Messias-ennustukset

There many passages of the Old Testament that Christians and Messianic Jews view as being prophecies of Jesus as the Messiah. The following are the key passages with commentary both modern and from ancient Jewish sources:

Deity

The Messiah is called "Son of God"

OT Prophecy:

Malline:Bible quote

Commentary:

Jews have often claimed emphatically that "God has no Son," but their own Scriptures and rabbis reject this claim. Psalm 2 refers to the Lord's 'anointed one' (Messiah), twice called "Son," who will receive the nations as inheritance. The Midrash on the psalms sees in this figure the "one who is to come," the "Messiah-King" before whom all will bow down, and also the "son of man coming with the clouds" of the book of Daniel (7:13).

Rashi also associates the "Son" with the Messiah: “Our Rabbis have taught that this concerns the Messiah-King, and in harmony with this interpretation it can be applied to David himself.” So does Ibn Ezra, who reckons that the psalm refers to the "anointing of David as king... or else it concerns the Messiah" (cf. Santala, p. 119). The talmud concurs, even associating with this psalm the two Messianic traditions of the triumphant Messiah son of David and the suffering Messiah son of Joseph:

Malline:Quotebox The Zohar even appends to the description of the Son a quasi-trinitarian statement mentioning the Holy One, His Son, and His Spirit: “You are the good shepherd; of you it is said, ‘Kiss the Son.’You are great here below, the teacher of Israel, the Lord of the serving angels, the son of the Most High, the son of the Holy One, may his name be praised and his Holy Spirit.” (Zohar, part III, p. 307, Amsterdam edition) (cf. Santala, p. 121)

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah existed before the creation of the world

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

Rabbis have observed here that these "everlasting" origins mean Messiah is not merely human but God. Rabbi David Qimhi comments on Mic 5:2:

"It will be said in the Messianic age that his 'origins are from old, from ancient time;' 'from Bethlehem' means that he will be of the house of David, because there is a long period of time between David and the Messiah-King; and he is El (God), which is how he is 'from old, from ancient times.' (Qimhi on Mic 5:2) In Genesis 1:2 we read: "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The midrash Rabbah says in this context that "this was the spirit of the Messiah" who was already present at creation. (Bereshith Rabbah 1:2, Santala, p. 35)

According to the Talmud, the Messiah's name is one of the seven things which were ordained before creation. (Pesahim 54a, Nedarim 39b) (cf. Santala, p. 52). The apocryphal book of Enoch also presents the Messiah and Son of Man as pre-existent before the creation of the world: Malline:Quotebox Thus we see that Jesus' eternal sonship is not an invention of the New Testament but finds its roots in the Hebrew scriptures, in apocryphal literature, and is even confirmed in rabbinical literature.

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah is called "God"

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

Hebrew is a contextual language - it has relatively few words, and each word can take a variety of meaningsdepending on context. However, the rabbis in the intertestimental period preserved helpful "signs" (t'amey Hamikr'a) which the Masoretes (from the Hebrew "masoret", "tradition")of the 5th cent A.D. later wrote into the manuscripts. Conjunctive "signs" tie two words together; disjunctive indicate that they are separate thoughts. These two categories of signs also serve as punctuation - full stop (period), semi-stop (coma),and even thought groupings. According to these punctuation marks, Isaiah 9:6 reads: "His name shall be called Counsellor, the Mighty God..."

The midrash on Lamentations also attributes the name of God to the Messiah: What is the name of King Messiah? R. Abba b. Kahana said: His name is 'the Lord'; as it is stated, and this is the name whereby he shall be called, the Lord is our righteousness. (Lamentations Rabbah, I. 16. 51)

NT Fulfillment:

Lineage and Birth

The Messiah will be the seed of the woman

OT Prophecy:

Commentary: This passage prophesies that a descendant of "the woman" (named Eve later in the chapter) will crush the head of the serpent, who has just led Adam and Eve into sin. Both the Targum Jonathan and the Jerusalem Targum associate this passage with the days of the Messiah who will come and make peace between men at the end of days:

“And they [the sons of the woman] will finally make peace in the days of the Messiah-King.” (Gen 3:15, Targum Jonathan)

“They will make peace in the end, at the close of the end of the days, in the days of the Messiah King.” (Gen 3:15, Jerusalem Targum)

At first sight this prophesy that Messiah will be the "seed of the woman" seems meaningless - everyone is born of a woman, and everyone is also born of a man. Thus, the passage possibly hints at the fact that the One Who will bruise the head of the serpent will have no human father. Thus Jesus was "born of a woman" who was a virgin, Mary, with no human father. It was He who defeated the ancient serpent (1 John 3:8, Rev 12, Rev 19:19-21) and established peace between Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14-18).

