Last updated 6/5/15 this study is eight pages long

Some say that if Jesus is Immanuel in Mathew 1:23 and that means God with us then Jesus must be God.
On the face of it this might seem like a valid argument, however I will show that this interpretation is an incorrect
conclusion and that Mathew 1:23 does NOT show Jesus to be God.
Whether you agree or disagree, in part or in whole, big or small, please email me any feedback to help improve this
study. I would also appreciate any help with its logic, grammar, typos, editing etc.
Before analyzing the passage in question in Mathew 1:23, and the relationship of Christ with God, I am going to
provide some evidence that has to be taken into account when interpreting our passage.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Isaiah 7:14 Prophecy

God was "With" People in the OT
Names With Meanings
God is "With" People in the NT and Now.
Jesus is "With" People in the NT and Now.
"Signs" in the NT
Mathew 1:23 Analysis
Revelation 21 The End of Time
Summaries and Final Conclusion

Part 1 Isaiah 7:14 Prophecy

The quote in Mathew 1:23 is from Isaiah 7:10-16. What did it mean to the people in 700 BC approx?
Isaiah 7:10-16 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,
11 Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.
13 And he said, Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my
God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel.
15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you
dread will be deserted.
In context two Kings, Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel, are attacking King Ahaz of Judah. In vs10 God is talking
to Ahaz through Isaiah who tells Ahaz that He will give him a sign concerning the outcome. There is a near/far
double fulfillment. The name is given the first time in the "near fulfillment" to Isaiah's son named
Mahershalalhashbaz. Through the birth of Isaiah's son, Ahaz was given a sign that God was with the people of
Israel. This is found in Isaiah 8:1-10. The second time this name is given in the "far fulfillment" it is given to Jesus
in Matthew 1:21-23.
vs12 Ahaz had already stripped the silver and gold from the Temple of the LORD and paid the King of Assyria,
Tiglath-Pileser, to fight for him. Pileser accepted the offer and went and took Damascus and killed King Rezin. It is
very possible that Ahaz did not want to test the LORD because he had done this deed which would have been in
opposition to the LORD's wishes. It seems that Isaiah wasn't concerned about it though.
It is important to realize that the child to be born is a human being who would be living at the same time as King
Ahaz and the prophet Isaiah. This does not mean the prophecy cannot also apply to Jesus. Such "dual prophecies"
are common in Scripture and they are commonly called "near fulfillment" and "far fulfillment." Regarding the "near
fulfillment" scholars debate whether the child in question is Isaiah's son or Ahaz's son Hezekiah, however for our

intents and purposes it does not really matter if it is one or the other. What matters is that we recognize that this sign
was fulfilled in the days of Ahaz and Isaiah. A time frame of 65 years (v.8) is specifically given in vs15-16, where it
is made clear this will all take place during the reign of King Ahaz.
Once we realize that the birth of the child Immanuel will occur during the life of King Ahaz and the prophet Isaiah,
it should also be clear that it is impossible to interpret Immanuel, "God with us," to mean that the God of
Israel would come down from heaven and be living in a human body and to be located in the same space as Israel.
And it is also quite clear how God would be with them, and it is concerning the war situation. God would not be
there with them in a human body but He is with them in plan and purpose. So the LORD God would not descend to
them but He would give them the sign of the baby. It is not possible to interpret that the child would be the LORD
God Himself, specifically as Immanuel would not know evil from good.
In the Hebrew writings the people of the time would have already known that the meaning of the name Immanuel
meant "God with us," just as they knew the meanings of other first names listed in Part 3.
Summary:
Isaiah 7:14 The virgin shall bear a son and call him Immanuel. This passage was fulfilled during the reign of King
Ahaz because it was a sign specifically for him. The overall meaning at that time meant that the LORD God was
with His people, not physically but in plan and purpose.

