I-man´yoo-uhl; Heb., “God is with us”
The name of a child whose birth is symbolic of God’s guiding and protecting presence (Isa 7:14; Isa 8:8; Matt 1:23). The name was first used by the prophet Isaiah as a sign given to King Ahaz of Judah during the Syro-Ephraimite war (ca. 734 BCE). A young woman, who either already was or soon would be pregnant, would give birth to a son who would be named Immanuel. Before the child was old enough to know the difference between good and evil, the two nations of whom Ahaz was afraid would be destroyed. In the NT, (Isa 7:14) was used by Matthew to interpret the meaning of the virginal conception of Jesus. Matthew believed that Jesus embodies the ancient promise as the one in whom and through whom God now dwells with God’s people.
