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Immanuel is also a town in Israel, near Ariel. For other articles, please see Emanuel (disambiguation).

Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us" consisting of two Hebrew words: אל (El, meaning God) and עמנו (Immanu, meaning with us; Standard Hebrew ʻImmanuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew ʻImmānûʼēl) is a name used in the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible, and also appears in Matthew 1:23 in the Christian New Testament. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Immanuel (Hebrew: עמנואל) is an Israeli settlement and local council in Samaria, West Bank. ... The city of Ariel (Hebrew: ) is an Israeli settlement located north of the Palestinian town of Salfit on the West Bank, in the Biblical region of Samaria near the ancient village of Timnat Serah. ... Besides being a common first name, Emanuel (sometimes spelled Emmanuel or Immanuel) may refer to: Places Emanuel County, Georgia Immanuel, Israel Camp Immanuel, a military base in southern Israel People Emmanuel (singer) Emanuel I of Portugal Emanuel II of Portugal David Emanuel, governor of Georgia (1801 - 1801 Rahm Emanuel (1959... Elohim (אֱלוֹהִים , אלהים) is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of divinity. ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Bible, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early middle ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... Isaiah the Prophet in Hebrew Scriptures was depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ...

Immanuel means 'God with us'.

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". ^[1]

Judaism affirms that [ha-almah] ("young woman") does not refer to a virgin and that had the Tanakh intended to refer to such, the specific Hebrew word for virgin [bethulah] would have been used. This is not a modern controversy. In point of fact, it is as old as the formations of the modern Church. Jerome, in 383 CE, wrote in "Adversus Helvidium" that Helvidius misunderstood just this same point of confusion between the Greek and the Hebrew. Tanakh ‎ (also Tanach, IPA: or , or Tenak, is an acronym that identifies the Hebrew Bible. ...

The modern Catholic perspective, from an entry in Catholic Encyclopedia, endorses a viewpoint that Luke, the writer of the gospel used a previous document that was written in, or inspired by a Hebrew text:

In point of fact the history of the infancy as found in the third Gospel [Luke] (1:5 to 2:52) betrays in its contents, its language, and style a Jewish-Christian source. The whole passage reads like a chapter from the First Book of Machabees; Jewish customs, and laws, and peculiarities are introduced without any further explanation; the "Magnificat", the "Benedictus", and the "Nunc dimittis" are filled with national Jewish ideas. As to the style and language of the history of the infancy, both are so thoroughly Semitic that the passage must be retranslated into Hebrew or Aramaic in order to be properly appreciated. We must conclude, then, that St. Luke's immediate source for the history of the infancy was not an oral, but a written one.[4]

Clearly, the Hebrew traditional usage of the passage should be considered in taking into account the Greek translation of the Hebrew text.

Context of Isaiah 7:14 according to Judaism

Ahaz king of Jerusalem was besieged. Through Isaiah, God sends a message. Ahaz is reluctant to accept it, but is told he will get a sign. So Isaiah 7:10-17 states: This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Panoramic view from Mt. ...

And the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying:

11 יא שְׁאַל-לְךָ אוֹת, מֵעִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ; הַעְמֵק שְׁאָלָה, אוֹ הַגְבֵּהַּ לְמָעְלָה.

'Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.'

12 יב וַיֹּאמֶר, אָחָז: לֹא-אֶשְׁאַל וְלֹא-אֲנַסֶּה, אֶת-יְהוָה.

But Ahaz said: 'I will not ask, neither will I try the LORD.'

13 יג וַיֹּאמֶר, שִׁמְעוּ-נָא בֵּית דָּוִד: הַמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים, כִּי תַלְאוּ גַּם אֶת-אֱלֹהָי.

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.

15 טו חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ, יֹאכֵל--לְדַעְתּוֹ מָאוֹס בָּרָע, וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב.

Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

16 טז כִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר, מָאֹס בָּרָע--וּבָחֹר בַּטּוֹב: תֵּעָזֵב הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה קָץ, מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי מְלָכֶיהָ.

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]

Thus Jews believe that God will send a "sign" in the days of Ahaz who lived many centuries before Jesus. Moreover, they claim that there is no indication that Immanuel will be the Messiah, whatever the timing of his birth. The Jewish tradition has accordingly never considered Isaiah 7:14 as a messianic prophecy. Modern Jewish scholars argue that this is a Christian innovation. This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ...

Hebrew translation

Meaning of “almah’”

This section may stray from the topic of the article. Please help improve this section or discuss this issue on the talk page. (help)

The word almah is not used in Hebrew to refer to a virgin. The word for virgin is [betulah]. ^[3] Image File history File links Information_icon. ... Almah (עלמה) or plural: alamot (עלמות) is a Hebrew feminine noun, for a girl who has reached puberty but is still under the shielding protection of her family; she is a young, marriageable (i. ... In Roman times, Vestal Virgins were strictly celibate or they were punished by death. ...

Jewish tradition states that the "young woman" was in fact Isaiah’s wife and the birth of the child is recorded later in Isaiah 8:3.

As an example of how '[almah] is used, in Proverbs 30:18-20: The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and of the Writings of the Old Testament. ...

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

19 יט דֶּרֶךְ הַנֶּשֶׁר, בַּשָּׁמַיִם-- דֶּרֶךְ נָחָשׁ, עֲלֵי-צוּר;

דֶּרֶךְ-אֳנִיָּה בְלֶב-יָם-- וְדֶרֶךְ גֶּבֶר בְּעַלְמָה

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.

