Immanuel or Emmanuel? Which is correct?
Posted by Rick on December 4, 2012
Have you noticed that some churches are Immanuel and others are Emmanuel?
Have you noticed that some Bibles say both Immanuel and Emmanuel while others only say Immanuel?
So what’s the difference?
They are exactly the same word with the same meaning, “God with us.”
But they are spelled differntly. One has an “I” while the other starts with an “E”.
Which one is right?
Well, both can be called “right”, but, in my opinion, one is more accurate than the other.
It comes to this: Immanuel is the English translation of the Hebrew “עמּנוּ אל” (‛immānū’ēl) and Emmanuel is the English translation of the Greek “Ἐμμανουήλ” (Emmanouḗl) which is a translation of the Hebrew “עמּנוּ אל“.
In my opinion, which you can disagree with without recourse, “Immanuel” is the more correct term as it is a direct translation of the original Hebrew, whereas “Emmanuel” is a translation of a translation.
So, there you go.
But, in all of this, DO NOT MISS THE POINT:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1-5,14 ESV)
Immanuel Southern Baptist Church 
Penny said
Thank you for this information. I bought an ink stamp to make Christmas cards. When I saw the spelling Immanuel I was upset, because I thought it was spelled wrong. Now I’ll feel better about using the stamp.
Emmanuel farris ketra said
thanks for that clarification. Is that name meant for people born during the x-mass season?
S.Curry said
No where in the Bible does it identify Immanuel as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a name the Christians have made up to refer to the Deliverer Immanuel In Isaiah 8:8. The Old Testament speaks of Immanuel as the deliverer but not Jesus Christ. Not once is the name Jesus Christ mentioned in the Old Testament. This is one of the reasons why the Jews refuse to except Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Another reason is because the Jews new that Immanuel was a black skinned Hebrew that was a Jew which Jesus Christ is depicted as a European/White man. This is impossible there are no European/White Jews or European/Whites that have lineage that they can trace back to the Jews or the tribe of Judah. I don’t know where your Jesus Christ came from but he failed to fulfill the prophecies that God said that the Messiah was suppose to fulfill the first time he came. Let’s remember God doesn’t make mistake especially with the name of the deliverer it is man who makes all mistake and commits all sin. God Bless!
Rick said
Dear Sophia,
Thank you for taking time to make a comment on the Immanuel vs Emmanuel post. I’m not really sure which religious tradition you come from, but Jesus DID fulfill all of the prophecies of the Old Testament for the first arrival of the Messiah. Now, we await His return. You are right, of course, to say that the name “Jesus” doesn’t appear in the Old Testament. Jesus is the English translation of Yeshua. You might also find it interesting that many tribes in Africa depict Jesus as dark-skinned in their artwork, although I think that argument is pedantic. I pray that God will open your eyes to the Truth of Jesus Christ and you can find salvation through Him. Blessings, Bro Rick.