The Misunderstood 'Immanuel' in Matthew

In this video I look at Matthew's quotation from Isaiah 7, "The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel."

Twitter: @johnbhiggins

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| Transcription |
Welcome back to the Bible as art, where we explore the literary artistry of the Bible. And this week, we're talking about that great quotation from Isaiah, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel. And we will see how this is one of the most misunderstood texts in the entire Bible.

In Matthew’s Gospel, after the Angel visits Joseph and tells him to marry Mary and to name Jesus Jesus, Matthew, the narrator, tell us that “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” and then Matthew quotes from Isaiah, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Which means “God with us.”

Now, the most important principle that we have to understand when we are trying to understand how the New Testament authors quote the Old Testament, is that most of the time they are referring to more than just the verse that they are explicitly quoting.

Normally, they're referring to the whole passage in which that text is contained, and sometimes even larger sections, say multiples chapters or even to a whole book. So to understand what Matthew is doing. Let's go back to Isaiah chapter seven and see what was going on there.

In Isaiah 7, Israel has been split up into the northern kingdom, called Israel, and the southern kingdom, called Judah. And the northern kingdom, Israel has allied together with the kingdom of Aram or Syria depending on your translation, the nation just north of them and they are coming down to attack Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. The king of Judah, Ahaz, is freaked out. So God sends the prophet Isaiah to reassure Ahaz that there’s nothing to worry about because very soon they’re going to be gone, deserted. While they looks strong, in reality they’re weak. And Ahaz needs to stand firm in faith.

Ahaz doesn’t respond when Isaiah tells him this, so God says, listen “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” That is, I know this is scary so I’ll give you any sign you want as proof that I will protect you.

And Ahaz says, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” That is, he responds with false piety. I would never ask for a sign, that would be putting God to the test. Ahaz is referencing a text from Deuteronomy that says you should not put God to the test. But if God is telling you to do something that’s not testing him, it’s obedience.

And here’s what God says in response:

13 And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah-the king of Assyria!" - Isaiah 7:13-17

[jacaldwell]

Great to get that. It does seem that Matthew's whole work supports in Jesus we find a prophetic fulfillment that Jesus was, literally, "God with us" as Thomas confirms late in the gospel of John: "My Lord and my God!".

[prayerfortoday]

SUCH A GREAT VIDEO!!! Thank you so much! I rarely comment on videos but this is such a blessing.
It was a sign back then in the Old Testament, but a reality in Jesus as we see in the New Testament. huhhu SO GOOD!!! Thank you Jesus! <3

[JCarpMD]

Appreciate your work, intentionality, and the channel. The plain meaning of the text of Isaiah 7:14 as I have learned it is that this is referencing Isaiah's wife who is about to have a son whose name was indeed Immanuel. The word "virgin" in Hebrew is different from the word used here. I was taught, he is essentially saying by the time this boy is small, this war will be over. I am aware of the dual prophecy claim of Christian scholars but just thought I would share.

[julienjeanmuller]

He who has ears let him hear! I praise God for you brother. This will not be difficult to grasp for the diligent student of scripture.

[rv]

whats the correct spelling? immanuel or emmanuel?

[wellbornnongbsaw]

How many times the words Emmanuel appear in the bible???
Ples reply

[skwozies]

I think there is even more going on in this section of Isaiah. It is paralleled by Hosea which occurred simultaneously with this section of Isaiah during this war. God gives to Judah a prophet Isaiah, God gives to Israel a prophet Hosea. Isaiah has a wife the prophetess, God gives a wife to Hosea the Prostitute. Isaiah has 2 children he names them names which express that God is with Judah she'ar-ja'shub (Meaning a remnant will return) and Ma'her-shal'al-hash'-baz (meaning quick to plunder, swift to spoil). These are signs that God is with them Emmanuel. On the Contrary Hosea has children which are also given names but these mean God is not with Israel Jez're-el (which in the text shows it is a sign of the destruction of Jez're-el and God will break the bow of Israel in the Land of Jez're-el), Lo-ru-ha'mah (meaning without love or mercy as it says I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel), and Lo-am'mi (meaning not my people as it says for you are not my people and I will not be your God). Of course there is the promise of redemption with this as it says in Hosea 1:10 "In the place where it was said, you are not my people there they will be called the children of the Living God. That verse was not speaking of the Gentiles as Paul says in Romans 9:26 and as some Christians argue but rather of Israel itself according to the text here in Hosea. So Isaiah's children mean that God is with them (Immanuel) whereas Hosea's children mean that God is not with them. There is much more about Isaiah 7 and 8 to discuss here and about the history surrounding these sections of Scripture but I will leave it here.

[ghincredibal]

Didn't God command the archangel Gabriel to tell Yoseph and Mary to call their son IMMANUEL ? also there was no letter J...how would they call him Jesus..? letter J came in 1600..

[CigarCastro]

“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33) something is Off with the Bible 🤔

[willbill]

This is about Jesus being called Emmanuel=God with us. Many Christians understand this as ‘God Himself in man’s form (Jesus). From what I have read I understand something else, plz read.

