Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7 is a chapter in the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. It is significant primarily for its prophecies concerning the Syro-Ephraimitic War and the sign given to King Ahaz involving a young woman (Hebrew: almah) who will conceive and bear a son named Immanuel.

The chapter recounts the historical context of the Syro-Ephraimitic War, during which Rezin, king of Aram (Syria), and Pekah, king of Israel (Ephraim), formed an alliance against Judah and threatened to depose King Ahaz of Judah and install a puppet king. Fearing this invasion, Ahaz considered seeking assistance from Assyria, a move Isaiah opposed.

Isaiah is sent by God to reassure Ahaz that the alliance of Aram and Israel will fail. He instructs Ahaz to ask for a sign from God to confirm this prophecy. Ahaz, feigning piety, refuses, claiming he will not test God.

It is then that Isaiah gives the famous prophecy: "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 is subject to varying interpretations. The Hebrew word almah means "young woman," though it has been traditionally translated as "virgin" in the Greek Septuagint (παρθένος) and subsequently in the Christian New Testament (Matthew 1:23), where it is applied to the virgin birth of Jesus. Modern biblical scholarship generally understands almah in Isaiah 7:14 to refer to a young woman of marriageable age, regardless of her virginity. The prophecy in its original context is understood to be a sign to Ahaz related to the impending deliverance from the Syro-Ephraimitic War, with Immanuel's birth serving as a temporal marker of God's faithfulness.

The remainder of the chapter discusses the impending judgment on both Israel and Judah for their unfaithfulness to God, regardless of the immediate threat from Aram and Israel. It warns of devastation and hardship to come.