In this class, we discuss the importance of studying Scripture, in general, and the Old Testament and the book of Genesis, in particular, in their original contexts, even when one passage is quoted by a later biblical author. As a dramatic illustration of this, we study the sign that Isaiah gave to king Ahaz (c. 735 B.C.) as the relevant background to Matthew's application of it to the Lord Jesus Christ (c. 4-5 B.C.): "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (Matt 1:22-23). Although this is undoubtedly one of the most familiar and astonishing passages in the Bible, we cannot truly grasp Matthew's message in its fullness until we've wrestled with Isaiah 7:1-9:7 (and its larger context).