Isaiah 7

Friday, March 22, 2013

Isaiah 7

I confess myself rattled.

Isaiah 7:14 is a verse we all know: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."

But, well, this is the whole prophecy:

"14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.  15 He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.  16 For before the child learns to reject the bad and choose the good, the land of the two kings who you dread shall be deserted."

What??!!

Just...what???

Footnotes in my Bible mention (off-handedly) that some Catholics interpret a "preliminary and partial fulfillment" of the verse in the birth of future King Hezekiah whose mother was, at the time, a young virgin.

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How do the later parts refer to Jesus?  Just...how does it...

I need to find some proper commentary on this.  Father Dempsey?  Are you reading these?  What's going on?