Bible Strands
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah addresses King Ahaz of Judah, who has just refused to ask the Lord for a sign (v. 12) amid the Syro-Ephraimite threat. The Lord Himself supplies the sign in response to that refusal.
The words — עַלְמָה ('almah) is the supplied gloss's "young woman," a word for a girl of marriageable age rather than a strict "virgin." The Hebrew does not carry the same semantic weight as the Greek παρθένος that Matthew 1:23 later employs.
The thread — Matthew 1:23 quotes the verse as a fulfillment formula for Jesus' birth; Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 1:31 echo the "son given / son born" language.
Why it lands — The sign is addressed to a king in a specific political crisis, naming a child who will eat curds and honey before he knows right from wrong (v. 15). A reader must hold the immediate referent in view before any later application can be claimed.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Cross-references
- Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
- Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Luke 1:31 Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Luke 1:35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
- Isaiah 8:8 It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
- Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
- Isaiah 8:10 Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.”