Therefore the Lord himself
will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows
enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 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. The Lord will bring on you and on
your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim
broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.” Isaiah 7:14-17
While
Isaiah was written to the nation of Israel to warn them of the coming judgment
that would soon occur to them via Assyria, the book as a whole has a number of
signs pointing to a coming Messiah (Isaiah 9:6, 40:3 and chapter 53). Matthew believed it was a prophecy and quoted
Isaiah 7:14 to say that it came true.
This
prophecy in 7:14 has a near and future implication. In Isaiah’s day, the prophecy dealt with a
son born to Isaiah (Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz in chapter 8) and the timing of that
son’s maturing and development with the events happening around Israel. Matthew says the far reaching fulfillment
dealt with Jesus and an actual virgin.
The
word “virgin” (‘almah) means a newly married girl or a girl who has not had
sex. One meaning would apply to Isaiah’s
wife while another would apply to Mary in the New Testament.