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be Son of Abraham

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

God promised to Abraham that his seed would be a worldwide blessing and his descendants would become extremely numerous. The midrash likewise says, “In the days of the Messiah, Israel will be compared to the sand of the sea.” (Bamidbar Rabbah 2) (cf. Santala, 41). Jesus, of course, was a descendant of Abraham. Through Jesus, the promises made to Abraham were extended to all nations; through him, millions of Christians have come to know the God of Israel and have received the spiritual blessings that He promised to Abraham.

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be a descendant of Jacob

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

The Aramaic Targums of this passage confirm that the "Star of Jacob" will be the Messiah: Malline:Quotebox

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be from the tribe of Judah

OT Prophecy:

Commentary: This passage informs us that a mysterious "Shiloh" will arise from the tribe of Judah and will rule the people. The targumim, the midrash, and the Talmud unanimously confirm that this "Shiloh" is in fact Messiah, who will come from the tribe of Judah:

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, being of the tribe of Judah. In addition, the prophecy and its midrash inform us about the time of the Messiah's coming. They reveal that the tribe of Judah must retain its identity and genealogy until the coming of the Messiah, after which the scepter (the rule) would depart from that tribe. Indeed, the Jews preserved their genealogies up to the time of Jesus but lost them soon after, in 70 A.D., when the Temple was destroyed. Rabbi Rahmon interpreted this national calamity as the loss of the sceptre of Judah spoken of in Genesis 49, and he expressed distress at the fact that the Messiah should have appeared before that time:

"When the members of the Sanhedrin discovered that the rights of life and death had been torn from their hands a general consternation seized hold of them. They covered their heads with ashes and their bodies with sackcloth, shouting, 'Woe to us! The sceptre of Judah has been taken away and the Messiah has not yet come.'" (cf. Santala, p. 103)

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be a descendant of David

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

This prophecy speaks of a certain descendant of David who will be a "branch of righteousness" and king, will save Judah and Israel, and will be called "YHWH Our Righteousness" (יהוה צדקנו). The talmud tells us that Rabbis Shmuel Ben Nahman (260 AD) and Abba Bar Kahana (300 AD) came to the conclusion that this divine name, "YHWH our Righteousness" is none other than "the name of the Messiah" (Baba Bathra 75b, cf. Santala, p. 64). Jesus, whose name means "salvation," fulfilled this prophecy as the Son of David who came to save his people from their sins:

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be born of a virgin

OT Prophecy:

Malline:Bible quote

Commentary:

Around the year 735 B.C. the prophet Isaiah promised a sign to Ahaz, king of Judah: a young woman or virgin would give birth to a son whose name would be "Immanuel," which means "God is with us." The Hebrew word used here for virgin is almah, which means a young, unmarried woman, and is usually assumed to denote a virgin. While the Hebrew text is ambiguous, the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, translated by Alexandrian Jews in the 3rd century B.C.) removes all ambiguity and translates the Hebrew almah with the Greek word parthenos, which can only mean a virgin. If there remains any doubt that the text here speaks of a virgin, we may also ask ourselves: what kind of a sign would this be had Isaiah meant that a young woman would give birth to a child after having normal relations with a man? This would not be a sign at all but quite a normal occurrence; for a "sign" by its very nature should reveal something out of the ordinary. And thus it is most plausible that the prophet indeed announced a future miraculous virgin birth. As is well known, Mary conceived Jesus while still a virgin:

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

The prophet Micah announces that a Ruler of eternal origins will be born in Bethlehem and will reign in Israel. The Targum Jonathan identifies this Ruler with the Messiah, translating Michah 5:2: "out of you will come the Messiah." We will also see below how Rabbi David Qimhi sees in this passage the Messiah-King and calls him "God." As Micah prophesied, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David:

NT Fulfillment:

Messiah will come during the fourth world empire

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

The Talmud records how after a time of 2,000 years of Torah should have come the time of the Messiah for 2,000 years, but somehow something went wrong:

Malline:Quotebox According to the main Jewish chronological authority, Rabbi Jose ben-Halafta, the world was created in 3761 BC; by Archbishop James Ussher's more accurate reckoning, it was created in 4004 BC. The 2,000 years of desolation should have lasted until 1761 BC by ben-Halafta or 2004 BC by Ussher, at which time would have begun the age of the Torah (according to conservative biblical chronology, the Exodus and giving of the Torah occurred around 1445 BC, which is relatively close). Then, after 2,000 years of Torah, the age of the Messiah should have begun around 239 AD by ben-Halafta or 4 BC by Ussher (Jesus Christ was born 4-6 BC) and will last until 2239 AD by ben-Halafta or 1996 AD by Ussher. According to the Talmud, therefore, the Messiah should have come already; indeed, the Messianic age either will end soon or has already ended!

