Commentary on Isaiah

I do not know how to attach texts and all to this forum, but it is online:

http://www.dabar.org/SemReview/Young-Isaiah7.htm

Young attempts to establish that Isaiah was referring to the birth of Jesus.  Shazzam! [li]  He knows it all.  Am I saying that God could not have put such in his mind?  No, that is not what I am saying.  God is God and can do whatever he jolly well pleases, but that is not the way he operates.  We find that God is faithful and maintains the "rules" by which the universe he has created operates.  First, it should be noted that this is designated as a sign.  A sign which signifies nothing is not a sign.  OK, here is a portion of his statement

Why too does not Isaiah make clear who this child is to whom he is referring? From the meager data which he gives there is not sufficient warrant for saying that the child is his own. And certainly there is no warrant for saying that the child is Hezekiah, for as Jerome long ago pointed out, Hezekiah had already been born at this time. What warrant would the wife of Isaiah have for calling a child of hers Immanuel, supposing that there were some child born to her in addition to Shear-jashub and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, and assuming that this particular child was the sign intended? And what warrant would the wife of Ahaz have for making a similar assumption about the birth of Hezekiah? For if the sign was to have meaning, not only the mother of the child know by direct revelation from God that her own child is the precise sign intended by God, but the nation generally must also know this fact so that it can properly appreciate the sign. Otherwise, the child might be born and the nation would have no means of knowing, unless further revelation were given to it through the prophet, that one particular child was the sign intended by God.

Note that Young attempts to pooh-pooh the idea that Isaiah could have been referencing Hezekiah by stating categorically that Hezekiah had already been born.  But had he?  The time-line at this point is totally unclear.  The AYBD notes

The precise timing of Ahaz’s accession is obscured by the conflicting references in 2 Kgs 16:2 and 2 Chr 28:1 when compared with the contradictory information about the death of Ahaz and the accession of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 16:19–20; 18:1). If Hezekiah succeeded Ahaz when he was 25 years old (2 Kgs 18:2), then Ahaz could only have been 11 years old when he became a father since he is said to have been 36 at the time of his death (2 Chr 28:2).

. Edited by Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf et al sv "Ahaz". New York: Doubleday, 1996.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary

It is possible, and probably has happened, that an 11 yr old could become a father, but it seems highly unlikely—as does the requirement that he would have died at 36 (possible, but not likely given the details of the record).

Regarding the use of the Hebrew word עלמה to designate the mother he states

And this is a good consideration, one which cannot be avoided in any serious study of this particular Messianic prophecy. Why is it that, of the various available words in the Hebrew language, Isaiah selects this particular one for a designation of the mother? …. Why, however, did he choose the word 'almah? The answer is ready at hand, for 'almah is a word which is never used of a married woman.

Really??  Well, perhaps not married, but certainly not a virgin in the modern sense of the term

2 Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth,  For your love is more delightful than wine.3Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance,  Your name is like finest oil—  Therefore do maidens [עלמות] love you.4Draw me after you, let us run!  The king has brought me to his chambers.  Let us delight and rejoice in your love,  Savoring it more than wine—  Like new wine they love you!

Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth,  For your love is more delightful than wine.3Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance,  Your name is like finest oil—  Therefore do
Regarding the name he states
The sign, then, which the Lord gives to His people is simply the declaration that the Messiah will be born and that His birth will be of a supernatural kind. Matthew is entirely correct in thus interpreting the verse, when he remarks: "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 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 1:22,23). And what greater, more comforting sign than this could there be? Those who truly waited for the consolation of Israel need not fear even the folly of their king, for this dark moment of Israel's history God sent a ray of light, the announcement of the sure birth of the promised Redeemer.

^{But still a sign which is not seen is not a sign. Let us consider the name Emmanuel—"God [is?] with us."}

^{The king was considered to be adopted as the son of God at his accession to the throne.}

^{4He who is enthroned in heaven laughs;
  the Lord mocks at them.
5Then He speaks to them in anger,
  terrifying them in His rage,
6"But I have installed My king
  on Zion, My holy mountain!"
7Let me tell of the decree:
  the Lord said to me,
  "You are My son,
  I have fathered you this day.}

^{Ps 2:4-7}

^{The author of the Gospel according to Matthew used this passage and understood the "maiden" to be a literal virgin in the modern sense of the term. Such appropriation of an OT passage is not uncommon in the NT. It did not, however, thereby obviate the meaning of the text in its historical context. The sign in Isaiah was that a member of the group at court designated as a member of the עלמות was pregnant and would bear a son who would subsequently become king.}

^{6For before the lad knows to reject the bad and choose the good, the ground whose two kings you dread shall be abandoned.}

^{I. e., before the child achieves the status of manhood, the kings whom Ahaz dreaded would be no more.}

^{So what does it mean to become a bar mitzvah? Under Jewish Law, children are not obligated to observe the commandments, although they are encouraged to do so as much as possible to learn the obligations they will have as adults. At the age of 13 (12 for girls), children become obligated to observe the commandments. … The celebrant is also generally required to make a speech, which traditionally begins with the phrase "today I am a man."}

http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm

^{Young's problem is that he never learned to read a book. You don't read from back to front (unless you are reading Hebrew, in which case "back" is still "front"). You don't read Matthew and use it to interpret Isaiah.}