- May 22, 2021
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We all know this one :
Matthew 1 : 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
However, it is fraught with problems :
1) This prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, is giving assurance to King Ahaz that his enemies will be defeated before "Immanuel" knows right from wrong, so unless Jesus was a young lad in the 8th century BC that doesn't work.
Isaiah 7: 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
2) The Hebrew word (almah) mistranslated here as "virgin" should be rendered young woman. Furthermore in Hebrew the pregnancy is present tense "behold, the young woman is with child", so unless Mary was pregnant with Jesus in the 8th century BC this doesn't work.
https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15938
3) Jesus is never referred to as Immanuel anywhere.
So how do Christians reconcile this?
Matthew 1 : 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
However, it is fraught with problems :
1) This prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, is giving assurance to King Ahaz that his enemies will be defeated before "Immanuel" knows right from wrong, so unless Jesus was a young lad in the 8th century BC that doesn't work.
Isaiah 7: 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
2) The Hebrew word (almah) mistranslated here as "virgin" should be rendered young woman. Furthermore in Hebrew the pregnancy is present tense "behold, the young woman is with child", so unless Mary was pregnant with Jesus in the 8th century BC this doesn't work.
https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15938
3) Jesus is never referred to as Immanuel anywhere.
So how do Christians reconcile this?
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