Christianity and Jewish prophecy

This article is about Christian interpretations of selected verses from the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible, Old Testament), which they hold to be prophetic claims that Jesus has been promised by God to be born as a human, and would be a messiah.

In some cases, the New Testament quotes the Hebrew Bible (typically the Greek Septuagint translation of it) and asserts that the quotation applies to Jesus. In other instances Christian traditions, rather than the New Testament, make this assertion. Critics of this way of reading the Bible hold that these phrases are often shorn of their original context, in which there is no obvious indication that they were actually predicting anything. Occasionally statistical arguments are made, involving the improbability of someone fulfilling all these prophesies: such arguments are heavily criticised because the list of prophesies was chosen on the basis of having been fulfilled. Most books of the Hebrew Bible were written hundreds of years, and some parts possibly thousands of years, before the birth of Jesus. Many of the verses below were not widely held to be "prophecies" until after the New Testament had been written. Others were thought to be prophecies, but not necessarily connected with the idea of a "messiah".

Here is a list of verses often held by Christians to be messianic prophesies:

Prophecy	Hebrew Scripture	New Testament
His pre-existence	Micah 5:2	John 1:1, 14
Born of the seed of a woman	Genesis 3:15	Matthew 1:18
Of the seed of Abraham	Genesis 12:3	Matthew 1:1-16
All nations blessed by Abraham's seed	Genesis 12:3	Matthew 8:5, 10
God would provide Himself a Lamb as an offering	Genesis 22:8	John 1:29
From the tribe of Judah	Genesis 49:10	Matthew 1:1-3
Heir to the throne of David	Isaiah 9:6-7	Matthew 1:1
Called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father"	Isaiah 9:6	Matthew 1:23
Born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:2	Matthew 2:1
Born of a virgin	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew 1:18
His name called Immanuel, "God with us"	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew 1:23
Declared to be the Son of God	Psalm 2:7	Matthew 3:17
His messenger before Him in spirit of Elijah	Malachi 4:5-6	Luke 1:17
Preceded by a messenger to prepare His way	Malachi 3:1	Matthew 11:7-11
Messenger crying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord"	Isaiah 40:3	Matthew 3:3
Would be a Prophet of the children of Israel	Deuteronomy 18:15	Matthew 2:15
Called out of Egypt	Hosea 11:1	Matthew 2:15
Slaughter of the children Jeremiah	31:15	Matthew 2:18
Would be a Nazarene	Judges 13:5; Amos 2:11; Lam. 4:7	Matthew 2:23
Brought light to Zabulon & Nephthalm, Galilee of the Gentiles	Isaiah 9:1-2	Matthew 4:15
Presented with gifts	Psalm 72:10	Matthew 2:1, 11
Rejected by His own	Isaiah 53:3	Matthew 21:42; Mark 8:31, 12:10; Luke 9:22, 17:25
He is the stone which the builders rejected which became the headstone	Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16	Matthew 21:42; I Peter 2:7
A stone of stumbling to Israel	Isaiah 8:14-15	I Peter 2:8
He entered Jerusalem as a king riding on an ass	Zechariah 9:9	Matthew 21:5
Betrayed by a friend	Psalms 41:9	John 13:21
Sold for 30 pieces of silver	Zechariah 11:12	Matthew 26:15; Luke 22:5
The 30 pieces of silver given for the potter's field	Zechariah 11:12	Matthew 27:9-10
The 30 pieces of silver thrown in the temple	Zechariah 11:13	Matthew 27:5
Forsaken by His disciples	Zechariah 13:7	Matthew 26:56
Accused by false witnesses	Psalm 35:11	Matthew 26:60
Silent to accusations	Isaiah 53:7	Matthew 27:14
Heal blind/deaf/lame/dumb	Isaiah 29:18, 35:5-6	Matthew 11:5
Preached to the poor/brokenhearted/captives	Isaiah 61:1	Matthew 11:5
Came to bring a sword, not peace	Micah 7:6	Matthew 10:34-35
He bore our sickness	Isaiah 53:4	Matthew 8:16-17
Spat upon, smitten and scourged	Isaiah 50:6, 53:5	Matthew 27:26, 30
Smitten on the cheek	Micah 5:1	Matthew 27:30
Hated without a cause	Psalm 35:19	Matthew 27:23
The sacrificial lamb	Isaiah 53:5	John 1:29
Given for a covenant	Isaiah 42:6; Jeremiah 31:31-34	Romans 11:27; Galatians 3:17, 4:24; Hebrews 8:6-10, 10:16, 10:29, 12:24, 13:20
Would not strive or cry	Isaiah 42:2-3	Mark 7:36
People would hear not and see not	Isaiah 6:9-10	Matthew 13:14-15
People trust in traditions of men	Isaiah 29:13	Matthew 15:9
People give God lip service	Isaiah 29:13	Matthew 15:8
God delights in Him	Isaiah 42:1	Matthew 3:17, 17:5
Wounded for our sins	Isaiah 53:5	John 6:51
He bore the sins of many Isaiah	53:10-12	Mark 10:45
Messiah not killed for Himself	Daniel 9:26	Matthew 20:28
Gentiles flock to Him	Isaiah 55:5, 60:3, 65:1; Psalm 2:7-8; Malachi 1:11; II Samuel 22:44-45;	Matthew 8:10
Crucified with criminals	Isaiah 53:12	Matthew 27:35
His body was pierced	Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22:16	John 20:25-27
Thirsty during execution	Psalm 22:16	John 19:28
Given vinegar and gall for thirst	Psalm 69:21	Matthew 27:34
Soldiers gambled for his garment	Psalm 22:18	Matthew 27:35
People mocked, "He trusted in God, let Him deliver him!"	Psalm 22:7-8	Matthew 27:43
People sat there looking at Him	Psalm 22:17	Matthew 27:36
Cried, "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?"	Psalm 22:1	Matthew 27:46
Darkness over the land	Amos 8:9	Matthew 27:45
No bones broken Psalm 34:20; Numbers 9:12	John 19:33-36	John 19:33-36
Side pierced	Zechariah 12:10	John 19:34
Buried with the rich	Isaiah 53:9	Matthew 27:57, 60
Resurrected from the dead	Psalm 16:10-11, 49:15 Mark 16:6	Psalm 16:10-11, 49:15 Mark 16:6
Priest after the order of Melchizedek	Psalm 110:4	Hebrews 5:5-6, 6:20, 7:15-17
Ascended to right hand of God	Psalm 68:18	Luke 24:51
LORD said unto Him, "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool"	Psalm 110:1	Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36, 16:19; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13
His coming glory	Malachi 3:2-3	Luke 3:17