Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
behold
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Jeremiah 31:22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
Matthew 1:23 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.
shall call.
Genesis 4:1,2,25 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD…
Genesis 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
Genesis 29:32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.
Immanuel
Isaiah 8:8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
John 1:1,2,14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…
Behold, the virgin will be with child:
The term "virgin" is significant, traditionally understood as a young woman of marriageable age. In the New Testament, Matthew 1:23 cites this prophecy, applying it to the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, highlighting the miraculous nature of His conception. This aligns with the Christian belief in the incarnation, where Jesus is both fully God and fully man. The Hebrew word "almah" can mean young woman, but the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, uses "parthenos," meaning virgin, reinforcing the miraculous aspect.
and give birth to a son:
The birth of a son signifies the continuation of a lineage and the fulfillment of God's promises. In the immediate context, this could refer to a child born during Isaiah's time, symbolizing hope and God's presence with His people. In the broader biblical narrative, it points to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose birth is central to the Christian faith.
and will call Him Immanuel:
"Immanuel" means "God with us," encapsulating the essence of the prophecy. In the historical context, it reassures the people of Judah of God's presence amidst their political turmoil. In the New Testament, this name is directly associated with Jesus, affirming His divine nature and His role as God dwelling among humanity. This concept is foundational to Christian theology, emphasizing God's intimate involvement in human history and His redemptive plan.
• God takes the initiative with King Ahaz, who is wavering under threat from Syria and Israel (2 Kings 16:5–7).
• “The Lord Himself” underlines divine authorship; the sign does not arise from human ingenuity (Isaiah 37:30 shows a similar God-given sign).
• Scripture often pairs a sign with assurance of deliverance—think of Gideon asking, “Show me a sign that it is You” (Judges 6:17). Here, even Ahaz’s reluctance cannot cancel God’s gracious promise.
• “Behold” invites Judah—and us—to pause and marvel.
• The virgin conceiving marks a supernatural event, fulfilled literally in Mary (Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:26-35).
• This moment echoes the earliest gospel promise: a woman’s seed would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
• God works in what seems impossible, so that the glory is unmistakably His (Romans 4:17-21).
• The gender is specified: a son. Isaiah later amplifies this: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).
• Mary “gave birth to her firstborn Son” (Luke 2:7). The incarnation places the eternal Word in human flesh (John 1:14).
• The Son carries royal and redemptive significance—He is the heir to David’s throne and the Lamb who takes away sin (Psalm 2:7; John 1:29).
• Immanuel means “God with us.” Matthew applies the name directly to Jesus (Matthew 1:23), affirming His deity.
• God’s presence, once housed in tabernacle and temple, now dwells in a Person (Colossians 2:9).
• The promise stretches to the end of the age: “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) and culminates in, “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3).
• Isaiah himself repeats the reassurance a chapter later—“God is with us” (Isaiah 8:10)—showing the title’s ongoing comfort for the faithful remnant.
Isaiah 7:14 announces a divine sign rooted in history yet reaching its full brilliance in the birth of Jesus. The Lord personally gives the sign; a virgin conceives; a Son is born; He bears the title Immanuel. The verse assures Judah then—and believers now—that God keeps His promises, intervenes supernaturally, and comes to dwell with His people in the person of His Son.
(14) Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son . . .--Better, behold, the young woman, or perhaps the bride, shall conceive. The first noun has the definite article in the Hebrew, and the word, though commonly used of the unmarried, strictly speaking denotes rather one who has arrived at marriageable age. "Bride," in the old English and German sense of the word as applied to one who is about to become a wife, or is still a young wife, will, perhaps, best express its relation to the two Hebrew words which respectively and distinctively are used for "virgin" and for "wife." In Psalm 68:26, the Authorised Version gives "damsels." The mysterious prophecy which was thus delivered to Ahaz has been very differently interpreted.Verse 14. - Therefore. To show that your perversity cannot change God's designs, which will be accomplished, whether you hear or whether you forbear. The Lord himself; i.e. "the Lord himself, of his own free will, unasked." Will give you a sign. "Signs" were of various kinds. They might be actual miracles performed to attest a Divine commission (Exodus 4:3-9); or judgments of God, significative of his power and justice (Exodus 10:2); or memorials of something in the past (Exodus 13:9, 16); or pledges of something still future. Signs of this last-mentioned kind might be miracles (Judges 6:36-40; 2 Kings 20:8-11), or prophetic announcements (Exodus 3:12; 1 Samuel 2:34; 2 Kings 19:29). These last would only have the effect of signs on those who witnessed their accomplishment. Behold. "A forewarning of a great event" (Cheyne). A virgin shall conceive. It is questioned whether the word translated "virgin," viz. 'almah, has necessarily that meaning; but it is admitted that the meaning is borne out by every other place in which the word occurs m the Old Testament (Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:25; Proverbs 30:19; Song of Solomon 1:3; Song of Solomon 6:8). The LXX., writing two centuries before the birth of Christ, translate by παρθένος. The rendering "virgin" has the support of the best modern Hebraists, as Lowth, Gesenins, Ewald, Delitzsch, Kay. It is observed with reason that unless 'almah is translated "virgin," there is no announcement made worthy of the grand prelude: "The Lord himself shall give you a sign - Behold!" The Hebrew, however, has not "a virgin," but "the virgin" (and so the Septuagint, ἡ παρθένος), which points to some special virgin, pro-eminent above all others. And shall call; better than the marginal rendering, thou shalt call. It was regarded as the privilege of a mother to determine her child's name (Genesis 4:25; Genesis 16:11; Genesis 29:32-35; Genesis 30:6-13, 18-21, 24; Genesis 35:18, etc.), although formally the father gave it (Genesis 16:15; 2 Samuel 12:24; Luke 1:62, 83). Immanuel. Translated for us by St. Matthew (Matthew 1:23) as "God with us" (μεθ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός). (Comp. Isaiah 8:8, 10.)Isaiah 7:15 Verse 15. - Butter and honey shall he eat. His fare shall be of the simplest kind (comp. ver. 22). That he may know; rather, till he shall know (Rosenmüller); i.e. till he come to years of discretion. (The rendering of the Revisers of 1885, "when he knoweth," is less satisfactory.) - Note on the general purport of the Immanuel prophecy. Few prophecies have been the subject of so much controversy, or called forth such a variety of exegesis, as this prophecy of Immanuel. Rosenmüller gives a list of twenty-eight authors who have written dissertations upon it, and himself adds a twenty-ninth. Yet the subject is far from being exhausted. It is still asked: (1) Were the mother and son persons belonging to the time of Isaiah himself, and if so, what persons? Or, . . .
Parallel Commentaries ...
לָ֠כֵן (lā·ḵên)
Adverb
Strong's 3651: So -- thus
the Lord
אֲדֹנָ֥י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord
Himself
ה֛וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are
will give
יִתֵּ֨ן (yit·tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set
you a sign:
א֑וֹת (’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 226: A signal, as a, flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence
Behold,
הִנֵּ֣ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!
the virgin
הָעַלְמָ֗ה (hā·‘al·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5959: A young woman, a virgin
will be with child
הָרָה֙ (hā·rāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2030: Pregnant
and will give birth
וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת (wə·yō·le·ḏeṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage
to a son,
בֵּ֔ן (bên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son
and she will call
וְקָרָ֥את (wə·qā·rāṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read
Him
שְׁמ֖וֹ (šə·mōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8034: A name
Immanuel.
אֵֽל׃ (’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6005: Immanuel -- 'with us is God', the name of a child
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OT Prophets: Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you (Isa Isi Is)