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Isaiah 7:14

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Verse in the seventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah

Biblical illustration of Isaiah 7:1<br>Isaiah 7:14 is a verse in the seventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah in which the prophet Isaiah, addressing king Ahaz of Judah, promises that God will destroy the king's enemies before a child born to an almah is weaned. The Hebrew word עַלְמָה (‘almāh) refers to a "young woman of childbearing age". In the Septuagint, it is translated as παρθένος (parthenos), meaning virgin, and was subsequently picked up by the gospel Matthew as a messianic prophecy of the Virgin birth of Jesus.[1] As the word is used in reference to virgin women elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, most English translations of the Bible use "virgin" with some exceptions, such as in the Revised Standard Version where "young woman" is used; as such, Isaiah 7:14 continues to be one of the most controversial Bible verses.[2]

Isaiah's prophesy to Ahaz<br>[edit]

Context: Isaiah 7:1-25<br>[edit]

The Book of Isaiah was assembled over several centuries, beginning in the 8th century BC.[3] Chapters 1-39 refer mostly to events of the 8th century,[3] but Isaiah 7:1-25 are the product of a 7th century Josianic redaction (i.e., an editing in the reign of King Josiah, c. 640–609 BC).[4] They present the 8th century King Ahaz (reigned c. 732–716 BC) as a faithless monarch who rejects God's promise of protection for his dynasty and city, but the purpose of the original 8th century narrative was to dissuade Ahaz's son, Hezekiah, from entering into alliance with other kingdoms to oppose the Assyrian Empire, the regional hegemon of the day.[4] The following analysis of the text is based on the Masoretic Text.

The oracle: Isaiah 7:1-10<br>[edit]

Isaiah 7:1–8:15 deals with the prophet Isaiah's attempt to persuade King Ahaz not to join the kings of Israel (also called Ephraim) and Syria (Aram-Damascus) in their rebellion against their Assyrian overlord.[3] Isaiah 7:1-8 make up a prologue explaining that Israel and Syria have laid siege to Jerusalem in an effort to replace him with a non-Davidic king who will join them.[3]

When Ahaz ... was king of Judah, Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah ... king of Israel, marched on Jerusalem, they were unable to prevail against it. When the House of David was told that Syria had allied itself with Ephraim, their hearts and the hearts of their people trembled ... But the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shearjashub your son, ... and say to him, 'Be firm and keep calm ...'[5] In the face of the threat God announces to Ahaz: 'It will not succeed, it will not happen.'[6]

God's sign: Isaiah 7:11-16<br>[edit]

Having delivered God's message Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign to confirm that it is a true prophecy, meaning that Ahaz is being called upon to affirm the divine covenant made with the house of David and threatened by the coalition of enemy kings, but Ahaz refuses, and Isaiah replies that he will have a sign whether he asks for it or not:[7]

7:11 יא שְׁאַל-לְךָ אוֹת, מֵעִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ; הַעְמֵק שְׁאָלָה, אוֹ הַגְבֵּהַּ לְמָעְלָה.<br>"Ask a sign from the Lord your God, from lowest Sheol or from highest heaven."<br>7:12 יב וַיֹּאמֶר, אָחָז: לֹא-אֶשְׁאַל וְלֹא-אֲנַסֶּה, אֶת-יְהוָה.<br>But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord."<br>7:13 יג וַיֹּאמֶר, שִׁמְעוּ-נָא בֵּית דָּוִד: הַמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים, כִּי תַלְאוּ גַּם אֶת-אֱלֹהָי.<br>Then 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?<br>7:14 יד לָכֵן יִתֵּן אֲדֹנָי הוּא, לָכֶם--אוֹת: הִנֵּה הָעַלְמָה, הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן, וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ, עִמָּנוּ אֵל.<br>therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: the maiden is with child and she will bear a son, and will call his name Immanuel.<br>7:15 טו חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ, יֹאכֵל--לְדַעְתּוֹ מָאוֹס בָּרָע, וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב.<br>By the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good, he will be eating curds and honey.<br>7:16 טז כִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר, מָאֹס בָּרָע--וּבָחֹר בַּטּוֹב: תֵּעָזֵב הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה קָץ, מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי מְלָכֶיהָ.<br>For before the child knows to reject the bad and choose the good, desolation will come upon the land of the two kings before whom you now cower."[8]

A sign, in this context, means a special event which confirms the prophet's words.[9] Ahaz's sign is to be the birth of a son to an almah, who will name him Immanuel, "God is with us", but the significance of the sign is not the identity of the child or his mother (scholars agree that "almah" refers to a woman of childbearing age and has nothing to do with virginity) but the meaning of his name ("God is with us") and the role it plays in identifying the length of time...