Isaiah 7:14 is a verse of the
Book of Isaiah (
Hebrew Bible and Christian
Old Testament) in which
the prophet Isaiah, addressing king
Ahaz of Judah (reigned c.732/731-716/715 BC), promises the king a sign that his oracle is a true one. The early Christians interpreted it as a prophecy of
Jesus as the
Messiah, and it remains a point of contention between
Christians and Jews.
Hebrew Bible
Isaiah 7:14
The Hebrew text of Isaiah 7:14 is:
The translation and meaning of this verse is a subject of debate, especially between Jewish and Christian scholars. An English translation of this verse with the contentious Hebrew words transliterated and the several meanings under debate provided is:
"Therefore, my Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, ha-almah [the young woman or virgin] harah [is pregnant or is about to become pregnant or shall conceive], and bear a son, and [she or you] shall call his name Immanuel."
Context
Isaiah 7:14 is found in a long section of the
Book of Isaiah concerning the
Syro-Ephraimite War. In the 8th century BC,
Assyria was a great regional power. The smaller nations of
Syria (often called Aram), ruled by king
Rezin, and the
Kingdom of Israel (often called
Ephraim because of the main tribe), under king
Pekah, had been vassals of Assyria, but in 735 BC decided to break away.
Ahaz, the king of
Judah, was loyal to Assyria and refused to join them, so Rezin and Prekah prepare to depose him and install their own choice of king.
In the face of the invasion Ahaz and his court and all the people are afraid, but Isaiah tells Ahaz that his enemies will not succeed. Ahaz is reluctant to accept the prophecy, and is told to ask God for a sign showing that the oracle is a true one. Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign, saying he will not put God to the test, but Isaiah replies that he will have his sign whether he asks for it or not:
:11
::'Ask a sign from the LORD thy God, from lowest Sheol or from highest heaven.'
:12
::But Ahaz said: 'I will not ask, and I will not test the LORD.'
:13
::And he retorted: 'Listen, house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?
:14
::Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: a maiden is with child and she will bear a son, and will call his name Immanuel. (The literal translation of the original Hebrew words reads: "Therefore shall-give my-lord he [himself] to you sign behold the-young-woman conceived (is pregnant) and-beareth son and- she calleth name-his immanuel.")
:15
::By the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good, he will be eating curds and honey.
:16
::For before the child knows to reject the bad and choose the good, desolation will come upon the land of the two kings the land whose two kings before whom you now cower.
:17
::The LORD will cause to come upon you, and your people and your ancestral house such days ashave not been seen since Ephraim broke away from Judah - the king of Assyria'.
Translations
The following table provides the English translations of this verse from several well-accepted Jewish sources:
Verb tense and time of pregnancy
Thus Jews understand that God indicated he was sending a "sign" in the days of
Ahaz (who lived many centuries before Jesus). Isaiah wanted King Ahaz to wait for God to give him support in this troublesome time instead of making alliances with Assyria.
Moreover, Jews observe that there is no indication that Immanuel will be the Messiah, whatever the timing of his birth.
Isaiah's original Hebrew, reads (transliterated): Hinneh ha-almah harah ve-yeldeth ben ve-karath shem-o immanuel. The word almah is part of the Hebrew phrase ha-almah hara, meaning "the almah is pregnant." Since the Hebrew imperfect tense is used, it is argued by some, such as rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch (1985) that the young woman was already pregnant and hence not a virgin. As such, the verse cannot be cited as a prediction of the future. However the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) (1917) version reads "Therefore the L-rd Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
The Jewish tradition has never considered Isaiah 7:14 as a messianic prophecy. Jewish scholars argue that this is a Christian misinterpretation.
Adjective “harah ” and time of pregnancy
The adjective “harah ” is used predicatively. From the narrator’s perspective, some Jewish scholars argue that this generally means a past, or present, or imminent future pregnancy. With that in mind, the translation of Isaiah 7:14 may also be rendered as either “the [or this] young woman is pregnant” or “the [or this] young woman will soon be pregnant”.
Meaning of “almah’”
Jewish scholars argue that the word
betulah is used instead of
almah in verses where a reference to a virgin is clearly intended (see
Genesis 24:16,
Exodus 22:16-17,
Leviticus 21:14, and
Deuteronomy 22:13-21) and that
almah is more correctly translated as "young woman."
Jewish tradition states that the "young woman" was in fact Isaiah’s wife and the birth of the child is recorded later in Isaiah 8:3, although that child is not named "Immanuel" but "Maher-shalal-hash-baz".
As an example of how '[almah]'' is used, in Proverbs 30:18-20:
:18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
:19
:
::The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock;
::the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a young woman.
