Immanuel

Biblical Text

The name Immanuel first appears in Isaiah 7:14: "a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (KJV). These words were a sign (a token showing that God is at work) given by the prophet Isaiah to Ahaz, king of Judah. The name appears again in Isaiah 8:8–10. Isaiah 8:8 addresses "O Immanuel," and 8:10 renders the same expression as "for God is with us."

In the New Testament, Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah's words. After the quotation, Matthew explains the meaning of the name: "which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:22–23).

Background

The word combines the Hebrew immanu ("with us") and El ("God"). Isaiah 7 is set at a time when Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of the northern kingdom of Israel, joined forces to threaten Judah (Isaiah 7:1). This episode is commonly called the Syro-Ephraimite War, and scholars differ somewhat on its exact date.

Isaiah urged Ahaz to trust in God and invited him to ask for a sign. Ahaz refused, but Isaiah proclaimed the sign nonetheless. Isaiah 7:16 adds that before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land of the two kings will be forsaken. The sign is thus directly tied to the crisis of that time.

Significance Across Scripture

Matthew regards this prophecy as fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. The child's actual name, however, was "Jesus" (Matthew 1:21). Immanuel is therefore read less as a personal name than as a title describing who Jesus is.

Many interpreters see the closing words of Matthew's Gospel, "lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20), as a counterpart to the Immanuel of chapter 1. The theme of God's presence with his people also appears in the scene of the glory filling the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–35). The same theme continues in John 1:14, which speaks of the Incarnation, and in Revelation 21:3, which depicts the new heaven and the new earth.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Translation of almah: The Hebrew word almah in Isaiah 7:14 denotes a young woman of marriageable age. Hebrew has a separate word, betulah, for a virgin. The Septuagint, however, rendered the word with the Greek parthenos, meaning "virgin," and Matthew's quotation is close to this rendering. The rendering "young woman" in some English translations has at times sparked controversy.
• Manner of fulfillment: Interpretations fall broadly into three groups. The first holds that this is a direct prophecy in which Isaiah foresaw Jesus alone from the outset. The second is the double-fulfillment or typological view (which reads the text as a picture foreshadowing later events); it holds that there was an initial sign in the time of Ahaz and an ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. The third is the historical-critical view, which identifies the child as one born at that time, sometimes as Hezekiah or as a son of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:3).
• Jewish position: Judaism does not accept this passage as a prophecy concerning Jesus.
• Distinguishing text from interpretation: The text of Isaiah 7 itself does not identify the mother. The connection of this prophecy with Mary is Matthew's application.

Protestant denominations generally accept this passage as a messianic prophecy on the basis of Matthew 1:23. The interpretive differences noted above tend to divide along the lines of individual scholars and theological schools rather than denominations.

In the Korean Church

Immanuel is a frequent theme of Advent and Christmas sermons. It is also well known through the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." The name is widely used for churches and Christian institutions.