One of the most famous prophecies concerning the Messiah is found in the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 7:14 (NASB) “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Immanuel in Hebrew means “God with us.”  Many Christians rightly understand that Isaiah’s prophecy found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. However, many have been taught that the name Immanuel (also spelled Emanuel or Emmanuel)  is proof that Jesus was incarnated in the womb of Mary, thus making him literally “God with us” on earth.  Does the context of this passage substantiate this interpretation?  What does Scripture mean when it says, “God with us?” 

Background

Rezin, king of Aram and Pekah, king of Israel, conspired to make war against King Ahaz.  They said: 

Isaiah 7:6 (NASB) “Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,”

When news of their plan reached the king’s ears it sent fear into his heart. Moreover, the hearts of the people “shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”[1]  Therefore, God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell Ahaz that his enemies’ plan would not prevail.[2]

Isaiah 7:4a and 7 (NASB)  …say to [Ahaz],  ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands…thus says the Lord GOD: “It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.

Immanuel, God With Us

Then God graciously gave Ahaz an opportunity to ask for a sign, something tangible to serve as a reminder of God’s promise while he waited for it be fulfilled. But Ahaz, in what appears to be feigned piety, refused.[3]  So the Lord offered His own sign:

Isaiah 7:13-16 (NASB) Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴  “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin[4] will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. ¹⁵ “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. ¹⁶  “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

The sign of God’s faithfulness was to be found in the child’s name.  Every time someone called the boy, “Immanuel” they would hear “God with us” in their native tongue.  It would serve as reminder that salvation was coming, for God was indeed with them.

True to God’s word, both King Rezin and King Pekah were killed two years later.  The first by the hand of the Assyrian army, the latter by the hand of a usurper to the throne.[5]

Those who knew of the prophecy understood that Immanuel’s name was symbolic.  God was “with” the nation of Judah in that He was going to deliver them from their enemies; He was on their side.  No one interpreted the name to mean that the child was literally God-in-their-midst. 

Prophecy Ultimately Fulfilled in Jesus

This prophecy, like many others in the Old Testament, has a dual application. Not only was there a boy in Isaiah’s day named Immanuel, there would be another child who would serve as the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy. When Joseph found out that Mary was with child, he intended to send her away secretly so that she would not be disgraced.[6] But an angel of the Lord appeared to him:

Matthew 1:20-25 (NASB) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹  “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²²  Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 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.” ²⁴  And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, ²⁵  but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. (emphasis added)

Matthew tells us that Jesus’ birth will be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.  Just as God was faithful to deliver Judah from her enemies, He would be faithful to save His people from their sins. 

Literal or Symbolic?

Christians will acknowledge that the name Immanuel was used symbolically of the child born during the days of King Ahaz.  However, when the prophecy is applied to Jesus, they insist it should be taken literally despite the fact that there is nothing in the context of Isaiah or Jesus’ birth narratives that requires this interpretation.

There are numerous examples of men and women in the Bible who were given names that were intended to be symbolic only.  For example, Eliam means “God is my Father.” [7]   Are we to interpret Eliam’s name to mean that God was literally his father?  Of course not.  What about Elealeh?  His name means “burnt offering of God,”[8] but surely we recognize this was symbolic and not predictive of how he would die.  Similarly, there is no need to insist that Immanuel be interpreted literally.  Figurative interpretations of Biblical names is quite acceptable.

Unfortunately, due to the influence of the 4th century Catholic Church Fathers who read Scripture through a Platonic lens, we have been taught to view Jesus as God literally with us in the flesh.  Many see Isaiah’s prophecy as a foretelling of the incarnation of God.  But a careful reading of Scripture reveals that Jesus was God’s human Messiah, not a hybridized God-man.  Peter attested to this truth on the Day of Pentecost.  If there was ever a time to reveal that Jesus was himself God, it would have been on this momentous day when the Church was birthed. However, Peter did not proclaim Jesus to be a God-man.  Rather, he identified Jesus as a man through whom God had worked:

Acts 2:22 (NASB) “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— (emphasis added)

Jesus wasn’t literally God-with-us on earth doing miracles, but an obedient vessel through whom God worked.  Once again, Peter proclaimed:

Acts 10:38 (NASB) “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (emphasis added)

Jesus was not literally God with us. On the contrary, God was with him!  Just as God was with the House of David,[9] delivering them from their enemies, so God is with us, working through His human Messiah, Jesus the Nazarene.

[1] Isaiah 7:2

[2] Isaiah 7:7-9, 16

[3] Isaiah 7:10-12

[4] The word “virgin” in this passage is the Hebrew word almah, and it means a young woman, a maiden, a virgin. Some scholars believe the unnamed woman is Isaiah’s wife. Strong’s Concordance to the Bible, accessed 06-13-19, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5959.htm

[5] Pekah’s death is recorded in 2 Kings 15:30; Rezin’s death is recorded in 2Kings 16:9.

[6] Matthew 1:18-19

[7] 2 Samuel 11:3; Hitchcock’s Dictionary of Bible Names

[8] Isaiah 15:4; Hitchcock’s Dictionary of Bible Names

[9] Isaiah 7:13 – House of David, a.k.a. Judah