What Does Isaiah 7:14 Mean by "A Virgin Shall Conceive"?
Isaiah 7:14 is a prophecy that a virgin would give birth to a son called Immanuel, which means "God with us." Isaiah first gave it as a sign to King Ahaz of Judah, at a time when his kingdom was under threat. Matthew's Gospel shows that its full meaning was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin. In Jesus, God came to live among His people in person.
In the NIV, the verse reads: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Older translations word it "a virgin shall conceive," which is the form many people still know.
What Was Happening When Isaiah Gave This Sign?
Isaiah gave this sign to reassure King Ahaz that God would protect his kingdom. At that time, around the eighth century before Christ, God's people were divided into two kingdoms. Israel was in the north, and Judah was in the south, with Jerusalem as its capital. Ahaz was king of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel joined forces with the neighbouring kingdom of Aram, and together they marched against Jerusalem (Isaiah 7:1). Ahaz and his people were terrified. God sent Isaiah to tell the king not to fear and invited Ahaz to ask for a sign. Ahaz refused, saying, "I will not put the LORD to the test" (Isaiah 7:12). Isaiah answered that the Lord Himself would give a sign anyway.
Isaiah added that before the child was old enough to know right from wrong, the two kings Ahaz feared would be gone (Isaiah 7:16). So the prophecy carried a message for Ahaz's own day: God was still with His people.
How Was Isaiah 7:14 Fulfilled in Jesus?
Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled when Mary, a virgin, conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit. When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, she asked, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34). The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). You can read more about this moment in the Annunciation.
Matthew explains that Mary "was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit" before she and Joseph came together (Matthew 1:18). He then quotes Isaiah directly: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet" (Matthew 1:22). In Ahaz's day, the sign pointed to God's protection. In Jesus, it reached its complete meaning. Isaiah himself pointed beyond his own time when, two chapters later, he spoke of a child who would be called "Mighty God" and reign on David's throne forever (Isaiah 9:6–7). This prophecy is one of several Old Testament prophecies that predicted the birth of Jesus.
Does Isaiah 7:14 Say "Virgin" or "Young Woman"?
Some modern translations read "young woman" instead of "virgin." In Isaiah's time, however, a young unmarried woman was expected to be a virgin, so the two readings are closer than they first appear. More importantly, Matthew, writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, understood the verse to mean a virgin. Luke's account confirms that Mary was a virgin when she conceived. The full question is answered in Was the Virgin Birth a Mistranslation?.
What Does Immanuel Mean?
Immanuel means "God with us," as Matthew explains (Matthew 1:23). This is not only a hope that God will help or bless His people. It means God Himself came to be present among them. John puts it this way: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). That is the heart of what "the Word became flesh" means.
Isaiah 7:14 shows that the birth of Jesus was not an accident or a symbol. It was God keeping a promise spoken centuries earlier. Jesus is not only a holy teacher or prophet. He is God with us.
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