Matthew 1:23

Tuesday, 30 July 2024

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

“‘Behold, the virgin will have in womb, and will bring forth a Son, and they will call His name Emmanouél,’ which is being translated, ‘With Us: The God’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Matthew noted that the things that were conveyed by the messenger to Joseph were done in order that a prophecy of the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled. Now, Matthew cites that prophecy so that we can understand what is being referred to. And so, he writes –

“‘Behold, the virgin will have in womb, and will bring forth a Son, and they will call His name Emmanouél,’ which is being translated, ‘With Us: The God.’”

It is a literal translation of the name and the title. In a case like this, the article before “God” does not need to be included as it is understood that there is one God. Further, the prophecy from Isaiah doesn’t include any article. However, because of the words of Isaiah to the House of David, the One true God, Yehovah, was understood to be who he was referring to. He said –

“Then he said, ‘Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?’” Isaiah 7:13

Isaiah had just cited the words of the Lord (Yehovah) in verse 7:10. Therefore, the inclusion of the article from the Greek is not inappropriate. Yehovah is the One and only true God. This is why Isaiah said, “weary my God.” A point is being made about the nature of the One to come. After saying his words to the house of David, Isaiah continues with his words of prophecy –

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

The name Immanuel comes from im, with, and el, God. The form of the word Immanu, having a pronominal suffix, indicates a plural marker. Thus, it means With Us, God. Matthew gives a direct transliteration from the Greek – Emmanouél.

In the words of Isaiah, he uses the term almah, translated as “virgin.” That signifies a young woman. Using this word generally signifies a virgin, such as in the account of Rebekah in Genesis 24, but it does not necessarily mean it is so. It is the feminine form of elem, a young man. Because of this, Jewish rabbis and scholars dismiss that this is a future prophecy of the coming of Christ Jesus.

However, this flies in the face of Jewish history, which always understood it to refer to a virgin who would bear a child. This is confirmed by the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which predates the coming of Christ by about two hundred and fifty years –

ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει, καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ᾿Εμμανουήλ (LXX).

Idou hē parthenos en gastri hexei kai texetai huion kai kaleseis to onoma autou Emmanouēl.

In their translation, the rabbis used the word παρθένος, parthenos, a virgin. It is this translation that Matthew refers to for his words. His citation is almost a letter for letter translation of Isaiah 7:14.

His use of parthenos was to clear up any ambiguity in what was being conveyed. Even if a young woman in Isaiah’s time was used as a reference to the fulfillment of the immediate prophecy given by the Lord, the rabbis clearly understood that a greater fulfillment of the prophecy was ahead in the coming of the Messiah.

As human biology demands that virgins cannot have a child on their own, then there must be something coming that defied the understanding of those who anticipated their Messiah. Only in the pronouncement to Mary in Luke 1 can the concept of a virgin bearing a child without the seed of a man be understood –

“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:35

As Mary will be the mother of the Child, and because she is a human, the Child will be a human male. As God is the Father of the Child, the Child will be The God. Thus, the pronouncement of the prophet of the words of the Lord finds its ultimate fulfillment in the coming of the Messiah – Immanuel: God With Us.

Because Isaiah referred to his God, Yehovah, then the words of Matthew are fulfilled – Meth’ hēmōn ho Theos: With us: The God. Though the Hebrew word elohim can mean God, god, gods, or even spirits or people, the term ha’elohim, the God, is only used when referring to the true God. Jesus Christ is very God of very God. He is the Incarnation of Yehovah in human flesh.

Life application: Despite two thousand years of Jewish attempts to deny the incarnation of God in Christ, this is exactly what their own Scriptures speak of from beginning to end. If you encounter a Jewish rabbi or scholar who adamantly denies that Jesus is the Lord, you have your work cut out for you. But if you know what you are talking about, you can easily defend the truth of Scripture.

Others, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, deny that Jesus is God. In this, they proclaim another (a false) Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4), and thus they proclaim a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-9). Therefore, they stand accursed before God.

Be sure to speak about what you know to be true. And be firm in your convictions. God has come to dwell among us! All hail the name of our Lord, our Savior, and our God – JESUS!

Lord God, may we continue to pursue a right understanding of who Jesus is all our days. We proclaim Jesus is Lord! Our God is among us, having come in human flesh. Praise You, O God, for what You have done for us. Hallelujah and Amen.