Part 2 God was "With" People in the OT

The Old Testament tells us on several occasions that the LORD God was "with" his people however it did not mean
at any time that God had come in a human body or was there physically. When the LORD God was said to be
"with" his people in the Old Testament it is a reference to Him being with them in plan and purpose.
Psalm 46:4-11 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most
High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the
chariots with fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Vs5 God is in the "midst of her" in reference to the people of the city of God
Vs7 The LORD of hosts is "with us"
Vs11The LORD of hosts is "with us"
Haggai 2:1-5 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by
the hand of Haggai the prophet,
2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak,
the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,
3 Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as
nothing in your eyes?
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high
priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the
LORD of hosts,
5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your
midst. Fear not.
Vs4 declares the LORD. "For I am with you"

Vs5 "My spirit remains in your midst"

The LORD is with them, spiritually.
2 Chronicles 13:11-12 They offer to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and
incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lamp
stand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have
forsaken him.
12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle
against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you cannot
succeed.
we are told "God is with us at our head" but no one assumes it means Yahweh was there in a human body.
(Also see 2 Chron 15:2; 20:17). David says that although he walks through the valley of the shadow of death
he fears no evil, because YHWH is "with him" (Ps 23:4).
The idea of God being "with" someone in a spiritual and functional sense rather than a spatial and physical sense is
a common expression in the Scriptures. For God to be with Israel, for example, meant He was with them in plan
and purpose as opposed to being against them.
Isaiah 8:8-10 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.
9 Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be
shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered.
10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with
us.
Vs10 Isaiah has already told us in chapter seven that God is "with" Ahaz and now in chapter eight He confirms it
again.
Summary:
Psalm 46:4-11
God is in the "midst of her" and The LORD of hosts is "with us"
Haggai 2:1-5
declares the LORD. "For I am with you" and "My spirit remains in your midst"
2 Chron 13:11-12
"God is with us at our head"
Isaiah 8:8-10
for God is with us.
When the scripture says that God is "with" the people it means spiritually and functionally rather that spatially and
physically. He is "with" them in plan and purpose.
(Some say that there is a difference between a passage saying "God with us" or "God is with us," if you know the
difference or the issue, let m know.)

Part 3 Names with Meanings

Most given first names in Biblical history had Godly meaning, here some of them. A name is symbolic, not what
the person is.
Eleazar:
Eli:
Eliakim:
Eliathah:
Eliel:
Elihu:
Elijah:
Elisha:
Elli:

God has helped or my God helps

My God
God raises
God has come
"God is God"
My God is he
Short for Eli-Jehovah, or Eli-YHWH. Eli means God, YHWH is Gods name.
God is salvation
God

Elzaphan:
Ezekiel:
Gabriel:
Gedaliah:
Immanuel
Isaiah:
Ithiel;
Jehu:
Jesus:
Joshua:
John:
Mathew:
Nathaniel:

God is protector
strong God and YHWH is a strong God
strong God
Jehovah is great
God with us
Salvation of God
"God is" or "God is with me"
Jehovah is he
God will help (Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua)
The Lord saves
Jehovah is a gracious giver
Gift of God
Gift of God

Should we say that a person with any of the above names are God? This list shows that there is not just a couple of
possibilities, there are over twenty here.
Should we say that Eli is God, or Eliathah, or Mathew?
Should we say Isaiah is God because his name means "salvation of God?"
These men of God, are messengers sent from God just as Jesus was.
The word Immanuel represents the joining of two Hebrew words: immanu and el.
Since el is the shortened Hebrew word for God (Heb. elohim), Jews would have known that
the name Immanuel (God is with us) signified not the incarnation of God in human form,
but a promise of divine help to the Jewish people.
Summary:
To conclude that because someone has a name with a meaning that they are that meaning, is reading into the text
something that obviously does not exist. The name Jesus, or Immanuel, or Isaiah, Eli, Eliathah, Mathew and so on
are names with meanings related to the LORD God. These names do not signify YHWH came and was that person,
but in the case of Immanuel that God is "with" them in plan and purpose.
None of the parents who named them ever did it as a declaration that their child was God.
In the case of Mathew 1:23 it says he was called, NOT he is.

Part 4 God is "With" People in the NT and Now.

