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When Abraham Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the cemetery honoring fallen soldiers at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he used a now famous phrase:
All men are created equal.Those words — spoken on November 19, 1863 — have since been a rallying banner for human dignity and rights. Mr. Lincoln abolished slavery and has been called the greatest American champion of human liberty. But Mr. Lincoln didn't coin this famous phrase. He was quoting the Declaration of Independence issued by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,Mr. Lincoln was echoing a central doctrine of the American republic that his listeners in 1863 should have known. He was appealing to the nation's founding document of liberation for his authority to interpret the events for which they were gathered. He was reminding those present at Gettysburg that the civil war was actually being fought over the ideal of equality — a "proposition" laid down "four score and seven years ago" (that is, in 1776). Knowing that the phrase originated in the struggle for liberty from England, Mr. Lincoln's allusion to equality takes on deeper meaning. It broadens our understanding of the scope of his vision and his rhetorical purposes. It provokes following generations who hear his words and remember the original Charter of freedom. [Top]
Similarly, when the prophet Isaiah spoke of a coming man named Immanu El — "with us is God" — he wasn't coining an innovative name or idea. He was recalling a phrase from Scripture. He was reminding his generation of the ancient truth that throughout Israel's history God was "with" his people. From the earliest days, the statement "God is with" was an affirmation of the Lord's loyalty in the present and the basis of hope for the future. Abraham — "God is with you [Abraham] in all that you do" (Gen 21:22) [Top]
For the community of Israel, the declaration "God is with us" had special potency in times of excruciating challenge. The LORD is with us, do not fear them (Num 14:9, said by Moses)Later generations looked back to the ancient Promise when they were on the verge of great eras or in peril: May the LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers;It's not unimportant to come across these passages in the New Testament regarding Yeshua: Rabbi, we know that . . . no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. (John 3:2) [Top]
Hope Revived
The covenant nation was in grave danger of invasion, decimation and deportation. To the shock of many, even the Temple in Jerusalem was not inviolate. The prophet foretold days of severe sorrow. But he said ultimate rescue would follow the imminent disasters. To illustrate his prophetic messages, Isaiah bore two sons who wore symbolic, promissory names regarding the nation's future: "A Remnant Shall Return" (She'ar Yashuv; 7:3; 10:21)Because the name Immanu El is mentioned in the same narrative about these boys, some commentators believe he was also Isaiah's son (7:14). In the context of chapters 7 and 8, that would fit. Immanu El would be his second named son: She'ar Yashuv — 7:3But the Text doesn't say Isaiah is Immanu El's father, as it does regarding the other two. [Top] Setting aside the issue of fatherhood, the boy Immanu El was indeed a prophetic "message" from God. With us is God in our times of uncertainty. We need not fear. In Isaiah 8:10 the phrase immanu El serves as a defiant protest against enemies planning to destroy the nation. Devise a plan but it will be thwarted;Prophetic Names Many names in the Bible have a "God element." That is they contain the ancient Semitic word for God, El. Yisra El (Israel) — contender with GodThe El element doesn't necessarily imply the persons are divine. They are instruments through which El (God) does his work or reveals aspects of His character. "Immanu El" follows this pattern. Though in the NT, Yeshua is uniquely the prophet, servant, son, whose origins are divine.
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In the New Testament, Matthew draws upon the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 to validate Yeshua's birth to the young virgin, Miryam of Nazareth (Matt 1:23). (See Betulat Yisrael: Mother of Messiah.) Matthew adopts the Greek Septuagint reading parthenos (virgin) instead of the traditional Hebrew text's almah (young unmarried woman). He agrees with the Jewish scholars who interpreted Isaiah's prophecy regarding "Immanu El" as a sign involving a miraculous conception. (See The "Virgin" of Isaiah 7:14.) The rabbis of the second century BC(E) who rendered the Hebrew Bible into Greek elsewhere reveal their belief in divine conceptions and miraculous births. In Psalm 110, God says to the "Lord" who sits next to him:When applied to Yeshua, however, Matthew sees "Immanu El" as a symbolic not a literal name. (He reports that Miryam is told to call her God-fathered Son "Yeshua" [Hebrew] which means "the LORD saves.")Among the splendors of the holy ones, At the conclusion of his gospel account Matthew alludes to the promissory meaning behind the name, in his final sentence: words spoken by Yeshua (Matt 28:20).
The Age-Resonating Name
"We've heard this before. Our fathers and our mothers knew this phrase. God was with them. So also God will be with us. His Messiah has brought the Presence of God (again) into our age. We need not fear."
[For] with us is the LORD our God [immanu YHVH Eloheinu] to help us and to fight our battles. (2 Chron 32:7-8; also 1 John 4:4)
even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
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Hebrew-Greek Transliteration [PDF]
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