From King Ahaz's perspective, how was the virgin-Immanuel sign fulfilled?

[tonychanyt]

Ahaz was a bad king, 2 Kings 16:

2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God.

During his reign, Syria was in league with the kingdom of Israel to wage war against Judah (Isaiah 7:1-2) God sent Isaiah to him,

4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.

God promised Ahaz that he would take care of the situation.

10 the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11“Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.”

Ahaz seemed to ask an innocent question but Isaish saw deeper:

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?

God used this to provide a double prophecy:

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin [H5959] shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

From Ahaz's point of view, how was this sign fulfilled?

Strong's Hebrew: 5959. עַלְמָה (almah) — 7 Occurrences

H5959 was ambiguous. Brown-Driver-Briggs:

noun feminine young woman (ripe sexually; maid or newly married).

H1330 was the unambiguous word for a virgin who never had sex.

Pulpit explained:

the prophecy had a double bearing and a double fulfillment? "The obvious and literal meaning of the prophecy is this," he says: "that within the time that a young woman, now a virgin, should conceive and bring forth a child, and that child should arrive at such an age as to distinguish between good and evil, that is, within a few years, the enemies of Judah should be destroyed."

From King Ahaz's perspective, how was the virgin-Immanuel sign fulfilled?

The first child may have received the name Immanuel (comp. Ittiel) from a faithful Jewish mother, who believed that God was with his people, whatever dangers threatened, and may have reached years of discretion about the time that Samaria was carried away captive. The second child is the true "Immanuel," "God with us,"

Cambridge Bible added:

The difficulties arise mainly from the fact that while the terms of the prediction are so indefinite as to admit a wide range of possibilities, we have no record of its actual fulfilment in any contemporary event.

Some believed that it was fulfilled in Isaiah 8:

8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel!” 18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Gill objected:

nor can it be interpreted of Isaiah's wife and son, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi think; since the prophet could never call her a "virgin", who had bore him children, one of which was now with him;

It was ultimately fulfilled in the birth of Christ, God with us.