It is interesting that God was with His people in the NT just as He was in the OT.
God is with His People
Acts 7:9 And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt, but God was with him (ref the OT)
Acts 14:27 the church declared all that God had done with them
Acts 15:4 the apostles and the elders declared all that God had done with them
1 Cor 15:10 but the grace of God that is with me
Phil 2:9 practice these things and the God of peace will be with you
As in the OT, God was with His people in the NT in plan and purpose.
Luke 1:26-28 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgins name
was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!

Vs28 What does "the Lord is with you" mean? Does this mean that Gabriel is the Lord? Does it mean that Gabriel
the Lord is with Mary and therefore Mary is Gabriel the Lord? This passage means that God is with Mary in a way
that he is supporting her in plan and purpose.
God Was With Jesus in the NT
Mathew 12:28 it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons
John 3:2 Rabbi we know you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do
unless God is with him
John 14:10 the Father who dwells in me, does his works
Acts 2:22 Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that
God did through him.
Acts 2:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power
God was with Jesus in the NT which enabled him to do powerful acts.
Summary:
Acts 7:9 And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt, but God was with him
Acts 14:27 the church declared all that God had done with them
Acts 15:4 the apostles and the elders declared all that God had done with them
1 Cor 15:10 but the grace of God that is with me
Phil 2:9 practice these things and the God of peace will be with you
Luke 1:28 the Lord is with you!
Mathew 12:28 it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons
John 3:2 Rabbi ...... no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him
John 14:10 the Father who dwells in me, does his works
Acts 2:22 Jesus of Nazareth, wonders and signs that God did through him.
Acts 2:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power
Just as God was with Israel in the OT in plan and purpose, he was "with" his people in the NT, and he was "with"
Jesus is a similar way. For God to be "with" anyone did not mean he was that person, but that he was in support of
them.

Part 5 Jesus is "With" People in the NT and Now

Jesus is also "with" people after his resurrection.
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
of the age.
Summary:
The risen Jesus says to his disciples, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Just as Jesus being with his people does not make people Jesus, so God being with Jesus
does not make him God

Part 6 "Signs" in the Scriptures

There were signs throughout the bible
Romans 4:11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that
he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father

of all who believe without

them as well.

being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to

Abraham received the sign of circumcision

Luke 2:11-12 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a
manger.
The birth of Jesus was a sign for the people
Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is appointed
for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be
revealed.
Simeon holds up Jesus, who is forty days old at this point, in the temple and blessed them
saying that Jesus birth and life is a sign of salvation (vs30) for the people
John 4:52-54 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him,
Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, Your son will live. And he himself
believed, and all his household.
54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
Jesus performs a miracle, a sign for the people that God was with him.
Mathew 12:38-40 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we wish
to see a sign from you.
39 But he answered them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to
it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The death and resurrection became a sign for the people.
1 Corinthians 14:22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a
sign not for unbelievers but for believers
Tongues and speaking prophecies were both signs from God.
Also Philippians 1:28, Revelation 12:1 and others
Summary:
Romans 4:11 Abraham received the sign of circumcision
Luke 2:12
Jesus birth was a sign for the people
Luke 2:34
Jesus birth is a sign of salvation
John 4:52
the second sign that Jesus did
Mathew 12:39 the sign of Jonah the prophet will be given
1 Cor 14:22 thus, tongues are a sign for unbelievers
There were several other "signs" from God or that God was "with" people in plan and purpose throughout scripture.

