Immanuel

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 NIV

This verse in Isaiah was written some 700 before the birth of Jesus. It's a foretelling of the virgin birth.

In isolation, the verse indicates there is missing information via the word, 'therefore.' This word acts as an 'explainer' along with similar words such as 'because, so and since.' It is a word which highlights the reason for something happening. It often contains sensitive information. The Lord himself will give someone a sign but we don't know who and why. The answer will only be found by reading the preceding verses.

Contextually, if the answer is found in the preceding verses, the account is credible.

This will require some further research from our readers but the answer involves Isaiah and Ahaz.

We note that Isaiah writes, 'The Lord himself will give you a sign' as opposed to saying, 'The Lord will give you a sign.'

For Isaiah, it is important that the extra word, 'himself,' is added which is similar to the reason for the inclusion of the word 'out' found in Luke 2:8 NIV. It is unnecessary for the additional word to be included as the verse could make linguistic sense without it. However, it is doubly important for the author to include it. Isaiah is bringing something to the audiences attention.

The use of 'The Lord himself' affirms the importance of the divine aspect of the sign (God is dealing with it directly) and its significance in the context of the prophecy. It emphasises its divinity which comes directly from God.

The term 'sign' in biblical terms often refers to a significant event meant to convey a promise. Here, the 'sign' is the virgin birth of Jesus.

The name, 'Immanuel' means God with us. The prophecy is fulfilled in the New Testament with the birth of Jesus. The name embodies the promise of God's closeness and engagement with humanity.

It is often helpful to read a verse slowly and consider the possibility for the inclusion of specific words. In doing so we can potentially gain some significant additional insight into the information the author is trying to convey.