Messianic Prophcies About Jesus' Birth

There are a number of messianic prophecies about Jesus' birth: prophecies about the location, manner, and time of his birth, about his genealogy, and about events that were to occur at the time of his birth. Probably the most famous of these prophecies is the prophecy that Jesus would be born to a virgin found in Isaiah. Isaiah 7 chronicles the interactions between the prophet Isaiah and King Ahaz. In Isaiah 7:3 we read: Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field. In the conversation between Isaiah and King Ahaz contained in Isaiah 7:14-17 we read: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings" (Isaiah 7:14-17 The New American Bible).

In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet predicts hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The translation of the Hebrew name Immanuel "God is with us" or alternatively "God united with us." This prophecy came true. It is one of the dozens of prophecies in the Old Testament that predicted elements of Jesus' life, and which were proven tru

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he house of David. That child would be the light of the world, a symbol of God's salvation of His people. The Child Jesus would not simply save mankind from physical suffering, but ultimately from sin itself. The child in Isaiah's prophecy would be God with us; and his mother would be a virgin at the time of His conception. There is an argument over one word in Isaiah 7:14-17, the word �almah,' which can be translated into the word virgin, or in the alternative a young woman past puberty. Ancient Jewish law expected an unmarried woman to be a virgin. If an unbetrothed virgin was raped or if she consented to intercourse, the man would be required to marry her (Exodus 22:16 The New American Bible). However, if her father refused to give her up in marriage, the defiler was required to pay a bride price. The woman remain in her father's house as a defiled woman who was unsuited for marriage (Exodus 22:17 The New American Bible). A betrothed woman who was found not to be a virgin might be put to death under Talmudic law (Deuteronomy's 22:13-21 The New American Bible). Most people believe it is safe to assume that the word almah in Isaiah refers to a virgin. The only possible exception to this interpretation could be its use in Isaia

Category: Philosophy - M