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Isaiah 7:14 states, "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel".

Immanuel is also a town in Israel, near Ariel. For other articles, please see Emanuel (disambiguation).

Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us" consists of two Hebrew words: אל (El, meaning 'God') and עמנו (Immanu, meaning 'with us'); Standard Hebrew ʻImmanuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew ʻImmānûʼēl). It is a name used in the Bible in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8. It also appears in Matthew 1:23 in the Christian New Testament.

Christian belief holds that the Emmanuel is the Messiah foretold in the other prophecies of Isaias. In Isaias 8:8, Palestine is called the land of Emmanuel, though in other passage it is termed the land or the inheritance of Yahweh,^[1] so that Emmanuel and Yahweh are identified. Again, in the Hebrew text of Isaias 8:9-10, the Prophet predicts the futility of all the enemies' schemes against Palestine, because of Emmanuel. In 9:6-7, the characteristics of the child Emmanuel are so clearly described for Christians that they do not doubt his Messianic mission. The eleventh chapter pictures the Messianic blessings which the child Emmanuel will bring upon the earth. Moreover, St Matthew (1:23) expressly identifies the Emmanuel with Jesus the Messiah, and Christian tradition has constantly taught the same doctrine. A number of the Church Fathers, such as St Irenaeus, Lactantius, St Epiphanius, St John Chrysostom, and Theodoret, regarded the name "Emmanuel" not merely as a pledge of Divine assistance, but also as an expression of the mystery of the Incarnation by virtue of which the Messiah will be "God with us".

Christians hold that Emmanuel as described in Isaiah cannot be an ideal or metaphorical person, and cannot be identified with the regenerate people of Israel, nor with religious faith, for "he shall eat butter and honey." It is thought that both the text and the context indicates that the Prophet does not refer to a child in general, but points to an individual.

Christians reject the idea that the name Emmanuel refers to a son of the Prophet Isaias. Isaias 8:1-4 is used to show that the Prophet's son has a name that is not Emmanuel. The child is not thought to be a son of Achaz either, for Christians assert that Ezechias did not possess the most essential characteristics of Emmanuel as described by Isaias.

Temple Emanu-El of West Essex in Livingston, New Jersey.

Spelled in English as "Emanu-El," "Emanu El," or "Emanuel," Emanu-El is a common name for Jewish synagogues.

• Isaiah 7:14
• List of names referring to El
• List of synagogues named Emanu-El
• Emmanuel College, Cambridge
• Immanuel College

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.