:20
:
::So is the way of an adulterous woman;
::she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: 'I have done no wickedness.'
In this context it is argued, "the way of a man with a young woman," [almah] does not appear to have the connotations of a virgin.
Christian apologists have sometimes argued that the translation as "virgin" in many Christian translations of Isaiah 7:14 is justified by pointing to the Septuagint version of Isaiah, and arguing that the Septuagint, which was translated by Jews, used the word virgin, so the original must have been understood to mean virgin.
This argument has problems: one, the Letter of Aristeas, which dates to second century BC, says that the Septuagint was a translation by Jews only of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Josephus Flavius similarly states that, at least under Ptolemy Philadelphus, only the Law was translated, and something similar is stated in the Talmud.
If Christians claim that the virgin birth of was fulfilled twice, who then was the first virgin having a baby boy in 732 BC? If they insist that the word ha'almah can only mean virgin, are they claiming that Mary was not the first and only virgin to conceive and give birth to a child?
What does the "butter and honey" refer to?(Isa 7:22)
Why is Jesus, who was sinless from birth in the traditional Christian understanding, described as having to learn to refuse the evil and choose the good?
What age did the baby Jesus mature?
Which were the two kingdoms during Jesus' lifetime that were abandoned?
Who dreaded the Kingdom of Israel during the first century AD when there had not been a Kingdom of Israel in existence since the seventh century BC?
Jesus' name is Jesus; his name is not Emmanuel.
Christian perspectives
The Jewish view is often disputed by Christians, and has been a point of contention between Jews and Christians since the formation of the modern Church.
Jerome, in 383 AD, wrote in "Adversus Helvidium" that
Helvidius misunderstood just this same point of confusion between the Greek and the Hebrew.
The Christian interpretation of Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 is based on the following scriptures in the Christian New Testament where the conception and birth of Jesus Christ are described:
( KJV) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
(21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
(22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
(23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament translated 200 B.C. or before and used by the early Christians, Isaiah 7:14 has the word "virgin" (παρθενος - "parthenos") as the Greek translation of "almah":
7:14 δια τουτο δωσει κυριος αυτος υμιν σημειον ιδου η παρθενος εν γαστρι εξει και τεξεται υιον και καλεσεις το ονομα αυτου εμμανουηλ
Since Matthew was written for a Greek speaking audience, it is generally assumed that Matthew's quote would agree with the Greek text of Isaiah known to his readers.
Based on these scriptures many Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Immanuel prophesied of in Isaiah 7:14 and that He is "God with us". Many also believe that Jesus was born by means of a Virgin Birth and through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than through normal conception by man. Anthony Maas (1912) expresses the view that Luke compiled his account from a Hebrew source.
Hezekiah and dual fulfillment
Some Christian scholars refer the Hebrew
almah to
Abijah, daughter of Zechariah the royal bride of
Ahaz and soon mother to be of the heir to David's throne,
Hezekiah. The basis of this identification is the context of Isaiah 7:7 onwards
''Isaiah 7:7 It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’” 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 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? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 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.”
Two kings whom Ahaz feared,
Rezin and
Pekah were defeated 732 BC) by the king of Assyria,
Tiglath-Pileser III. The age of a child who "knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good" is broadly compatible with Hezekiah being an infant.
According to this interpretation the prophet Isaiah did not understand the word 'almah' in its New Testament sense but meant the queen who would soon conceive and bear a son. On the other hand, since the prophecy of Nathan, every king was the bearer of the whole promise which could not take form in the future without being a bodily reality in the present time. With each new king, there was a reawakening of the hope that this new bearer of the royal blood would realize the ideals of the ruler to come, the Messiah. In the perspective of prophecy, present and distant future are joined. The miracle of the virgin birth in the fullest sense of the word is not clearly expressed in the Immanuel prophecy. According to this interpretation, the virgin Mary is only indirectly referred to in the figure of the 'almah'. The Greek Bible (Septuagint) had translated 'almah' as 'parthenos' (virgin), and thus prepared for its interpretation as "virgin" in the proper sense of the word.
Secular interpretations
According to
Howard Clarke, most secular Biblical scholars, along with Jewish scholars and some Christian scholars, interpret this verse Isaiah to be explicitly referring to a son of the Judean King Ahaz (ca. 735-15) rather than to his mother as Matthew understands it, when the verse is read in the context of the chapter 7 of Isaiah.
See also
Almah
Jesus and Messianic prophecy
Book of Isaiah
Gospel of Matthew
Virgin Birth (Christian doctrine)
Notes
Category:Hebrew Bible verses
Category:Christianity and Judaism
Category:Book of Isaiah
