This Article: (2 Pages)
- 1. The title of 'Christ'
- 2. The real Messiah
2) The real Messiah
The following lists every occurence of the word Messiah in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament (also called in Hebrew the Tanakh). It won't take long to read as there are only 38 occurences.
1. If the priest the mashiyach
shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for
his sin, which he has sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto
the LORD for a sin-offering. (Leviticus 4:3)
2. And the priest
the mashiyach shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to
the tent of meeting. (Lev. 4:5)
3. And the priest the mashiyach
shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting. (Lev.
4:16)
4. (6:15) And the priest the mashiyach that shall be in
his stead from among his sons shall offer it, it is a due for ever;
it shall be wholly made to smoke unto the LORD. (Lev. 6:22)
All refer to the priest who made the sacrifices made to God. The last refers to an
everlasting priesthood, from among the sons, who, generation, after
generation, are 'the messiah'. But now there is no Jewish Temple and the lineage is lost.
5. They that strive with
the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them will He thunder in
heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give
strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His mashiyach. (1Samuel
2:10)
This is what Hannah prayed at the temple before Eli the
High Priest (or the mashiyach) on being given Samuel who she gave to
serve as a priest before God (note: there was no king but God then in
Israel, so Hannah was making a prophecy). Then Eli, the High Priest, is told by God,
6. And I will raise Me up
a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in My
heart and in My mind; and I will build him a sure house; and he shall
walk before Mine mashiyach for ever. (1Samuel 2:35)
This was
one like Samuel. Samuel was of the tribe of Ephraim and could not be
a priest as he was not of the tribe decreed which was Levi!
Samuel, who even though not of the priestly family, acted all his life as
a faithful priest as prophesied.
He is next to speak of messiah.
7.Here I am; witness against me before the
LORD, and before His mashiyach: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass
have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? or whom have I oppressed? or
of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and
I will restore it you.' (1Samuel 12:3)
8. And he said unto
them: 'The LORD is witness against you, and His mashiyach is witness
this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand.' And they said:
'He is witness.' (1Samuel 12:5)
The messiah Samuel was speaking of
was the then new King Saul, who in front of the nation had been
anointed by Samuel. The Israelites didn't want Samuel the 'faithful
priest' they didn't want the high priest as a ruler, they wanted a
king like the nations. But Saul failed. Samuel was asked to anoint
another king.
9. And it came to pass, when they were come,
that he beheld Eliab, and said: 'Surely the LORD'S anointed
(mashiyach) is before Him.' (1Samuel 16:6)
But Samuel was
wrong; it was the despised youngest, David, who was to be anointed "Then Samuel
took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren;
and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day
forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. (1Samuel 16:13). David
might have been anointed, but so too was the failed Saul.
10.
(24:7) And he (David) said unto his men: 'The LORD forbid it me, that
I should do this thing unto my lord, the LORD'S anointed (mashiyach),
to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD'S mashiyach.'
(1Samuel 24:6)
11. (24:11) Behold, this day thine eyes have
seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the
cave; and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I
said: I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the
LORD'S mashiyach. (1Samuel 24:10)
12. And David said to
Abishai: 'Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against the
LORD'S mashiyach, and be guiltless?' (1Samuel 26:9)
13.The LORD
forbid it me, that I should put forth my hand against the LORD'S
mashiyach; but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head,
and the cruse of water and let us go.' (1Samuel 26:11)
14. This
thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD lives, ye deserve
to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD'S
mashiyach. And now, see, where the king's spear is, and the cruse of
water that was at his head.'
(1Samuel 26:16)
15. And the LORD
will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness;
forasmuch as the LORD delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would
not put forth my hand against the LORD'S mashiyach. (1Samuel 26:23)
16.
And David said unto him: 'How were you not afraid to put forth your
hand to destroy the LORD'S mashiyach?' (2Samuel 1:14)
17. And
David called one of the young men, and said: 'Go near, and fall upon
him.' And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him: 'Thy
blood be upon thy head; for your mouth hath testified against you,
saying: I have slain the LORD'S mashiyach.' (2Samuel 1:15-16)
18.
Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
neither fields of choice fruits; for there the shield of the mighty
was vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not anointed (mashiyach)
with oil. (2Samuel 1:21)
Exactly the same word is used for what is done to the
shield and the king, the word 'messiah' which means 'anointed'. With oil. David
was the next messiah. Abishai calls him that.
