Immanuel

Immanuel is a Hebrew masculine name meaning "God with us." The name appears twice in the Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14; 8:8) and once in the New Testament (Matthew 1:23). It is sometimes transliterated "Emmanuel."

In the Old Testament, Immanuel was the name of a child born during King Ahaz's time. God gave this child as a sign to Ahaz that God would save Judah from attacks by Israel and Syria. The name symbolized that God would show his presence with his people through this salvation. The greater application is that this is a prophecy of the birth of the incarnate God, Jesus the Messiah, as shown in Matthew.

While focusing on the birth of Jesus as Immanuel, people have sometimes overlooked the historical events during King Ahaz's time. Ahaz was the son of a good king, Jotham, and the grandson of another godly ruler, Uzziah. But during his reign, Ahaz turned away from the Lord and worshiped idols.

He "made cast images of the Baals" (2 Chronicles 28:2). He "burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom," and even "sacrificed his sons in the fire" (verses 3–4). Because of this, the Lord allowed Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, to defeat Ahaz. The Edomites also invaded Judah. The Philistines attacked the Shephelah and the Negev, capturing several cities (verses 17–18).

Ahaz asked Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria (745–727 BC) for help against Israel and Syria. Tiglath-pileser accepted tribute from Ahaz but attacked him anyway (2 Chronicles 28:20–21). When Ahaz went to Damascus to meet the Assyrian king, he saw an altar and made offerings to the gods of Syria there (verse 23). He had a copy of this altar made and placed it in the temple of Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:10–12).

God told the prophet Isaiah to confront Ahaz at the end of the channel of the upper pool. God’s message to the king was to "stand firm in your faith," because the attacking kings would fall (Isaiah 7:7–9). Isaiah told Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign, but the king refused. He gave an answer that sounded respectful toward God (verse 12).

After Ahaz refused, the Lord gave him a sign: a young woman would conceive and bear a son and call his name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). By the time the child was old enough to eat curds and honey, the two kings who threatened Judah would already be gone. In context, curds and honey likely reflect the hardship and disruption that would come upon the land. Then the king of Assyria would destroy their lands. The people would become captives, leaving the land empty and uncultivated. A man would have a cow for milk to make curds, and wild honey would be collected from the overgrown brush in the neglected land.

The identity of the woman and child in Isaiah's time is uncertain. Some suggest the woman was Abijah, the wife of King Ahaz, and their son, Hezekiah, was Immanuel. However, this has not been proven, and it seems unlikely that a man like Ahaz would be Immanuel's father.

Some suggest that Isaiah's wife was Immanuel's mother. Isaiah 7:14 prophesies Immanuel's birth. Isaiah 8:3 describes the conception and birth of Isaiah's son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. His name means "swift to plunder and quick to spoil." This name pointed to the coming defeat of Judah's enemies.

Before the child could talk, the king of Assyria would conquer Syria and Israel (Isaiah 8:4). Isaiah said he and his children were "signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD" (verse 18). This supports the view that Isaiah's son was also called Immanuel.

The Lord sent a message to Immanuel (Isaiah 8:5–10). Since the people rejected the Lord's kind invitation, the Assyrians would invade and occupy Immanuel's land. The people's schemes would fail because "God is with us" (‘immanu’el). This phrase uses Immanuel's name to show the Lord's presence.

More than 700 years after King Ahaz, God sent his Son. All uncertainty about the identity of Immanuel disappeared. His mother was a virgin from Nazareth named Mary (Miriam), engaged to a man named Joseph. Matthew 1:23 cites Isaiah 7:14 as fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. The Scripture is clear that Joseph and Mary had not been together as husband and wife before Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25).

The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the same detail. When Mary learned of the child's conception, she questioned the angel. "'How can this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'" (Luke 1:34). The angel explained, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God" (verse 35). John's Gospel confirms this: Jesus is "the one and only Son, who is Himself God" (John 1:18). In other words, the child would be unique, being both God and human.

There were important differences between the Immanuel of Isaiah's time and Mary's son Immanuel:

The first was a type (an early symbol or preview). The second was the antitype (the true fulfillment). The first was the shadow. The second was the reality.

The first symbolized freedom from foreign control. The second was the savior from human oppression.

The first showed God's presence for a few years. The second Immanuel is the son who lives forever.

Jesus often emphasized the idea of "God with us." He told his disciples that he would be present when two or three gathered in his name (Matthew 18:20). Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he assured his disciples he would stay with them "always, even to the end of the age" (28:20).

Jesus also spoke about the promise of the Holy Spirit, who "abides with you and will be in you" (John 14:17). The Holy Spirit will stay with them forever (verse 16). Paul speaks of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27), showing that God dwells inside every believer. At the end of time, as revealed to the apostle John, the Lord said: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God" (Revelation 21:3).

See also Messiah; Names of God.