“Then Isaiah said.
‘Hear then!
O house of David!
Is it too little for you to weary mortals?
Do you weary my God also?
Therefore Yahweh himself
Will give you a sign.
Look!
The virgin young woman
Is with child.
She shall bear a son.
You shall name him Immanuel.
God is with us.
He shall eat curds.
He shall eat honey,
By the time
He knows how to refuse the evil
And choose the good.
Before the child knows
How to refuse the evil,
Before the child knows
How to choose the good,
The land before whose two kings
You are in dread
Will be deserted.”
This time it is Isaiah who is speaking to King Ahaz and the whole house of David, not Yahweh. They should not weary each other or God. Yahweh was going to give them a sign. The young woman, who is presumed to be a virgin, will have a child. He will be called Immanuel that means God is with us. Quite often Christians have used this passage as a prophecy about the birth of Jesus. However, the context seems to indicate that King Ahaz will have a son to carry on his royal name. That son of Ahaz will be the great holy King Hezekiah who ruled Judah from 716-687 BCE. This young child would do good and refuse evil by the time he was able to eat the basic foods of curds and honey. Even before he learns how to choose good over evil, the 2 invading countries of these 2 kings will lay desolate and deserted.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 