19. (19:22) But
Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said: 'Shall not Shimei be
put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD'S mashiyach?' (2Samuel
19:21)
20. A tower of salvation is He to His king; and shows
mercy to His mashiyach, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
(2Samuel 22:51)
21. Now these are the last words of David: The
saying of David the son of Jesse, and the saying of the man raised on
high, the mashiyach of the God of Jacob, and the sweet singer of
Israel: (2Samuel 23:1)
At the coming of the ark to Jerusalem,
anointed King David makes a song of
praise:
22. The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His
oath unto Isaac; And He established it unto Jacob for a statute, to
Israel for an everlasting covenant; Saying: 'Unto thee will I give
the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.' When ye were but a
few men in number, yea, very few, and sojourners in it, And when they
went about from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another
people, He suffered no man to do them wrong, yea, for their sake He
reproved kings: 'Touch not Mine anointed (mashiyachy) ones,
and do My prophets no harm.' (1Chronicles 16:16-22)
Solomon at the
dedication of the temple prays,
23. Now therefore arise, O LORD God,
into Thy resting-place, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength; let Thy
priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let Thy saints
rejoice in good. O LORD God, turn not away the face of Thine
mashiyach ; remember the good deeds of David Thy servant.' (2Ch
6:41-42)
24. Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the
peoples mutter in vain? The kings of the earth stand up, and the
rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His
mashiyach: 'Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
cords from us.' He that sits in heaven laughs, the Lord has them in
derision. Then will He speak unto them in His wrath, and affright
them in His sore displeasure: 'Truly it is I that have established My
king upon Zion, My holy mountain.' I will tell of the decree: the
LORD said unto me: 'You are My son, this day have I begotten thee.
(Psalm 2:1-7)
25. (18:51) Great salvation gives He to His
king; and shows mercy to His mashiyach, to David and to his seed, for
evermore. (Psalm 18:50)
26. (20:7) Now know I that the LORD
saves His mashiyach; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the
mighty acts of His saving right hand. (20:8) Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses; but we will make mention of the name of the LORD
our God. (Psalm 20:6-7)
27. The LORD is a strength unto them;
and He is a stronghold of salvation to His mashiyach. Save Thy
people, and bless Thine inheritance; and tend them, and carry them
for ever. (Psalm 28:8-9)
28. (84:6) Happy is the man whose
strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways. (84:7) Passing
through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; yea, the
early rain clotheth it with blessings. (84:8) They go from strength
to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.
(84:9) O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob.
Selah (84:10) Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of
Thine mashiyach (84:11) For a day in Thy courts is better than a
thousand; I had rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God,
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:5-10)
29.(89:36)
Once have I sworn by My holiness: Surely I will not be false unto
David; (89:37) His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the
sun before Me. (89:38) It shall be established for ever as the moon;
and be stedfast as the witness in sky.' Selah (89:39) But Thou hast
cast off and rejected, Thou hast been wroth with Thine mashiyach.
(89:40) Thou hast abhorred the covenant of Thy servant; Thou hast
profaned his crown even to the ground. (89:41) Thou hast broken down
all his fences; Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin. (Psalm
89:35-40)
30. (89:50) Where are Thy former mercies, O Lord,
which Thou didst swear unto David in Thy faithfulness? (89:51)
Remember, Lord, the taunt of Thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom
the taunt of so many peoples; (89:52) Wherewith Thine enemies have
taunted, O LORD, wherewith they have taunted the footsteps of Thine
mashiyach. (Psalm 89:49-51)
31. The covenant which He made
with Abraham, and His oath unto Isaac; And He established it unto
Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant; Saying:
'Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your
inheritance.' When they were but a few men in number. Yea, very few,
and sojourners in it, And when they went about from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people, He suffered no man to do them
wrong, yea, for their sake He reproved kings: 'Touch not Mine
mashiyach ones, and do My prophets no harm.' (Psalm 105:9-15)
see above (22) 2 Chron 16
32. Arise, O LORD, unto Thy
resting-place; Thou, and the ark of Thy strength. Let Thy priests be
clothed with righteousness; and let Thy saints shout for joy. For
Thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of Thine mashiyach
The LORD swore unto David in truth; He will not turn back from
it: 'Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. If thy
children keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them,
their children also for ever shall sit upon thy throne.' For the LORD
hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation: 'This is My
resting-place for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I
will abundantly bless her provision; I will give her needy bread in
plenty. Her priests also will I clothe with salvation; and her saints
shall shout aloud for joy. (Psalm 132:8-16)
33. There will I
make a horn to shoot up unto David, there have I ordered a lamp for
Mine mashiyach. His enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon
himself shall his crown shine.' (Psalm 132:17-18)
The following speaks of a non-Jewish
messiah.... who never knew the Mighty One of Israel, but
who ordered that His temple be re-built.
