Anointed One in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, the word “anointed one” or “messiah” (in Hebrew: mashiah) is used as a title. The king of Israel, in particular, is regarded as the “anointed one”.
Chosen by God
The anointing of a person was the sign that he had been chosen by God for his task (see for instance Psalm 2:2
Also anointed in the Old Testament are:
- priests
: for instance Aaron in Exodus 29:7 ; - prophets
: for instance Elisha in 1 Kings 19:16 .
The Messiah as Symbol
After the Babylonian exile
- The term “messiah” is then even applied to the Persian King Cyrus, who is not even familiar with God (Isaiah 45:1-7
). He is presented as the shepherd (Isaiah 44:28 ) who is to protect Israel. - In various Old Testament prophecies (for example Isaiah 11:1-9
) there is talk of the hope for a new time. A descendant of David plays an important part in these texts. He will bring peace in God’s name, as the true king.
The emphasis in these texts is on the messianic ideal that David and his successors were never able to realise, and less on the concrete historical person who must realise this ideal.
Related Bible passages
Exodus 29.7 1 Kings 19.16 Psalms 2.2 Isaiah 45.1 - Isaiah 45.7 Isaiah 11.1 - Isaiah 11.9Read more?
With a free BibleSA account, you can:
