virgin birth

The passage has sometimes been confused by supposing a double fulfilment – first of an ordinary child in Ahaz’s time and then the coming of Jesus. Also it has often been thought that verse 16 refers to Israel (Ephraim) and Aram (Syria), whose kings were Pekah (the son of Remaliah) and Rezin respectively, rather than to the land of promise itself, which at that time was ruled by the kings of Judah and of Israel. This explains why the Hebrew verb in v16 is often translated ‘you dread’ rather than ‘you are tearing apart’ – its usual meaning (note same word in v.6). So weRead More →