34. Thus saith the LORD
to His mashiyach, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue
nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings; to open the
doors before him, and that the gates may not be shut: I will go
before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in
pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; And I
will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places, that thou mayest know that I am the LORD, who call thee by
thy name, even the God of Israel. For the sake of Jacob My servant,
and Israel Mine elect, I have called thee by thy name, I have
surnamed thee, though you have not known Me. (Isaiah
45:1-4)
35. The anger of the LORD has divided them; He will no
more regard them; they respected not the persons of the priests, they
were not gracious unto the elders. As for us, our eyes do yet fail
for our vain help; in our watching we have watched for a nation that
could not save. They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our broad
places; our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heaven; they chased
us upon the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. The
breath of our nostrils, the mashiyach of the LORD, was taken in their
pits; of whom we said: 'Under his shadow we shall live among the
nations.' (Lamentations 4:16-20)
36. Know therefore and
discern, that from the going forth of the word to restore and to
build Jerusalem unto anointed (mashiyach), a prince, shall be seven weeks;
and for threescore and two weeks, it shall be built again, with broad
place and moat, but in troublous times. (Daniel 9:25)
37. And
after the threescore and two weeks shall an anointed (mashiyach) be cut off,
and be no more; and the people of a prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary; but his end shall be with a
flood; and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
(Daniel 9:26)
38. Is it, O LORD, that against the rivers, is
it that Your anger is kindled against the rivers, or Thy wrath
against the sea? that You do ride upon Your horses, upon Your
chariots of victory? ... You march through the earth in indignation,
You thresh the nations in anger. You are come forth for the
deliverance of Thy people, for the deliverance of Thine mashiyach;
You wound the head out of the house of the wicked, uncovering the
foundation even unto the neck. Selah (Habakkuk 3:8-13)
And that is all there is. All else must be built on this. Each of the 38 instances have a context, and there is more in the context, but this is the core.
The word mashiyach is from mashach 'to rub with oil' and is the term used for a person such as Aaron after they are appointed by God 'to be anointed' mishchah (Exodus 29:29).
Messiah means firstly the Jewish priests, then also the kings, and then the descendant of David. But does it say Messiah is a saviour? What does it say? 'The Messiah was taken in their pits", so laments Jeremiah. The Messiah of the lamentation is the king, appointed from the time of Samuel (approx 1000BCE), but lost from the time of Jeremiah and Nebuchadnezzar(586 BCE). Then Messiah was Cyrus, the Persian king (539 BCE), but he was not the king the Jewish people desired. Then after Cyrus, Jerusalem is rebuilt and then, from the rebuilding they were to count 7 Shmita years (weeks) and then 62 Shmita years and then Messiah is 'cut off', and then the Sanctuary (Temple) would be destroyed (for more see the link below). But last of all, we learn from the Psalms and from Habakkuk there is deliverance and no less than God fights on earth for, firstly his people and their king, the Messiah a descendant of David. Nowhere is it said Messiah means a saviour, it is clear God is the saviour.
I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour. (Isaiah 43:11)
The only other occurrences of the word Messiah in the
Bible occur in the book of John, making 40 in total.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Yeshua was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). (John 1:40-41)
The woman said unto him, "I know that Messiah comes, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things." Yeshua says unto her, "I that speak unto you am he." (John 4:25-26)
Whereas Messiah means Christ, it is rather pointless
to determine a right understanding of Christ by listing the
occurrences of Christ, as it occurs 581 times in the New Testament. It is not hard to
read the whole New Testament. In the New Testament after the resurrection of Christ, then, through him, there is
salvation.
But Messiah does not mean 'saviour', rather it refers to a Jewish priest or king.
It
has been so designed that the definition of Messiah is contained in
just 38 occurrences, in the Old Testament which is the Jewish Tanakh,
so we can't fail to understand what is meant by Messiah.
For more on times to the Messiah see Daniel 9: Times to Messiah
Show All
I like sharing interesting things. This article comes from a recollection of my Hebrew teacher from Jerusalem based eTeacher and features the beauty of the Hebrew Language.
This is in response to a question directed to us. Does Isaiah 9:6, which gives the title of a promised king of Israel, calling him 'Wonderful, counsellor, everlasting father, Prince of Peace', show Jesus as God? Firstly we will investigate the context, and who the passage is about. Then we will determine whether it even mentions 'God' in the title of the promised king in the Hebrew text.
This day the Ninth of Av (30 July 2009) is not a memorial given by God. It is a Jewish day for mourning the evil of the sudden absence of God that came with the destruction of the Temple (twice, on the same date, the Ninth of Av, 660 years apart), and 65 years later on the same date, in 135AD the destruction of the last Jewish fortress of the Bar Kochba revolt from Rome, after 3 years of Jewish independence in the Holy Land.
