7:14 Lord himself. Since Ahaz refused the proffered sign, God would in due time give the whole “house of David” (Isaiah 7:13) a sign, a miracle unique in all history.

7:14 a virgin. This should read “the virgin,” indicating a very specific virgin, long awaited by the entire human race. This could be nothing less than the primeval promise of the coming “Seed of the Woman” (Genesis 3:15), who would someday defeat Satan and redeem not only the House of David but all mankind.

7:14 virgin. Many critics have argued that the Hebrew word means simply “young, unmarried woman,” rather than “virgin,” and some translations have translated it as such. This is nothing but a device to avoid the miracle of Christ’s virgin birth. The word is used some six or more times in the Old Testament and in all instances the context favors (or at least does not preclude) its rendering as “virgin.” Conception by a “young unmarried woman” would hardly be a sign of anything except sin, for such events occur frequently. A virgin conception would require a mighty act of creation by God Himself! The quotation of this verse in the New Testament (Matthew 1:23) should remove any lingering doubt, for the Greek word used there (parthenos) can only mean “virgin.” See also Jeremiah 31:22.

7:14 Immanuel. “Immanuel” means “God with us”—that is, God incarnate in human flesh, the unique miracle implied by the Edenic promise of the conquering “Seed of the Woman” in Genesis 3:15. Men produce genetic seed naturally, but a woman could only generate a “seed” supernaturally. A true virgin conception has only occurred once in human history, leading to the birth of Christ, who as the God/man is the only one who could ever destroy the “old serpent, called the Devil” (Revelation 12:9; see also Micah 5:2 and John 1:14).