In the prophecy of the virgin birth recorded in Isaiah 7:14, it states “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” This verse clearly prophesies that the Messiah would be called Immanuel. However, when Jesus was born, described in Matthew 1 and Luke 1-2, he was named Jesus instead of Immanuel. Why is there this apparent discrepancy between the prophecy and its fulfillment?
There are a few key factors that explain why Jesus was named Jesus rather than Immanuel:
1. Immanuel describes Jesus’s nature and identity, not his literal name.
The name Immanuel means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). This speaks to Jesus’s divine nature as the incarnate Son of God. The prophecy does not necessarily imply the Messiah would be literally named Immanuel, but rather that He would embody the meaning of “God with us” as both fully God and fully man. Calling Him Immanuel describes His identity – that in Jesus, God was literally dwelling among His people.
2. Jesus was given other descriptive names and titles.
Like Immanuel, other names and titles were used of Jesus to reflect His nature and purpose. He is called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), yet these were not His everyday name. Messiah or Christ means “Anointed One,” signifying Jesus as the long-awaited savior king. Lord, Son of Man, Alpha and Omega, Rabbi, Teacher, Light of the World, and Bread of Life are some other descriptors for Jesus. Immanuel fits as one of these descriptive names, not His literal everyday name.
3. Yeshua (Jesus) was a common Hebrew name meaning “Yahweh saves.”
While Immanuel spoke to Jesus’s divine identity, His earthly name connected Him to His Hebrew heritage. Yeshua, translated to English as Jesus, was a common name among Jewish males meaning “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation” (Matthew 1:21). It relates to Jesus’s role as the Savior of the world. This was a purposeful choice aligning with the meaning of His mission. His parents gave Him an earthly, cultural name, while the descriptor Immanuel emphasized His heavenly origins and divine nature.
4. The Bible directly explains why “Jesus” was chosen as the name.
Matthew 1:21 states regarding Mary giving birth, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Part of the prophecy’s fulfillment was not only the virginal conception, but also that this child would be literally named Jesus due to the meaning of what He would accomplish. This shows the reader why the common Hebrew name “Jesus” was selected – it communicated His purpose as Savior.
5. Immanuel emphasized Jesus’s identity, Jesus connected Him to humanity.
The name Immanuel emphasized Christ’s divinity – “God with us.” The name Jesus identified Him with the humanity He came to redeem. By taking on human flesh, a human name, and a human life, Jesus was able to fully identify with those He came to save and then provide complete atonement for their sins. The dual meanings of Jesus’s names together communicate His full identity as both fully divine and fully human.
In summary, the prophecy in Isaiah said the Messiah would be called Immanuel – “God with us.” This speaks to Christ’s divine nature and purpose to dwell among His people, not necessarily His everyday name. His parents gave Him the common Hebrew name “Yeshua” in accordance with Jewish custom, translated “Jesus” in English, meaning “Yahweh saves.” This pointed to His humanity and mission as the Savior. Therefore, the meanings behind both Immanuel and Jesus reveal the complete identity of Christ as both God and man, divine yet human, here to dwell among and save His people from their sins.
6. Immanuel highlighted who Jesus was, Yeshua pointed to what He would do.
The descriptor Immanuel emphasized Jesus’s divine identity – that He was, in fact, God in the flesh, God with us. The name Yeshua, or Jesus, pointed ahead to what He had come to earth to accomplish – salvation. He didn’t merely come to identify with humanity, but to accomplish the mission of redemption that only the God-man could complete. The dual names work in tandem to paint a full portrait of the coming Messiah – affirming His deity, humanity, and purpose.
7. Matthew confirms Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Immanuel.
Matthew’s Gospel intentionally links the prophecy in Isaiah 7 to Jesus’s birth narrative with a citation of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:22-23. The verse says Mary’s pregnancy fulfilled Isaiah’s Immanuel prophecy. The following verses about naming the child Jesus do not contradict this but rather explain the name choice. Matthew makes clear that the virgin birth of Jesus completed the long-awaited prophecy of Immanuel.
8. The virgin birth was itself a sign of “God with us.”
The miraculous nature of Jesus’s conception without a human father was a major sign that God had come in human flesh. The virgin birth was itself evidence that this child was Immanuel, God had come to dwell among His people in a profoundly unique way. So while Jesus was not named Immanuel, the circumstances of His birth fulfilled the meaning of Immanuel’s prophecy.
9. Jesus embodied the intended meaning of the name Immanuel.
Though not His personal name, Jesus’s life and ministry perfectly fulfilled the intended meaning behind the prophetic name Immanuel. He dwelt among men, performed miracles that demonstrated God’s power, exercised divine authority over nature and spirits, claimed divine titles and attributes, received worship, and declared “I and the Father are one.” Everything about Christ proclaimed “God with us.”
In closing, though Jesus was never called Immanuel, He thoroughly embodied its meaning as God come in the flesh to dwell among humanity. His personal name Yeshua (Jesus) connected Him to the people He came to save. Biblical prophecies often have multilayered meanings, and the two names together capture the full, beautiful mystery of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.