Let's read Matthew1:23 says behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel.
This is being interpreted as God with us(Physically, so Jesus as God, ) and the problem with this is that when people read God with us, you know in their minds
sometimes they're reading it through glasses tinted with past tradition. The Bible is the best commentary on itself so we need to let the Bible explain itself.
To properly understand this(Emmanuel) you have to go back Isaiah chapter 7 from which Matthew quoted.
Judah is faced with invasion by its northern neighbours, the Kingdom of Israel (also called Ephraim) and Aram-Damascus (Syria), but God instructs the prophet Isaiah to tell king Ahaz that God will destroy Judah's enemies (Isaiah 7:1–10):

Isaiah delivers God's message to Ahaz and tells him to ask for a sign to confirm that this is a true prophecy (verse 7:11). Ahaz refuses, saying he will not test God (7:12). Isaiah replies that Ahaz will have a sign whether he asks for it or not, and the sign will be the birth of a child, and the child's mother will call it Immanuel, meaning "God-with-us" (7:13–14)

So Matthew quotes Isaiah verse 14 of chapter seven: therefore the Lord himself as God shall give you a sign behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.

Now in Matthew here, it says God with us as if this is the eternal God incarnated with us but there's a word left out here and that is (God “is” with us)=Emmanuel. (Look it up in Hebrew). So the very important word here in 7:14 is the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Now when Jesus was born and Simeon held him up in the temple he said: this child shall be for a sign. So he's referring back to this 7th chapter of Isaiah that Jesus is a sign. he's the greatest sign there's ever been, that God is with us but Jesus never claimed to be God himself with us and to show you that, go see in chapter 8 verse 10 Isaiah. Isaiah began to comfort and says; 'Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us. Israel with this idea; he began to say for God is with us'. Jesus wasn't born till 700 years later but Isaiah took this as encouragement from that God is with us=(Emmanuel) he's with us and he's gonna he's going to stay with us. Meaning, don't be afraid of these Kings coming against us but God is with us yeah before Jesus birth and then when Zachariah held John the Baptist up as a baby in the temple to dedicate him he said God has visited his people. this is John the Baptist but John the Baptist was a sign that God has visited his people John the Baptist never claimed godhood and nobody claims godhood for him but he says: God has visited his people because John the Baptist was gonna be the greatest prophet that ever walked in earth(according to the Bible).

So Emmanuel means God with us in his precense/Knowledge.

[bernardallauigan]

I'm convinced you are explaining it right. Thank you sir

[RebornInChrist]

The Bible says the word of God is like 2 edged sword, so it can mean different things for the work of God!

[nadzach]

Mat-thew, μετ'θεου, comes from מאת. The alpha and omega in Hebrew is את. The word which is not generally translated, but can be understood as God's "self" or the angel of his presence. Remember Peter's escape from prison. This is an excellent picture of translation. Peter exited through the various barriers of iron and came to his "self." The ladies who had been praying through the night were not fools. They understood that Peter's "angel" or spiritual presence might arrive first. (This is the double portion present among the early disciples) Mat'thew expresses the second portion of faith. Mark תערה was the first "beginning" as the"preparation of the heart" that occurs when the spirit of Jesus ( the Word) enters. Mat'theou is a second beginning when the will of the Father is accepted. In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was WITH GOD. Luke or לוק is the "latter part." Mankind was blinded "lest they see with their eyes or hear with their ears and be converted." It right there in black and white...for those who desire to see.

[-xempt-]

I had an oooh moment like halfway through this video lol

[AB-bmip]

utter nonsense. if Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled in the time of Ahaz then it needed no further fulfillment. any virgin birth after that time would not be a fulfillment of any prophecy. thus, there is no requirement that a messiah would be born of a virgin. If you disagree, please let me know what virgin was born in the time of ahaz. none of course, because it isn't about a virgin birth but a natural birth to a known young woman. if the new testament never mentioned a virgin birth, as the earliest writings do not, like mark and paul, this wouldn't even be an issue.

[big]

It’s a negative sounding sign… but I guess I kind of see it as a positive because Jesus had to come and destroy the belief that only Israelites deserve to be the chosen ones. And now the gentiles as described by Paul are also able to become chosen to the kingdom of heaven through Jesus death and resurrection

[jonjohnson]

Also at Mark 1:17(27/9) Jesus mentions fishers of men. Nine/Nineveh. Nine is a whale tail down head up out of water to catch a man, Jon-Ah.

[firstroundboxing]

Jews argue that virgin is the wrong translation

[stmc]

That's interesting. If it's a "negative" sign than it makes sense why John the Baptist said "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". Jesus being the sign given of God is with us and the destruction of a nation because of unbelief... so repent. I'm not sure if I'm saying that clearly but... I think it's cool.

[allenmcnerlin]

Close, but the virgin giving birth to a son is an ancient saying, in reference to when the sun rises in Virgo! The only human in the zodiac. Mythos. Ra all sun worship use the saying Jesus was a gnostic call gnostics believe that the Jewish God is the devil don’t believe me look it up. Stephen told them that just before they stone him Stephen was a gnostic.