The (Jewish) writers of the New Testament asserted that the Old Testament spoke of a coming Messiah and quoted from it extensively to prove their point. Even Jesus himself – whom many Jewish people will declare to be a good rabbi and teacher – said to those who sat under his teaching, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)

Since the first century, the issue of “messianic prophecy” has been a hot-button topic. Does Isaiah 53 speak of Israel, or of a Messiah? Did Isaiah really talk about a virgin giving birth? Did King David describe someone who would be “pierced” in Psalm 22? Or did the Christians misunderstand what the Hebrew Bible said, or even worse – did they deliberately distort things, or arrange events so that Jesus appeared to fulfill the prophecies?

The following listing contains only some of the many prophecies of the Messiah to be found in the Hebrew Bible.

Deuteronomy 18

• A Prophet Like Unto Moses by Moishe Rosen

Isaiah 7:14

• Almah: Virgin or Young Maiden? by Zhava Glaser
• The Promised Child by Efraim Goldstein
• Response to “The Fabulous Prophecies of the Messiah,” Part II, The Isaiah 7:14 Passage

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

• The Rabbis’ Dilemma by Rachmiel Frydland
• Jewish Messianic Interpretations of Isaiah 53 (chart)
• What the Prophet Said, What the Rabbis Said (chart)

Micah 5:2

• The Bethlehem Issue
• The Bethelehem Prediction in Micah 5

Zechariah 9:9

• The Talmud on Interpreting Dreams

Zechariah 12:10

• Jewish Messianic Interpretations of Zechariah 12:10

Psalm 2

• The Son of God by Tuvya Zaretsky
• Is Psalm 2 Considered Messianic by the Rabbis and Jewish Sages?
• In Psalm 2:12, Is “Kiss the Son” a Mistranslation by the Christians?

Psalm 22

• In Psalm 22:16, Is “they pierced” a Christian Mistranslation?
• The Sufferer of Psalm 22

Daniel 9

• The Messianic Timetable According to Daniel the Prophet by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
• When the Messiah Comes… by Barry Rubin
• Did the Jews Understand the ‘Weeks’ of Daniel to Refer to ‘Years’?