Isaiah 7:14

Context

In the eighth century BC, during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, Aram (Syria) and the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) formed an alliance and threatened Jerusalem. The king and his people were gripped by fear (7:1-2). The prophet Isaiah urges Ahaz not to be afraid and invites him to ask for a sign. Ahaz refuses, saying that he will not tempt the Lord (7:10-12). Isaiah then declares that the Lord himself will give a sign: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (7:14, KJV). He adds that before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land of the two kings will be forsaken (7:16). The name "Immanuel" means "God with us."

Interpretation

• As direct prophecy: This view holds that the verse looked forward from the outset to the virgin birth of the Messiah and that Matthew 1:23 identifies its fulfillment. Conservative evangelical interpreters widely hold this view.
• As dual fulfillment: This view holds that the sign was first fulfilled through a child born in the time of Ahaz and was fulfilled more completely in the birth of Jesus. Proposed identifications of the earlier child include a son of the queen and a son of the prophet's wife. Proponents connect the verse with Isaiah 8:3-4.
• Jewish reading: Judaism reads the verse as a sign concerning a child born in Isaiah's own day. It does not regard the verse as a prophecy of the Messiah's virgin birth.

Debates and Issues

The central question concerns the word almah, which refers to a young woman of marriageable age. Hebrew has a separate word, betulah, that means "virgin" more explicitly, and for this reason some modern translations render almah as "young woman." The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, rendered the word parthenos ("virgin"), and the Gospel of Matthew follows this reading. Those who favor "virgin" argue that the Bible never uses almah of a married woman. They also argue that an ordinary birth could hardly serve as a "sign." In the twentieth century, an English translation that rendered the word "young woman" met strong opposition from conservative churches. This controversy is regarded as a classic example of the Bible translation debate. Whichever rendering is adopted, all major denominations confess the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus as attested in the Gospel of Matthew.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the verse is a principal text for Christmas and Advent services. It is frequently used in Christmas cantatas and worship songs.

Related Passages

• Matthew 1:22-23
• Luke 1:26-35
• Isaiah 8:8-10
• Isaiah 9:6