What does Emmanuel mean?
Emmanuel is a compound of three Hebrew elements: im ("with") + anu ("us") + El ("God") — "with us is God." It first appears in Isaiah's prophecy to a faithless king, as a sign the LORD Himself would give:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
Seven centuries later, Matthew opens his Gospel by declaring the sign fulfilled — and he translates the name so no reader can miss the claim being made about the child:
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”Matthew 1:23 (KJV)
The name frames Matthew's entire Gospel: it opens with "God with us" and closes with Jesus' final promise, "lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Emmanuel is not merely a Christmas word — it is the Bible's whole story in one name: God does not save from a distance.
Search 'Emmanuel' in Scripture →Word studies behind this answer
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Verse text quoted from the King James Version. Study any passage free at Ekdia — no ads, no subscriptions.