Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God is with us”).
Today’s verse is one that most people associate with Christmas, since it is a verse that is used to speak of the virgin birth, which we celebrate each December. The spelling varies, using both an I and an E. When you see the I used, you know it is in reference to the Hebrew spelling of Immanuel (translated from Hebrew to English). When you see the E used, it is the Greek spelling of Emmanuel (translated from Hebrew to Greek to English). Both have the same meaning, though. The meaning is translated as “God with us.”
The name only appears three times in the Bible – twice in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”) and 8:8 (and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.” [ESV]) and then again in Matthew, today’s verse.
Not only was God with us physically once He came to earth, but He is with us spiritually all the time. He dwells within us as the Spirit and guides us in our lives and as we read the Word.
He came to earth as a baby and died on a cross to save us, to unite us with God and redeem us from eternal separation, but we are not alone as we live our lives waiting for heaven. He is with us always.
But why do we use the name Jesus instead of Immanuel? If the prophecy said He would be named Immanuel, shouldn’t we use that instead of Jesus?
The name Immanuel is a symbolic name that characterizes His essence. Jesus was given a literal name, which is sometimes translated as Joshua. The Hebrew root of Jesus means “The Lord is salvation.” Isaiah also prophesied that Jesus would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and we do not see Him named those names either. Immanuel is of the same nature as these other names. Jesus was given many names, some of which we have gone over this month, and others we have not had time to explore. But Jesus was the name He was given and by which He was known and is still known today.
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