What does Isaiah 7:14 mean?

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14, King James Version

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The verse in its chapter

Isaiah 7:12-16

  1. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
  2. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
  3. 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
  4. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
  5. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Study note

Tyndale Open Study Notes (CC BY-SA 4.0).

7:14 This prophecy received its ultimate fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:18-24). Yet it is likely that it also had a partial fulfillment in Isaiah’s day, either with the birth of godly king Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son, or with the birth of one of Isaiah’s children. The similar sequence of the verbs in Isa 7:14 and 8:3 (conceive . . . give birth . . . call) and the link between Immanuel and Maher-shalal-hash-baz in 8:5-10 suggest that Immanuel and Maher-shalal-hash-baz were the same person. • The name Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’) symbolized God’s presence and protection.

Cross references

Other Bible passages linked to this one, most cited first.

About the book of Isaiah

Author
Isaiah son of Amoz (the book's unity is debated) (Isaiah 1:1)
When
prophesied c. 740 to 700 BC
Period
Reino dividido, c. 930 a 586 a.C. (in Portuguese)

Authorship: the book itself or Christian tradition. Approximate dates, as in Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, and Longman and Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament.

In the Mercy Bible Atlas (in Portuguese)

More verses from Isaiah