Part 7 Mathew 1:23 Analysis

With the background provided, here is an analysis of the NT fulfillment in Mathew 1.
ESV: Mathew 1:21-23
21

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

22

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means,
God with us).
24
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25
but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
23

Vs 23 Quoting Isaiah 7:14

Vs23 Mathew, unlike in the OT, explained that Immanuel means God with us, because the Greek readers may not
have known the meaning whereas the Hebrew readers would have known.
Vs25 It is always interesting to wonder why Jesus was NOT called Immanuel.
Mathew is saying that just as Isaiah's son Immanuel was a sign for the people of those times, Jesus is a sign for the
people of these times.
As per Isaiah, the child Immanuel is a "sign" that Yahweh God is "with" his people Israel, not that Immanuel is
Yahweh. God is "with" the people, and not against them.
To say that this scripture says Jesus is God, is to take it out of context, it is a name with a meaning. If we are to take
it literally then he wasnt called Immanuel, he was called Jesus.
Summary:
Although most agree that Mathew 1:23 is referring to Jesus it still remains that
A/ He wasnt called Immanuel which means God with us
B/ He was Jesus called Jesus which means God will help
C/ Immanuel is a name with a meaning, just as it was in Isaiah 7.
D/ The scriptures says "he will be called" not "he will be" or "he is."
The term "God with us" refers not to the idea that "Jesus is God" but to the idea that God was with Israel in plan
and purpose by sending His Son to them. This was a sign, the fulfillment of the Old Testament sign. The immediate
context of the passage, and the facts behind the origin of the quotation, demand we comprehend the name "God
with us" in the sense of plan and purpose. Matthew was speaking in terms of God's function, not his geographic
location.

Part 8 Revelation 21 The End of Time

At the end of times.
Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is
with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as
their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Summary
Here in Revelation 21, at the end of time, God will be "with" his people in a full and complete way. Geographically,
in the future, God will be "with" all His people.
Summaries and Final Conclusion:
Part 1
Isaiah 7:14 The virgin shall bear a son and call him Immanuel. This passage was fulfilled during

the reign of King Ahaz because it was a sign specifically for him. The overall meaning at that time
meant that the LORD God was with His people, not physically but in plan and purpose.
Part 2

When the scripture says that God is "with" the people it means spiritually and functionally rather
that spatially and physically. He is "with" them in plan and purpose.

Part 3

To conclude that because someone has a name with a meaning that they are that meaning, is
reading into the text something that obviously does not exist. The name Jesus, or Immanuel, or
Isaiah, Eli, Eliathah, Mathew and so on are names with meanings related to the LORD God. These
names do not signify YHWH came and was that person, but in the case of Immanuel that God is
"with" them in plan and purpose.
None of the parents who named them ever did it as a declaration that their child

was God.
In the case of Mathew 1:23 it says he was called, NOT he is.
Part 4

Just as God was with Israel in the OT in plan and purpose, he was "with" his people in the NT, and
he was "with" Jesus is a similar way. For God to be "with" anyone did not mean he was that
person, but that he was in support of them.

Part 5
God being with Jesus is similar to the ending of Matthews gospel. Therein, the
risen Jesus says to
his disciples, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Just as Jesus being with his people
does not make people Jesus, so God being
with Jesus does not make him God
Part 6

There were several other "signs" from God or that God was "with" people in plan and purpose
throughout scripture.

Part 7

Although most agree that Mathew 1:23 is referring to Jesus it still remains that
A/ He wasnt called Immanuel which means God with us
B/ He was Jesus called Jesus which means God will help
C/ Immanuel is a name with a meaning, just as it was in Isaiah 7.
D/ The scriptures says "he will be called" not "he will be" or "he is."
The term "God with us" refers not to the idea that "Jesus is God" but to the idea that God was with
Israel in plan and purpose by sending His Son to them. This was a sign, the fulfillment of the Old
Testament sign. The immediate context of the passage, and the facts behind the origin of the
quotation, demand we comprehend the name "God with us" in the sense of plan and purpose.
Matthew was speaking in terms of God's function, not his geographic location.

Part 8

Here in Revelation 21, at the end of time, God will be "with" his people in a full and complete
way. Geographically, in the future, God will be "with" all His people.

Final Conclusion:
Immanuel was not literally Jesus' name. It was a name or a title intended to indicate that God was with his people in
plan and purpose by providing his son Jesus to die for their sins. Jesus was God's Messiah and God's Savior.
Even if Jesus were to have the name Immanuel, it was still a name with a significant meaning, nothing more.
Nothing in Mathew 1:23 says that Jesus is God