From earliest times to the present the discussions which have centered about this theme have been both interesting, varied, and at times even heated. Yet the subject is far from being exhausted. And after all, it still remains, in many respects, very obscure.
Skinner seeks in a general way to pinpoint the source of the difficulties.
The difficulties arise mainly from the fact that while the terms of the prediction are so indefinite as to admit a wide range of possibilities, we have no record of its actual fulfillment in any contemporary event. In view of these statements concerning the difficulties in the passage, one may scarcely expect unanimity among either liberals or conservatives in theology. The logical point at which the investigation should be initiated is a careful treatment of the immediate context. It was in the reign of Ahaz, king of Judah, that a coalition was formed between Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, against Ahaz. When the fact of the confederacy was made known to the royal house, the consternation was great indeed.