עִמּנוּ אֵל, a compound noun phrase phonetically translated Immanuel, meaning God with us (Matt 1:23). The inspired translation of the meaning of the name Immanuel, or God with us, is provided in the book of Matthew. Immanuel is one of the titles of Jesus the Messiah, emphasizing his divine nature. Isaiah also provides other names for the Messiah:

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest upon His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this (Isa 9:6-7).

The fourth Gospel also confirms the divine nature of the Word who became flesh and dwelt among the people of the first century (John 1:1, 14). The Word is the Messiah. And the Messiah is Immanuel, which translated means, God with us.

Matthew records the unique fulfillment of the Isaianic Immanuel prediction through the account of the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus. Betrothed Mary conceives before she and Joseph come together as husband and wife. The conception in her womb was by the Holy Spirit. The result was the miraculous birth of a son, Immanuel, or God with us. Only the divinely conceived Messiah fully satisfies the demands of the Immanuel sign that was given by the Lord himself to the Davidic house, confirming the promises of the Davidic covenant that Yahweh would raise up David’s descendant and establish his covenant. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7:13).

Adonai,
Glory and thanks to You for remembering Your covenant with David and fulfilling the sign of Immanuel, God with us. For when Your Son took on flesh, conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit and born in a manger in Bethlehem, God dwelt in our midst.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, Immanuel, God with us, the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The government will rest upon His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace. On the throne of David and over his kingdom, He will establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness forever, just as was spoken.

Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. He is Savior and Lord over all. May You turn hearts to Jesus. By Your grace, may many sinners repent and believe in Jesus, that they may take their place among those sanctified by faith in the Beloved, in Whom is forgiveness of sins. May the Holy Spirit baptize the hearts of those who are brought to glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.