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Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (עִמָּנוּאֵל "God with us", Standard Hebrew ʿImmanuʾel, Tiberian Hebrew ʿImmānûʾēl) is a title used in the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible.
Judaism and the Hebrew Bible
Judaism reads the verse in Isaiah 7:14 as: "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman (Ha-Almah) shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanu-el". See the original Hebrew with English translation [1] (http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1007.htm) . There is no mention of a "virgin birth" as in Hebrew as virgin is a betulah, and not a almah. The word almah means "young woman" and there is no mention of "virginity" or "virgins".
Context of Isaiah 7:14 according to Judaism Ahaz king of Jerusalem was besieged. Through Isaiah, God sends a message. Ahaz is reluctant, but he told he will get a sign and so Isaiah 7:10-17 sates: - And the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying:
יא שְׁאַל-לְךָ אוֹת, מֵעִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ; הַעְמֵק שְׁאָלָה, אוֹ הַגְבֵּהַּ לְמָעְלָה. 11 'Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.' יב וַיֹּאמֶר, אָחָז: לֹא-אֶשְׁאַל וְלֹא-אֲנַסֶּה, אֶת-יְהוָה. 12 But Ahaz said: 'I will not ask, neither will I try the LORD.' יג וַיֹּאמֶר, שִׁמְעוּ-נָא בֵּית דָּוִד: הַמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים, כִּי תַלְאוּ גַּם אֶת-אֱלֹהָי. 13 And he said: 'Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also? יד לָכֵן יִתֵּן אֲדֹנָי הוּא, לָכֶם--אוֹת: הִנֵּה הָעַלְמָה, הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן, וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ, עִמָּנוּ אֵל. 14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. טו חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ, יֹאכֵל--לְדַעְתּוֹ מָאוֹס בָּרָע, וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב. 15 Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good. טז כִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר, מָאֹס בָּרָע--וּבָחֹר בַּטּוֹב: תֵּעָזֵב הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה קָץ, מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי מְלָכֶיהָ. 16 Yea, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou hast a horror of shall be forsaken. יז יָבִיא יְהוָה עָלֶיךָ, וְעַל-עַמְּךָ וְעַל-בֵּית אָבִיךָ, יָמִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא-בָאוּ, לְמִיּוֹם סוּר-אֶפְרַיִם מֵעַל יְהוּדָה: אֵת, מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר. {פ} 17 The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria'. [2] (http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1007.htm)
Thus this states that God will send a "sign" in the days of Ahaz who lived many centuries before Jesus.
Hebrew translation The word alamah is not used in Hebrew to refer to a virgin. The word for virgin is betulah. Betulah, meaning virgin, is used in Genesis 24:16, Exodus 22:15, Leviticus 21:14, and most explicitly in Deuteronomy 22:13-21.
Jewish tradition states that the "young woman" was in fact Isaiah;s wife and the birth of the child is recorded later in Isiah 8:3.
Almah is definitely not a "virgin" in the instance of Proverbs 30:18-20: :18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
יט דֶּרֶךְ הַנֶּשֶׁר, בַּשָּׁמַיִם-- דֶּרֶךְ נָחָשׁ, עֲלֵי-צוּר; דֶּרֶךְ-אֳנִיָּה בְלֶב-יָם-- וְדֶרֶךְ גֶּבֶר בְּעַלְמָה. 19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a young woman.
כ כֵּן, דֶּרֶךְ אִשָּׁה-- מְנָאָפֶת: אָכְלָה, וּמָחֲתָה פִיהָ; וְאָמְרָה, לֹא-פָעַלְתִּי אָוֶן. 20 So is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: 'I have done no wickedness.' [3] (http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2830.htm)
Thus "the way of a man with a young woman (i.e. alamah) is not referring to a virgin in Proverbs.
Christian interpretation In the King James Bible, the relevant verse runs like this:
Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
There is considerable dispute about the precise meaning and application of this verse, but Christians believe it to be a prophecy of the birth of Jesus, who is therefore sometimes called Immanuel or Emmanuel.
It is used as first name among Christians. Examples are Immanuel Kant, Vittorio Emmanuele I of Italy, the bullfighter Manolete and the Emmanuelle erotic films.
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