NT Fulfillment:

Thus Jesus came during the Roman empire, as the prophet Daniel predicted.

The Messiah will be killed circa 32 AD

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

• The prophecy: 69 "weeks" (x 7 years) after the command to rebuild Jerusalem, the Messiah will be "cut off," after which the city and sanctuary will be destroyed.
• The command to rebuild Jerusalem mentioned in Daniel 9:25 was decreed by king Artarxerxes of Persia in the month of Nisan of the 20th year of his reign. (Neh 2:1-8)
• Artarxerxes began to reign in 465 BC. The 20th year of his reign is 445 BC. The 1st of Nissan, 445 BC = March 14, 445 BC.
• Daniel's prophecy predicts that there will be 7+ 62= 69 weeks from the command to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah (1 “week” = 7 years).
• 69 “weeks” x 7 years = 483 Babylonian years (one Babylonian year = 360 days)
• 483 Babylonian years = 476 Julian years + 21 days (one Julian year = 365.25 days)
• 445 BC + 476 years = 32 AD.
• March 14, 32 AD + 21 days = April 4, 32 AD. This is the date at which the Messiah was to be "cut off" according to Daniel.
• Passover fell on April 10, 32 AD! If Jesus was crucified on Passover of that year, this is extremely close to Daniel's dating!

Even the Talmud speaks of how 40 years before the destruction of the Temple (i.e. 30 AD, around the time of the crucifixion) the atoning sacrifices lost their power and the gates of the Holy of Holies opened by themselves. The tractate Yoma describes how, previously, a crimson cloth tied between the horns of the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) had miraculously turned white, signifying that God had forgiven Israel's sin. Yet:

Malline:Quotebox It is remarkable that God dramatically stopped favoring the Temple services right around the time of Jesus' crucifixion!

Moreover, probably to cover up this prophecy inarguably pointing to the time of Jesus, the Jewish rabbi Jose ben-Halafta mutilated the Persian chronology in his history of the world, the Seder Olam Rabbah. By his chronology, 483 years after Artaxerxes' decree was not 32 AD but c. 132 AD - pointing to the false Messiah Bar Kokhba, whom Jose's mentor Akiba had recognized as Messiah. Even modern Jewish authorities admit that his chronology is inexplicably wrong; however, they do not begin to venture a reason. ¹

NT Fulfillment:

The command to rebuild Jerusalem was decreed by king Artaxerxes in 445 BC (Neh 2:1-8). 69 "weeks" of 7 years later brings us to AD 32. In that year Jesus the Messiah was crucified ("cut off"). At the same time, the atoning sacrifices in the Temple lost their power, and shortly thereafter (70 AD) the Romans destroyed the city and the Temple.

Ministry

The Messiah will minister in Galilee

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

Isaiah prophesied that a great light would shine in "Galilee of the Gentiles," where pagans had intermingled with Jews ever since the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Thus, Jesus grew up in Nazareth in Galilee and carried out most of his public ministry in that region.

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be a prophet like Moses

OT Prophecy:

Commentary: The book of Deuteronomy announces that God will raise up another prophet like Moses. The Targum Jonathan adds that this new prophet will be raised up through the Holy Spirit: “The Lord your God will raise up from your midst a prophet by the Holy Spirit who will be like me… a prophet I will raise up from amongst your brethren, through the Holy Spirit.” (Targum Jonathan) (Santala, p. 58) The midrash on Ecclesiastes also speaks of a "Last Savior" who, like the first savior Moses, will provide bread from heaven and living water to his people:

Jesus' followers recognized him as "the Prophet" whom Moses had announced. In addition, Jesus provided bread from heaven for his people and promised that he would be to them "a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life":

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will perform miracles

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

One sign of the coming of the kingdom of God is the healing of illnesses and releasing God's people from the bonds that afflict them. Healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf were a central part of Jesus' ministry:

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be a shepherd to God's people

OT Prophecy:

Commentary:

