IDENTIFICATION OF IMMANUEL IN THE CONTEXT OF ISAIAH 7:14 (5

3.      The study of word עִמָּ֥נוּאֵֽל  (‘imanu’el)

The table shows variant use of עִמָּ֥נוּאֵֽל (‘imanu’el) in Old Testament.

Verse	MT WTT	LXX
Isaiah 7:14	לָ֠כֵן יִתֵּ֙ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם א֑וֹת הִנֵּ֣ה הָעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמ֖וֹ עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל׃  (Isa 7:14 WTT)	Isaiah 7:14 διὰ τοῦτο δώσει κύριος αὐτὸς ὑμῖν σημεῖον ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Εμμανουηλ  (Isa 7:14 LXT)
Isaiah 8:8	וְחָלַ֤ף בִּֽיהוּדָה֙ שָׁטַ֣ף וְעָבַ֔ר עַד־צַוָּ֖אר יַגִּ֑יעַ וְהָיָה֙ מֻטּ֣וֹת כְּנָפָ֔יו מְלֹ֥א  רֹֽחַב־אַרְצְךָ֖ עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל׃ ס  (Isa 8:8 WTT)	Isaiah 8:8 καὶ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ιουδαίας ἄνθρωπον ὃς δυνήσεται κεφαλὴν ἆραι ἢ δυνατὸν συντελέσασθαί τι καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ ὥστε πληρῶσαι τὸ πλάτος τῆς χώρας σου μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ὁ θεός  (Isa 8:8 LXT)
Isaiah 8:10	עצוּ עֵצָ֖ה וְתֻפָ֑ר דַּבְּר֤וּ דָבָר֙ וְלֹ֣א יָק֔וּם כִּ֥י עִמָּ֖נוּ אֵֽל׃ ס  (Isa 8:10 WTT)	Isaiah 8:10 καὶ ἣν ἂν βουλεύσησθε βουλήν διασκεδάσει κύριος καὶ λόγον ὃν ἐὰν λαλήσητε οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ ὑμῖν ὅτι μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν κύριος ὁ θεός  (Isa 8:10 LXT)

When one consider these text, how LXX translate the עִמָּ֥נוּאֵֽל  (‘imanu’el) in different ways.  The form of עִמָּנוּ אֵל itself is noun proper no gender no number no state. Then the question is, to whom did Isaiah mean the “Immanuel” when he conveyed his message. 

To whom did Isaiah have in mind when he conveyed the message? The Hebrew word of  עִמָּ֥נוּאֵֽל (‘imanu’el) is appeared in OT only three times. It appears in Isa 7:14; 8:8 and 8:10.

The succeeding verses give the time frame of local fulfillment of this sign. From The immediate context of Isaiah 7:13-25, they give a further indication in some way to the future of destruction of Samaria and Syria. "For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings (Isa 7:16). The child clearly would be born in the time of Ahaz.[1] In any case at this point, if there is any indication regarding the identity of the Immanuel child in Isaiah 7:14 at all, the indication will point to Immanuel being the son of Ahaz. [2]

One of the interpretation sees Isaiah’s son as the child is its close historical proximity to the events surrounding 7:14. Maher-Shalal-Hash-Bez is born only one chapter later when Isaiah sleeps with his wife based on a word from the Lord (Isaiah 8:1-2), and would have thus been old enough to fulfill Isaiah’s prediction in 7:15. However, one weakness of the Maher-Shalal-Hash-Bez interpretation is, again, the word “almah” would probably not have been the best word to denote the prophetess of Isaiah 8:2, Isaiah’s wife. Nevertheless, whether Isaiah 7:14’s literal and historical meaning referred to Maher-Shalal-Hash-Bez or some other unknown child in that historical context is irrelevant

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[1]Richard M. Davidson, The Messianic Hope in Isaiah 7:14 and the Volume of Immanuel (Isaiah 7-12)01

[2] Joel Edmund Anderson,  Identity and Function within the bookend structure of Proto-Isaiah, (University of Pretoria, 2008). P. 55