What does Matthew 1:23 mean?
An angel of God has appeared to Joseph in a dream with a very specific set of instructions and revelations. Joseph, a decent man (Matthew 1:19), was considering divorcing his betrothed wife. Since the wedding had not yet taken place, they had not yet slept together. And yet, she was recently found to be pregnant (Matthew 1:18). Joseph would be well within his rights to divorce Mary but planned to go the extra mile of compassion by doing so quietly.The angelic messenger from God changes Joseph's perspective. He told Joseph not to be afraid to go through with the marriage. The baby was not the result of adultery. Mary was still a virgin and was pregnant by the Holy Spirit with a boy they would call Jesus. He would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:20–21). It's possible the angel cited Isaiah's words to Joseph; it's also possible these words are recorded by Matthew as part of his explanation. Either way, they are part of the Word of God and have the same meaning.
Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7:14 to show this miraculous pregnancy was the fulfillment of prophecy. The purpose of this prophecy, in part, is to point out that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Isaiah's prophecy spelled it out to the letter: A virgin would conceive and give birth to a son. People will call him "Immanuel," which means "God with Us." Viewed in this light, the prophecy is clear that Jesus is God, sent to earth to be with us, and to save mankind from our sins.
Some critics object to this use of Isaiah's words. They note that the original Hebrew word, translated here as "virgin," does not necessarily mean a woman with no experience of sexual intercourse. The Hebrew word almāh' can be used simply to mean a young woman. However, long before Jesus' birth, Jewish scholars had translated that term into Greek as parthenos, a word explicitly indicating a virgin.
Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, applies the prophecy to Mary and to Jesus. Additionally, the angel is very clear with Joseph that Mary is not pregnant by a human male, but by God's Spirit.