God promised to His people a Davidic shepherd who would guide them and feed them. Both RaDaQ (Rabbi David Qimhi) and Rashi say about Ezek 34 that "my shepherd David" is the Messiah. RaDaQ also states of the prophecy in Ezekiel 37 that 'my shepherd David' is the Messiah-King. He is called David because he is of David's seed." (cf. Santala, p. 177) Jesus, Son of David, called himself "the good shepherd" who came to gather his sheep and give his life for them:

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will be a light to the Gentiles

OT Prophecy:

Commentary: Another sign of the Messianic age is that all nations will come to know and worship the God of Israel. Though Jesus' ministry was initially directed towards the Jews, he never turned away Gentiles who had faith in him and sought his salvation. At the end of his time on earth he commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations:

NT Fulfillment:

The Messiah will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey

OT Prophecy:

Commentary: The talmud and midrash confirm that the king who will enter Jerusalem on a donkey is the Son of David and Savior: “The Son of David will come only in a generation which is either altogether righteous or altogether wicked… if they are righteous he will come in the clouds. If not, he will come humbly and riding on a donkey.” (Sanhedrin 97b) (cf. Santala, p. 55)

“Just as there was a First Saviour so there will be a Last. Just as it is said of the First Saviour (Ex 4:20) that ‘He took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey’, so it is said of the Last Saviour that ‘He is lowly and riding on a donkey’ (Zech 9:9). (Midrash Qoheleth Rabbati 1) (cf. Santala, p. 59) Jesus indeed rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as a sign of lowliness and subjection, yet also as the sign of his Messianic kingship:

NT Fulfillment:

Rejection

The Messiah will be a rejected cornerstone

OT Prophecy:

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily." (Isa 28:16)

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. (Ps 118:22-23)

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isa 53:3)

Commentary:

Isaiah and the psalmist speak of a chief cornerstone that was rejected. Rashi, commenting on Isaiah 28:16 and on Michah 5:2, confirms that the rejected cornerstone of psalm 118 is the Messiah, initially rejected despite being the cornerstone of salvation history:

"Behold, I have laid a foundation... and so must it be interpreted: Behold, I am He Who has already laid [a stone in Zion. Already] a decree has been decreed before Me, and I have set up the King Messiah, who shall be in Zion as an אֶבֶן בּוֹחֵן, a fortress stone, an expression of a fortress and strength." (Rashi on Isa 28:16)

"And you, Bethlehem Ephratah... from you shall emerge for me the Messiah, son of David, and so Scripture says (Ps. 118:22): “The stone the builders had rejected became a cornerstone.” (Rashi on Mic 5:2) Jesus, Messiah, Savior, and the cornerstone of Israel, was rejected by his own people:

NT Fulfillment:

The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain. (Lk 9:22, Mt 21:42-43)

Come to Him, to that living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious... Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “ Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “ the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” (1 Pet 2:4-8)

The Messiah will be sold for 30 pieces of silver

OT Prophecy:

Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weight out for my wages 30 pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter” "- that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter. (Zech 11:12-13)

Commentary:

The price paid for the Jesus' betrayal was the same as the price of a slave, 30 pieces of silver (see Exo 21:32) - the same amount that was brought to the potter's field in Zechariah's prophecy.

NT Fulfillment:

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. (Mt 26:14-15)

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders... Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the LORD directed me.” (Mat 27:3-9)

The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend

OT Prophecy:

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. (Ps 41:9)

Commentary:

The psalm describes the poor, righteous man who is unjustly afflicted by many evils and betrayed by one of his closest friends. The same happened to Jesus, betrayed by his disciple Judas:

NT Fulfillment:

Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Immediately, he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. (Mt 26:48-49)

The Messiah will be meek and humble

OT Prophecy:

He will not cry out, no raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. (Isa 42:2-3)

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. (Isa 53:7)

Commentary:

Then as now, the people of Israel expected a triumphant Messiah who would physically deliver them from their enemies. Isaiah, however, announced a meek and humble Messiah who would remain silent even while subjected to unjust afflictions and being "led as a lamb to the slaughter." This is exactly how Jesus reacted to his unjust condemnation and death sentence:

NT Fulfillment:

And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent… (Mt 26:62-63)

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luk 23:34)

The Messiah will be beaten and spat upon

OT Prophecy:

I gave my My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. (Is 50:6)

Commentary:

Jews often consider the suffering servant to be Israel. Here, however, the servant bears the striking characteristics of an individual who is tortured and humiliated, just as Jesus was.