20 כ כֵּן, דֶּרֶךְ אִשָּׁה-- מְנָאָפֶת

אָכְלָה, וּמָחֲתָה פִיהָ; וְאָמְרָה, לֹא-פָעַלְתִּי אָוֶן

So is the way of an adulterous woman;

she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: 'I have done no wickedness.'^[4]

In this context it is argued, "the way of a man with a young woman," [alamah] does not appear to have the connotations of a virgin.

The article in “ha-almah’”

The word “ha” is generally translated as the definite article “the”. Some interpreters (e.g. the authors of the New English Translation) however believe that its use here means that the young woman was present to the conversation, and thus render “ha-almah’” as “this young woman”. That is taken to refer to either a member of the royal family or the “prophetess” mentioned in Isaiah 8. The NET Bible ® (acronym for New English Translation) is a free, on-line English translation of the Bible, sponsored by the Biblical Studies Foundation (aka Bible. ...

Adjective “harah הָרָה ” and time of pregnancy

The adjective “harah הָרָה ” is used predicatively. From the narrator’s perspective, Jewish scholars argue that this generally means a past, or present, or imminent future pregnancy.^[5] With that in mind, the translation of Isaiah 7:14 may also be rendered as either “the [or this] young woman is pregnant” or “the [or this] young woman will soon be pregnant”.

Naming of Immanuel

The verb "karat קָרָאת" has mostly been taken as an archaic form of the third feminine singular, and rendered as “she will name”. However, some interpreters think that it should be more naturally understood as a second feminine singular.^{[citation needed]} If this was so, the passage could be rendered “and you [young woman] will call his name Immanuel”. The name itself, meaning “God [is] with us”, Judaism argues while noble, does not imply a divine nature of the boy.

Christian interpretation

The Christian interpretation of Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 is based on the following scriptures in the Christian New Testament where the conception and birth of Jesus Christ are described: Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

(Matthew 1:20–23 KJV) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, (23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Based on these scriptures many Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Immanuel prophesied of in Isaiah 7:14 and that He is "God with us". Many also believe that Jesus was born by means of a Virgin Birth and through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than through normal conception by man. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In various religions, most notably Trinitarian Christianity, the Holy Spirit (in Hebrew רוח הקודש Ruah haqodesh; also called the Holy Ghost) is the third consubstantial Person of the Holy Trinity. ...

On translating the Greek Textus Receptus of Matthew 1:23, there is little problem in translating the Greek word "parthenos" as "virgin" which is the usual Greek word for virgin: Textus Receptus (Latin: received text) is the name given to the first Greek-language text of the New Testament to be printed on a printing press. ...

(Matthew 1:23 Greek Textus Receptus) [...] ιδού η παρθένος εν γαστρί έξει και τέξεται υιόν και καλέσουσιν το όνομα αυτού Εμμανουήλ ο έστιν μεθερμηνευόμενος μεθ' ημών ο Θεός.

It is from the transliteration of the Greek text that the spelling Emmanuel was introduced for the Hebrew name Immanuel.

Upon examination of the Greek Septuagint text at Isaiah 7:14 one can also find the word 'parthenos"("virgin") rather than the usual Greek word "neanis" for "young woman" strongly indicating that a Virgin Birth is prophesied of. The Septuagint: A page from Codex vaticanus, the basis of Sir Launcelot Lee Brentons English translation. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

However, the use of the Hebrew word "almah" in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible has stirred controversy among a number of scholars and in fact has produced what is known as The Almah Controversy. This has resulted in variations between Bible translations,with some translations using "young woman" as does the New English Translation or NET Bible: The Masoretic Text (MT) is the Hebrew text of the Tanakh approved for general use in Judaism. ... Almah (עלמה) or plural: alamot (עלמות) is a Hebrew feminine noun, for a girl who has reached puberty but is still under the shielding protection of her family; she is a young, marriageable (i. ...

Isaiah 7:14 “For this reason the sovereign master himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel.”

And a number of translations using the word "virgin" as does the King James Bible: This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ...

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."

It is also used as first name among Christians. Examples are Immanuel Kant, Victor Emmanuel of Italy. A given name specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name. ... Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804), was a German philosopher from Königsberg in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). ... Victor Emmanuel can refer to any of three Italian monarchs and one Crown Prince of the House of Savoy: Victor Emmanuel I of Savoy Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists...

See also

• Gospel of Matthew
• Virgin Birth (Christian doctrine)
• List of names referring to El
• Emmanuel of Portugal (disambiguation page)
• Emmanuel College, Cambridge
• Immanuel College

The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον) is one of the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament. ... The Virgin Birth is a key doctrine of the Christian faith, and is also held to be true by Muslims (Quran 3. ... Many given names in the English language refer to El, a Hebrew word meaning God, and have their origin in the Bible. ... Manuel of Portugal (English: Emmanuel) is the name of two Portuguese Kings and an Infante of Portugal: Kings Manuel I of Portugal (1469-1521), 14th King of Portugal Manuel II of Portugal (1889-1932), 34th and last King of (or 35th according to some historians) Infantes Manuel, Prince of Portugal... Full name Emmanuel College Motto - Named after Immanuel Previous names - Established 1584 Sister College(s) Exeter College Master The Lord Wilson of Dinton Location Regent Street Undergraduates 494 Postgraduates 98 Homepage Boatclub Emmanuel front court and the Wren chapel Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge... Immanuel College is an independent Jewish day school and sixth-form for 11 - 18 year olds. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ See the original Hebrew with English translation [1].
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ Genesis 24:16, Exodus 22:16-17, Leviticus 21:14, and most explicitly in Deuteronomy 22:13-21.
4. ^ [3]
5. ^ (see 1 Sam 4:19,; Gen 16:11 and 38:24; 2 Sam 11:5; Judg 13:5, 7)