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."

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| How to Learn to Read the Bible as Literary Art |
Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide (https://amzn.to/30LzaRa)
Narrative Art in the Bible (https://amzn.to/30RVGIb)
The Art of Biblical Narrative (https://amzn.to/3aDrIfk)
Old Testament Narrative: A Guide to Interpretation (https://amzn.to/38rcE2C)
The Poetics of Biblical Narrative (https://amzn.to/2Gh4cqE)

| Literary Structure |
Literary Structure of the Old Testament (https://amzn.to/30Jdm8X)
Style And Structure In Biblical Hebrew Narrative (https://amzn.to/2RDTTlQ)

| Genesis |
Creation: The Story of Beginnings - Grossman (https://amzn.to/2GlPwq9)
Abram to Abraham: A Literary Analysis of the Abraham Narrative - Grossman (https://amzn.to/2v7id7Z)
Narrative Art in Genesis - Fokkelman (https://amzn.to/2ulmd4t)
A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Part I) - Cassuto (https://amzn.to/2NOAhdt)
A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Part II) - Cassuto (https://amzn.to/2Gcuk6d)
Genesis: A Commentary - Waltke (https://amzn.to/2vaBvt7)
The Gospel of Genesis: Studies in Protology and Eschatology - Gage (https://amzn.to/2RGjRFo)
Abraham and All the Families of the Earth: A Commentary on the Book of Genesis 12-50 - Janzen (https://amzn.to/2TVyCqJ)
Genesis 1-15, Volume 1 - Wenham (https://amzn.to/2TQnYRO)
Genesis 16-50, Volume 2 - Wenham (https://amzn.to/3aDY21J)

| 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