Advent · Fourth Sunday in Advent · Year A
Isaiah 7:10-17
The Sign of Immanuel
December 21, 2025
Overview & Insights
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
The scene is a confrontation, not a consolation. Ahaz, facing a Syrian and Israelite coalition, has been told to stand firm, and he declines a sign in pious language (v. 12) while, according to 2 Kings 16:7-9, he has already appealed to Assyria for help. The sign is therefore given against him. The Hebrew word in verse 14 is almah, a young woman of marriageable age rather than the specific term for virgin, while the Greek version used by Matthew renders it parthenos, which is the basis of the citation at Matthew 1:23. Within its own setting the sign functions as a clock: before the child is old enough to tell good from evil, the two kings Ahaz fears will be gone (v. 16). Verse 17 then turns dark, naming the king of Assyria, so Immanuel means presence for judgment as well as for rescue.
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Commentary
Commentary on Isaiah 7:10-16Commentary on Is 7:10-16 workingpreacher.org
Lectionary commentary on the Advent 4 Isaiah reading, covering Ahaz's refusal of a sign and the Immanuel prophecy.
Old Testament: Isaiah 7:10-17 (Advent 4: Series A)Old Testament: Is 7:10-17 (Advent 4: Series A) 1517.org
1517 article keyed exactly to Isaiah 7:10-17, matching the full LSB pericope rather than the shorter 7:10-14 selection.
Isaiah 7 Commentary: Shear-Jashub and ImmanuelIs 7 Commentary: Shear-Jashub and Immanuel enduringword.com
Guzik's verse-by-verse commentary on Isaiah 7, including Ahaz's sign, the virgin conceiving, and the judgment oracle through v. 17.
Isaiah 7 CommentaryIs 7 Commentary preceptaustin.org
Verse-linked commentary collection on Isaiah 7, covering Ahaz's confrontation with Isaiah and the Immanuel sign through the judgment verses.
Isaiah 7:10-16 CommentaryIs 7:10-16 Commentary cepreaching.org
CEP commentary written for this Advent 4 reading, setting the historical Syro-Ephraimite crisis behind Ahaz's refused sign.
Advent 4 - Isaiah 7:10-17 - December 22, 2013Advent 4 - Is 7:10-17 - December 22, 2013 concordiatheology.org
Concordia Seminary's per-Sunday LSB commentary on the full Isaiah 7:10-17 text, found and verified via their own site search.
Background & Word Study
Commentary on Isaiah 7 by Matthew HenryCommentary on Is 7 by Mt Henry blueletterbible.org
Matthew Henry's exposition of the whole chapter, including Ahaz's unbelief and the Immanuel sign given despite it.
Isaiah 7:14 Hebrew InterlinearIs 7:14 Hebrew Interlinear biblehub.com
Word-by-word Hebrew interlinear for the sign verse (ha-almah, 'the virgin/young woman'), central to this reading's word study.
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