Critics say the fulfillment of this prophecy had to be in the days of Isaiah. Latter-day Saint scholars have appropriately responded to the questions raised, adding strength to the messianic witness of the prophecy. Among these is the excellent explanation offered by Dr Sidney B. Sperry:
“Now if Immanuel of verse 14 is the Messiah, the Savior, what is his connection with the ”child“ of verses 15 and 16? Many Jewish commentators, not to mention some non-Jewish ones, think that the ”virgin“ or ”young woman" of verse 14 may be a woman of Judah, and that her son, a boy whom she called Immanuel, does not refer to the Christ. Personally, I am inclined to accept Immanuel as a reference to the Savior, and especially in the light of [Isaiah 8:8], where Judah is referred to as Immanuel’s land. The allusion to Immanuel suggests that the land of Judah (about which Ahaz was concerned) had a great destiny to fulfill, and hence that it was not about to be destroyed by Syria and Ephraim. Verses 15 and 16 of [Isaiah 7] simply make our Lord’s infancy a symbolical representation of a short-lived nature of the threat to Judah. (Book of Mormon Commentary, p. 199; see also Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet, pp. 143-145; Great Are the Works of Isaiah, pp. 56-59)
Monte Nyman adds this insightful comment: “The point was that, even if Ahaz rejected the counsel and advice of Jehovah through his prophet, and even if Ahaz led his people into captivity, the Lord Immanuel would still come as had been prophesied.” (Great Are the Works of Isaiah, p. 58)
[ Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Isaiah Plain & Simple, pp. 69-70]
2 Nephi 17:14 A virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel ([Illustration] The Birth of Christ. Isaiah saw in vision the birth of Jesus Christ. Artist: Robert T. Barrett. [Thomas R. Valletta ed., The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 1999, p. 113]
2 Nephi 17:18 The Lord shall hiss … for the bee ([Illustration] A tradition relates that bee-keepers of the ancient Near East called their bees by a whistle or hiss. The bees would then gather at their hives, usually made of clay or baskets. This tradition may have been known to those who heard Isaiah prophesy that the Lord would whistle for the fly and the bee. Photograph by Tana and Mac Graham. [Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, p. 26]
2 Nephi 17:18 Egypt (Illustration): Map: Egypt at the Time of Isaiah. [Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, p. 27]