Introduction
The title “Does ‘Immanuel’ Mean Jesus? – Matthew 1:23” raises a fundamental question about the identity of Christ. Many interpret this name as an affirmation that Jesus is God Himself, while others see a different meaning within the biblical context. But what does “God with us” really mean? Does the name “Immanuel” describe the nature of Jesus, or does it refer to a specific event? As we explore the Scriptures, we will examine the true purpose of this name and how it fits into the story of salvation.
The Birth of Jesus
Part of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus. In this chapter, the evangelist mentions that an angel announced to Joseph the conception of Jesus and clarified that Mary, his bride, did not commit adultery, but conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. In the biblical account, we find a quote from Matthew that this event occurred in fulfillment of the prophecy announced by the prophet Isaiah:
Matthew 1:22-23 – “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’“
This quote describes that the virgin would give birth to a son and they would name him “Emanuel“, which means “God with us“. The whole question revolves around the meaning of “Emanuel” attributed to Christ. Many use this passage to defend the view that Christ is God, because the text clearly states that He is “God with us“. For these people, the meaning of this name shows that Jesus is the God of the Bible, who became man to die in our place. Is this really the correct interpretation of “God with us“. Is this really a reference to the person of Christ?
There are Different Interpretations
Does the meaning of “Emmanuel” refer to Jesus? What many people don’t know is that this is not the only way to interpret this text. There is another way to understand this name given to Jesus. First, let’s start by reading the verse that precedes the text presented:
Matthew 1:21 – “And she will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins.“
The Messiah should be called “Jesus“. Notice that the angel gives a justification for why he had to receive such a name. His explanation is that “he will save his people from their sins“. But what is his relationship to save?”. The people of their sins” with the name of “Jesus“? This is because names in the Bible have meanings.
The Meaning of the Name in Hebrew
The name Jesus in Hebrew is “Yeshua“, and this name is composed of two words YE-SHUA. The first of them, “YE“, is a reference to the name of God, YHWH, while the second, “SHUA“, is a derivation of the word “save“. Therefore, the name “Yeshua” has the meaning “YHWH saves“. It was through Jesus’ sacrifice that God would accomplish the salvation of His people (John 3:16), and in this way, Jesus would also become our Savior. It was for this reason that the angel said that the child should be named Jesus.
Analyzing the Meaning of Other Names
Names in the Bible have meanings. This is not the case exclusively with the names of Jesus or Immanuel. Several other names with meanings also appear in the Bible, and to correctly understand the application of the meaning of Immanuel to Jesus, we need to analyze other examples. But could we apply the meaning of names to the people who receive the name? Let’s analyze some cases:
- Jehu – Jehu was one of the kings of Israel (2 Kings 10). His name means “Yahweh, he is“. Can we say that Jehu was Yahweh himself, the eternal God?
- Absalom – Absalom was one of David’s sons. In Hebrew, Avshalom means “Father of Peace“. Absalom was really the “Father of peace“?
- Elkanah – Elkanah was the father of the great prophet Samuel. His name in Hebrew, Elkanah, means “Jealous God“. Could we say that Elkanah was the jealous God?
- Eli – Eli was the grandfather of the prophet Samuel. His Hebrew name is Elihu and means “He is God“. Was Eli really God?
- Maer-Salal-Has-Baz – Son of the prophetess foretold in the account of Isaiah 8:3-4. The meaning of his name is “He hurried to plunder“. Was the boy by any chance a thief to receive that name?
- Lo-Ammi – Son of the prophet Hosea, reported in his book in chapter 1:9. This name means “No my people“. But wasn’t the boy part of the people of Israel?
Understand that in many situations, the meaning of the name does not always refer to the person who receives it. The parents may have given the name for different reasons. Many of them may be related to a desire that the parents had for their children, as was the case with Absalom (Father of Peace). In other cases, for example, the meaning of the name has a purpose that is related to some event of the moment, as was the case with the prophets Isaiah and Hosea.
Reanalyzing the Meaning of the Name Emanuel
Knowing that parents do not always give a name to a person because of themselves, but because of an event or situation that the people are experiencing at that moment, it becomes easier to understand the text of Matthew 1:23, where they called Jesus “EMANUEL“, “God with us“.
First, let us recall the situation of Israel. God had not manifested Himself to His people for a long time. Approximately 5 centuries had passed since He had manifested Himself through His prophets, such as Daniel and Jeremiah. Because of their countless transgressions of God’s Law, the people distanced themselves and broke the covenant they had made with Him. God withdrew His blessings and protection from His people and let them be delivered into the hands of the wicked. They were taken into captivity. Even so, after the period of their captivity had passed, they remained under the rule of other empires, and at the time of Jesus, they were under the rule of Rome.
Everything indicated that God could have abandoned them, not to mention the fact that almost 4,000 years had passed since the fall of Adam. Hadn’t God forgotten the salvation He had promised to Adam and all the other prophets? Why had God been “silent” for so long?
Taking this whole situation into consideration, we realize that the names given to Jesus made perfect sense. The name Immanuel, “God with us“, showed that God had not abandoned His people. He was still with them, no matter how bad the situation they were living in. He had not abandoned them. He had not forgotten the promises He had made that He would save the human race from sin. God is with us, and this was proven by sending His most precious gift to save us, which is the life of His Son. At the same time, Jesus showed that “YHWH saves” of our sins, also showed that He is with us by giving His Son.
Conclusion: Meaning of Emanuel
We conclude that the correct application of the meaning of Immanuel is not referring to Jesus, but rather to the event itself that is occurring. Jesus is Immanuel because God is with us, giving us salvation! Another point that shows us that this interpretation is more appropriate with the biblical context is when we understand that the God of the Bible is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that Jesus is His beloved only begotten Son. With this understanding in mind, it is evident that the meaning “God with us” should not be applied to Jesus, because our God is His Father.
May God bless the reader.
