How does Matthew 1:21 fulfill Old Testament prophecy? Text of Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Meaning of the Name “Jesus” and Its Prophetic Roots “Jesus” (Greek Iēsous) transliterates the Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēshuaʿ), a contracted form of יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yehoshuaʿ, “Yahweh is salvation”). The angel’s command deliberately echoes passages where the divine name is linked with salvation—e.g., Isaiah 12:2; 25:9; Psalm 118:25 (“Save now, we beseech You, O LORD”). By assigning this name before the Child’s birth, Matthew presents Jesus as the embodiment of the saving character of Yahweh prophesied throughout the Tanakh. “He Will Save His People From Their Sins”: Core Messianic Expectation The Old Testament repeatedly associates the coming Messiah with a unique, God-provided deliverance from sin, not merely political oppression. • Psalm 130:7-8 : “For with the LORD is loving devotion…He will redeem Israel from all iniquity.” • Isaiah 53:5-6: the Servant bears the people’s iniquity and brings healing. • Jeremiah 31:34: under the New Covenant God “will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more.” Matthew’s wording (“save…from their sins”) alludes directly to these promises, identifying Jesus as the long-awaited agent of ultimate atonement. Virgin-Birth Context: Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 Just two verses later, Matthew cites Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel.” The angel’s naming directive (v. 21) functions alongside this citation: “Immanuel” (“God with us”) explains who He is, while “Jesus” (“Yahweh saves”) explains what He does. Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript 1QIsaᵃ, dated c. 125 BC, preserves Isaiah 7:14 with the same wording, underscoring the prophecy’s antiquity. Davidic Lineage and Covenant Promises The Messiah had to descend from David (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6). Matthew’s genealogy (1:1-17) establishes this legal line; verse 21 then clarifies the covenant’s goal: salvation from sin. Jeremiah 23:6 unites kingship and salvation: “This is the name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.” Matthew ties that title conceptually to “Jesus.” Priestly and Kingly Fusion Foretold Zechariah 6:12-13 predicts a Branch who “will build the temple of the LORD…sit and rule on His throne, and He will be a priest.” Only a sin-removing priest-king satisfies this prophecy. The angel’s proclamation identifies Jesus as that priestly savior. New-Exodus Motif Isaiah 11:11-12 and Hosea 11:1 anticipate a second exodus where God redeems His people. Matthew later cites Hosea 11:1 (2:15), but the theme begins in 1:21: Jesus will perform the greater deliverance—rescue from sin rather than Egypt. Typological Name Parallels Joshua (Hebrew Yehoshuaʿ) led Israel into Canaan; his name matches Jesus’. The Septuagint renders “Joshua” as Iēsous, the same spelling as “Jesus.” Matthew implicitly presents Jesus as the better Joshua who conquers sin and inaugurates a true Sabbath rest (cf. Hebrews 4:8-10). Prophecies of Universal Salvation Isaiah 49:6 declares the Servant will be “a light for the nations.” Though Matthew says “His people,” subsequent narrative shows Gentiles included (2:1-12; 4:15-16; 28:19); thus 1:21 harmonizes with universal-scope prophecies while starting with covenantal Israel. Intertestamental Expectation Documented 1 QHodayot 14.14-18 and 4Q521 speak of God sending a messianic figure who brings forgiveness and healing. These Second Temple texts affirm that first-century Jews linked divine forgiveness with Messiah—exactly what the angel proclaims. Archaeological Corroborations • Nazareth excavations (Israeli Antiquities Authority, 2009) confirm first-century domestic structures, countering claims that Nazareth lacked habitation. • Ossuary inscriptions bearing the name “Yeshua” (common but pertinent) show the correct linguistic milieu for the angel’s naming. • The Isaiah Scroll (Qumran) validates pre-Christian circulation of Isaiah’s virgin-birth prophecy. Summary Matthew 1:21 fulfills Old Testament prophecy by uniting Yahweh’s saving name, the promise of sin-forgiveness, the Davidic covenant, the virgin-birth sign, the priest-king expectation, and the new-exodus motif. The name “Jesus” is itself a prophecy realized: the incarnate Yahweh accomplishing the salvation foretold “by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old” (Luke 1:70). |
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