NT Fulfillment:

Then they spit in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands. (Mt 26:67)

Death

The Messiah will be pierced

OT Prophecy:

They pierced My hands and my feet. (Ps 22:16)

And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. (Zech 12:10)

Commentary:

Psalm 22 describes, as Jewish commentator M. D. Cassuto has said, "a man tortured in both body and soul," feeling abandoned by God and forsaken by all. Verse 16 in Hebrew reads "like a lion (כארי, ka'ari) my hands and my feet" - which does not make much sense, and which is possibly a corruption of the alternate reading "they pierced (כארו, ka'aru) my hands and my feet." The plausibility of the second reading is strengthened by the fact that the Septuagint (the Jewish translation of the Bible into Greek, dating to the 3rd century B.C.) reads "they pierced." This shows that the usual translation in Christian Bibles "they pierced my hands and my feet" is not a Christian manipulation of the text but derives from a Jewish translation, and may thus more closely reflect the original text than "like a lion."

Zech 12:10 ("they will look on me whom they have pierced") is interpreted by the Talmud as referring to “the Mashiach, Son of Joseph”:

And the land shall mourn... what is the cause of the mourning?... one explained, the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph... It is well according to him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, and they shall look upon me because they thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son. (Sukka 52a) (cf. Santala, p. 186) When Jesus was crucified, his hands and feet were pierced with nails. In addition, immediately after he died, a Roman soldier pierced his side with a spear:

NT Fulfillment:

And when they had come to the placed called Calvary, there they crucified Him… (Lk 23:33)

One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (Jn 19:34)

Men will cast lots for his clothes

OT Prophecy:

They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. (Ps 22:18)

Commentary:

The casting of lots for the clothing of the afflicted man of psalm 22 also accurately describes how the Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothes at the crucifixion:

NT Fulfillment:

Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “ They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” (Mat 27:35)

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now this tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be.” (Jn 19:23-24)

The Messiah will be given vinegar and gall to drink

OT Prophecy:

They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Ps 69:21)

Commentary:

Psalm 69 describes the unjust affliction of a righteous one who is "hated without a cause" (v. 4) and was given gall for food and vinegar to drink, like Jesus on the cross.

NT Fulfillment:

They gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. (Mt 27:34)

The Messiah will be sacrificed for our sins

OT Prophecy:

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth... For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. (Isa 53:4-8)

Commentary:

Jews today often consider the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 to be the people of Israel, who have suffered on behalf of the other nations to atone for their sins. This is problematic because an atoning sacrifice must be perfect, without blemish, and this is far from the picture of Israel painted by the same prophet Isaiah, who at times harshly condemns Israel for their sins (cf. Isa 1). A number of Jewish sources, by contrast, associate this suffering figure with the Messiah. The targum translates Isa 52:13: “Behold, my servant the Messiah will prosper.”

Rashi, Radaq, Ibn Ezra, and the Talmud (Sukka 52b) say that it refers to the Messiah Son of Joseph.

The midrash Tanhuma states that "this is the King, the Messiah, who will rise and be greatly exalted, higher than Abraham, greater than Moses, above the worshipping angels."

Midrash Ruth, commenting on Ruth 2:14, discusses the "Messianic meal": "The fifth interpretation of [Ruth 2:14] makes it refer to the Messiah. Come hither: approach to royal state. And eat of the bread refers to the bread of royalty; and dip thy morsel in the vinegar refers to his sufferings, as it is said, but he was wounded because of our transgressions (Isa 53:5). (Ruth Rabbah 5:6)

Rabbi Elia de Vidas writes: “Thus the Messiah suffered on account of our sins, and was wounded; He who does not wish the Messiah to be wounded for our transgressions may choose himself to suffer and carry his own sins.” (cf. Santala, p. 202)

The talmud also associates the suffering servant with the Messiah: "What is the Messiah's name? ... the Rabbis said: His name is 'the leper scholar,' as it is written, surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isa 53:4). (Sanhedrin 98b)

Most remarkable is this prayer from the Mahzor Rabbah, prayed on Yom Kippur, the great day of atonement:

“Then, before the creation, he already set up the Temple and the Messiah… the Messiah our righteousness has turned away from us, and can find no-one who can justify us. The yoke of our sins and our transgressions is a burden to us; and he was wounded for our transgressions, he suffered on his shoulders our iniquities; there is forgiveness for our sins. In his wounds we are healed; it is time to create forever a new creation… He is our God, our Father, our King, he is our Saviour and he will liberate and redeem us for a second time and let us hear of his grace a second time…” (Mahzor Rabbah for the Great Day of Atonement) (Santala, p. 207)

