The Meaning of Isaiah 7:14 Explained

Isaiah 7:14

KJV: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

YLT: Therefore the Lord Himself giveth to you a sign, Lo, the Virgin is conceiving, And is bringing forth a son, And hath called his name Immanuel,

Darby: Therefore will the Lord himself give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and shall bring forth a son, and call his name Immanuel.

ASV: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Discover Isaiah 7:14

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Isaiah 7:14?

MEANING: What does Isaiah 7:14 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Isaiah 7:14 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Isaiah 7:14?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore the Lord  himself shall give  you a sign;  Behold, a virgin  shall conceive,  and bear  a son,  and shall call  his name  Immanuel. 

What does Isaiah 7:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Israel"s Sovereign Himself would give Ahaz and the house of David (plural "you") a sign that He was with His people-even though the king refused to ask for one. The sign no longer was an inducement to faith but a confirmation of divine displeasure. A particular pregnant young woman would bear a son and name Him "Immanuel" ("God with us"; cf. Genesis 16:11; Genesis 17:19; Judges 13:3). The definite article ("the") describes "virgin" in the Hebrew text. This sign should have encouraged Ahaz to trust God"s promise of deliverance and not rely on Assyria.
The Hebrew word for "virgin" is "alma, which means a young woman of marriageable age, but the word never describes a married woman in the Old Testament. It is the only word in Hebrew that unequivocally signifies an unmarried woman. As the rest of this passage will show (through Isaiah 8:10), it seems most likely that Isaiah"s son Maher-shalal-hash-baz fulfilled the Immanuel prophecy initially. [1] In Hebrew society, an unmarried woman of marriageable age would be a virgin. Thus "alma had overtones of virginity about it and, in fact, sometimes described a virgin (cf. Genesis 24:43). This probably explains why the Septuagint translators chose the Greek word parthenos, meaning virgin, to translate "alma here. However, Hebrew has a word for virgin, bethula, so why did not Isaiah use this word if he meant the mother of the child was a virgin? Probably Isaiah used "alma rather than bethula because he did not want to claim the virginity of the mother necessarily, but this word does not rule virginity out either. God evidently led Isaiah to use "alma so the predicted mother could be simply a young unmarried woman or a virgin. This allows the possibility of a double fulfillment, a young woman in Isaiah"s day and a virgin hundreds of years later (cf. Matthew 1:23). [2]
The naming of a child by its mother was not uncommon in Israel (cf. Genesis 4:1; Genesis 4:25; Genesis 29:31 to Genesis 30:13, Genesis 30:17-24; Genesis 35:18; Judges 13:24; 1 Samuel 1:20; 1 Samuel 4:21). In Jesus" case, it was appropriate that Joseph name Him rather than Mary, since He was the Son of God as well as Mary"s son. [3] The child"s mother evidently named her baby Immanuel ("God is with us" or "God be with us") since she believed God would demonstrate His presence with Judah by preserving the nation from the Syro-Ephraimitic threat. Whoever the child was, Ahaz must have learned of his birth since the birth was to be a sign to him. Some writers believed that Ahaz"s son Hezekiah was the initial fulfillment. Whether the initial fulfillment was Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Hezekiah, or someone else, the name "Immanuel" may have been a secondary or less used name.
Some very fine scholars have believed that there was no initial fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah"s day, that no child born then served as a sign. Conservatives in this group believe that the only fulfillment was the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. [4] The problem with this view is the lack of a sign in Isaiah"s day. One response to this problem by an advocate of this view follows.
". . . the assurance that Christ was to be born in Judah, of its royal family, might be a sign to Ahaz, that the kingdom should not perish in his day; and so far was the remoteness of the sign in this case from making it absurd or inappropriate, that the further off it was, the stronger the promise of continuance to Judah, which it guaranteed." [5]

Context Summary

Isaiah 7:1-17 - The Sign Of Immanuel
A new cycle of prophecy begins here, covering the reign of Ahaz. The complete history which illustrates these chapters is given in 2 Chronicles 28:5. The invasion of Judah by Syria and Samaria was permitted because a severe warning was needed to enforce Isaiah's remonstrances and appeals. See 2 Kings 15:37. The Holy City, as Isaiah predicted, was not to be trodden by the invader, though it would pass through severe suffering and anxiety. This immunity, which neither Ahaz nor his people deserved, was secured by Isaiah's faith and prayer, pleading as he did, God's ancient covenant.
This great prophecy of the coming Immanuel must have greatly encouraged that generation, as it has all succeeding ones. It inspired Psalms 46:1-11. What greater comfort have we than that Jesus is the companion of our pilgrimage? See Matthew 1:21-23. Though the corn-lands were desolate, the cattle on the mountain-pastures would yield butter and the wild bees honey; and this would supply the nation's needs till the invader had withdrawn. Though God chastens us, He will not forget our daily bread. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 7

1  Ahaz, being troubled with fear of Rezin and Pekah, is comforted by Isaiah
10  Ahaz, having liberty to choose a sign, and refusing it, has for a sign, Christ promised
17  His judgment is prophesied to come by Assyria

What do the individual words in Isaiah 7:14 mean?

Therefore will give the Lord He you a sign behold the virgin shall become pregnant and bear a Son and shall call His name - Immanuel
לָ֠כֵן יִתֵּ֨ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם א֑וֹת הִנֵּ֣ה הָעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמ֖וֹ עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל

יִתֵּ֨ן  will  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֲדֹנָ֥י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
א֑וֹת  a  sign 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֹות  
Sense: sign, signal.
הִנֵּ֣ה  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
הָעַלְמָ֗ה  the  virgin 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עַלְמָה  
Sense: virgin, young woman.
הָרָה֙  shall  become  pregnant 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: הָרֶה 
Sense: pregnant.
וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת  and  bear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
בֵּ֔ן  a  Son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְקָרָ֥את  and  shall  call 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
שְׁמ֖וֹ  His  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
עִמָּ֥נוּ  - 
Parse:
אֵֽל  Immanuel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עִמָּנוּ אֵל  
Sense: symbolic and prophetic name of the Messiah, the Christ, prophesying that He would be born of a virgin and would be ‘God with us’.

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 7:14?

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