Isaiah 7:14

In its original historical context, this prophecy was given to King Ahaz during the Syro-Ephraimite crisis. The 'almah' (young woman of marriageable age) would bear a son named Immanuel ('God with us') as a sign that the threat from Syria and northern Israel would soon pass. The immediate referent was likely a woman in the royal court, and the child's early years would mark the timeframe of deliverance.

The Jewish translators in Alexandria rendered 'almah' as 'parthenos' (virgin) in the Greek Septuagint. Whether this was an interpretive choice reflecting a belief in a deeper messianic meaning, or simply the most natural Greek equivalent for a young unmarried woman (presumed to be a virgin), remains debated. This translation became the basis for the New Testament citation in Matthew 1:23.

Irenaeus vigorously defended the virgin birth reading against Jewish critics and Gnostics. He argued in 'Against Heresies' that the sign must be miraculous (a virgin conceiving) to qualify as a genuine sign from God -- otherwise, any young woman bearing a child would be unremarkable. He saw Isaiah 7:14 as a clear prophecy of Christ's incarnation through Mary, central to the recapitulation of all things in Christ.

Calvin acknowledged the immediate historical context -- the sign related to Ahaz's political situation -- but argued for a typological fulfillment in Christ. He maintained the virgin birth interpretation while recognizing the dual-reference nature of the prophecy. Calvin emphasized that the fullest meaning of 'Immanuel' (God with us) could only be realized in the incarnation of Christ, not merely in the birth of a child in Ahaz's time.

Contemporary scholarship generally acknowledges the dual-horizon interpretation: 'almah' in Hebrew means 'young woman' without necessarily implying virginity (the specific word for virgin is 'betulah'). The immediate context addresses Ahaz's political crisis. However, Matthew's citation (1:23) applies this text Christologically through the Septuagint's 'parthenos.' The tension between historical-grammatical and canonical-theological readings remains a defining issue in hermeneutics.