The New Testament, of course, interprets Isaiah 53 as referring to Jesus, the paschal lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world:

NT Fulfillment:

A man of Ethiopia... was reading Isaiah the prophet... “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. (Acts 8:27-35)

For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. (1 Cor 5:7)

He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Heb 9:26)

Not one of his bones will be broken

OT Prophecy:

In one house [the Passover lamb] shall be eaten... nor shall you break one of its bones. (Ex 12:46) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. (Ps 34:20)

Commentary:

The prohibition to not break any of the bones of the Passover lamb, reflected in the psalm, was fulfilled when the Romans did not break any of Jesus' bones when died on the cross.

NT Fulfillment:

… When they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. (Jn 19:33)

Resurrection and Exaltation

The Messiah will rise from the dead

OT Prophecy:

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (Ps 16:10)

Commentary:

The ancient hope in the resurrection from the dead, expressed by David in psalm 16, remained unfulfilled in David's own life, as the apostle Peter explained to the Jews assembled in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Christ's resurrection, however, fulfilled this promise of ultimate victory over death.

NT Fulfillment:

The angel answered and said to the woman, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen.” (Mt 28:5-6)

...the patriarch David... is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. (Acts 2:29-32)

The Messiah will ascend into heaven

OT Prophecy:

You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive; you have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God might dwell there. (Ps 68:18)

Commentary:

The psalm hints that God will ascend to heaven after having come down from his dwelling place to release captives so that they may dwell with Him. Jesus accomplished this at his ascension, and he prepares a place for his followers in the Father's kingdom.

NT Fulfillment:

"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (Jn 14:2-3)

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (Acts 1:9)

The Messiah will be seated at the right hand of God

OT Prophecy:

The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (Ps 110:1)

Commentary:

Who are the two Lords spoken of in this psalm? The midrash on the psalms tells us that this dialogue here is between the LORD and the Messiah:

“Sit at my right hand,” – “he says this to the Messiah; and his throne is prepared in grace and he will sit upon it.” (Midrash on the Psalms) (cf. Santala, p. 124) Jesus claimed that he was the one who would sit at the right hand of God:

NT Fulfillment:

Jesus said to him, “…hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mt 26:64)

The Messiah will be a priest like Melchizedek

OT Prophecy:

The LORD has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps 110:4)

Commentary:

Psalm 110 speaks of a mysterious priest "according to the order of Mechizedek." In the New Testament, the epistle to the Hebrews describes how the priesthood of Aaron, temporary and ineffective, was to be replaced by a new and greater priest "who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life" (Heb 7:16). Jesus is the eternal high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

NT Fulfillment:

So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are my Son, today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb 5:5-6)

We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. (Heb 8:1-2)

The Messiah has two missions to carry out

OT Prophecy:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God.” (Isa 61:1-2)

Commentary:

Isaiah refers here to the Messiah's two missions: the first consists of preaching, healing and setting people free from their bondage, and of announcing his second mission: the day of judgment, the "day of vengeance of our God." Jesus has completed the first mission in his own life and he now continues to carry it out through the Church, awaiting the day and hour of his return to judge the world.

NT Fulfillment:

The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Mt 11:5)

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. (Mt 16:27)

All people will worship the Son of Man

OT Prophecy:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Dan 7:13-14)

Commentary:

Daniel's Son of Man here appears to be much more than a mere human, for he receives an everlasting authority over all the world, and all nations and people of the earth worship him! Rashi writes that this son of man is the King-Messiah. (Rashi on Dan 7:13). Rabbi Saadia Gaon explains that:

He is the Messiah Our Righteousness; and is it not of the Messiah that it is written, 'he is humble and rides on a donkey'? He will come humbly, not proudly on horseback. Regarding the 'coming with the clouds,' this concerns the host of the heavenly angels; and here is the greatness which the Creator will grant the Messiah." (Rabbi Saadia Gaon on Dan 7) In the book of Revelation, in a vision similar to Daniel's, we see Jesus reigning over all creation and receiving worship and honor from all creatures:

NT Fulfillment:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “ Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. (Rev 5:12-14)

See Also

• Jesus Christ
• Messiah
• Messianic Judaism
• New Testament understanding through the Jewish perspective
• Midrash
• Targum
• Judaism
• The Messiah in the Tanakh. Previous compilation of these prophecies, with commentary.