Immanuel

Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל‎) is a Hebrew word that means “God with us.” It’s a compound of two Hebrew words: El (אֵל), meaning “God,” and immanu (עִמָּנוּ), meaning “with us.” This name appears a few times in the Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8) and once in the New Testament (Matthew 1:23).

More than 700 years before Jesus’ birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold that the long-awaited Savior, the Christ, would become incarnate and be born of a virgin. The Gospel of Matthew attests that the “virgin” in Isaiah’s prophecy prefigured the Virgin Mary. This prophecy was first fulfilled in Isaiah’s time, but its ultimate fulfillment came with the birth of Jesus. The Lord Jesus is Immanuel; His birth brought “God with us” and was the very manifestation of God Himself.

The Bible records:

[Isaiah 7:14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

[Matthew 1:22-23] 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).