In Western Civilization, people generally have two names — a first name and a middle name — in addition to their last name. However, they are usually only known by their first name.
My first name is Jonathan. Others are known by their middle name. My dad’s name is Larry, and his middle name is Michael. He also has a black belt in martial arts. Don’t call him Larry unless you want to be hospitalized.
Some parents love names so much that they give their children extra names. Examples include John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, George Herbert Walker Bush, as well as Albus Percival Wulfric Bryan Dumbledore. A person’s middle name generally seems to have only two uses: (1) to differentiate a person from other people with the same first and last name, or (2) for your mother to use when you are in big trouble.
The birth announcement in Matthew 1 also speaks of two names for Jesus. When the angel announces to Joseph the birth of Jesus, he tells him, “You shall call his name Jesus” (Mt. 1:21). Matthew then cites an OT prophecy referring to the virgin birth that says his name will be called “Immanuel” (Mt. 1:23).
Does this mean that Jesus has two names? The remainder of the NT consistently refers to him as “Jesus,” and it never refers to him as “Immanuel.” So, what is the significance of these two names in Matthew 1? Why are these two names mentioned here? First, we will look at the significance of the name “Jesus” and then the name “Immanuel.”
The Meaning of Jesus
In the announcement of Jesus’ birth in both Matthew and Luke, the angel tells Mary, “You shall call his name Jesus” (Mt. 1:21; Lk. 1:31). The English name “Jesus” comes from the Greek name “Jesus.” The Greek name “Jesus” is translating the Hebrew name Joshua (or Jeshua). If the NT had been written in Hebrew, we would not be calling the Savior Jesus. We would be calling him Joshua.
In the Bible, the meaning of a name carries a great deal of significance. Grant Osborne notes that “in the Jewish world, names were not just marks of identification but were symbols containing the hopes and prayers of the parents for their children.” The Hebrew name “Joshua” means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” Matthew’s account highlights the significance of this name: “You shall call his name Jesus [‘Yahweh saves’], for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21). The name of Jesus here directly connects to His saving work. This is the purpose for His coming into the world. In this statement, the angel seems to be alluding to Psalm 130:8, which says, “He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
What is significant, though, is who is doing the saving. The meaning of Jesus/Joshua makes it clear that Yahweh is the one who saves. But the angel says that Jesus is the one who will save His people from their sins. The angel is clearly identifying Jesus as Yahweh. No mere man can save anyone from his sin. Jesus is the LORD who will powerfully save His people from their sins. It is worth noting that Jesus came not to bring political deliverance to His people or merely to meet their emotional needs; He came to deliver them from the spiritual oppression of sin.
The Meaning of Immanuel
What about the name Immanuel? Immediately after the announcement of Jesus’ name, Matthew explains that all of this “took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’” (Mt. 1:22–23). If Jesus’ birth is a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, and Isaiah 7:14 says that His name will be called Immanuel, then why didn’t the angel instruct Joseph to name the baby Immanuel?
Matthew is quoting Isaiah 7:14. In Isaiah 7, God declares that He will give King Ahaz a sign to give him confidence in the Lord’s deliverance. This sign is as miraculous as they come. A virgin will conceive, and she will call His name “Immanuel” (7:14). While it seems like there is an initial partial fulfilment of this prophecy in the immediate context of Isaiah 7 (8:1–10), this prophecy includes another reference that would be fulfilled at a later time. Matthew explicitly identifies this as a reference to Jesus.
Certain factors, though, indicate that the angel did not intend for the child’s actual name to be Immanuel. First, when the angel quotes Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew, he says, “they shall call his name Immanuel.” In Isaiah 7:14, though, it specifies that the virgin would call His name Immanuel. The angel is not stating that Immanuel would be His literal name; rather, the angel is using the name “Immanuel” to highlight God’s presence with His people through the Messiah.
A second factor is based on the context of Isaiah 7. Isaiah continues the same discourse from Isaiah 7 through 9. In Isaiah 9, we are given additional information about this coming child. The Son who is to come is given several other names: “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6). Isaiah is certainly not declaring multiple first names of this coming child. Rather, by giving Him these “names,” he is giving Him certain titles that describe His character.
Similarly, God does not intend to name the child “Immanuel.” Rather, the name “Immanuel” is a title that describes the character of Jesus. The coming of this child declares that God is with us. When Jesus is born and walking the earth, God is literally among us. When Jesus takes on flesh, He becomes one of us. He is Immanuel – God with us.
The reference to Jesus as Immanuel is essentially Matthew’s way of saying what John says in his prologue: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (Jn. 1:14). The baby conceived in Mary’s womb is none other than the Lord of glory who will save His people. He is God with us.
— Jonathan Cheek is a member of Ridgewood Church in Greer. He holds master’s and doctor’s degrees in theology from Bob Jones University. He and his wife, Renee, have been married 18 years and have two daughters.