This page provides a comparison of Christian and Orthodox Jewish interpretations of messianic prophecies. These conclusions are generally representative of why Orthodox Jews do not accept these prophecies as messianic.
| Biblical Passage | Christian Interpretation | Orthodox Jewish Interpretation | Related Verse | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14) | Prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. | Refers to a young woman in Isaiah's time giving birth, possibly to King Hezekiah. "Virgin" is a mistranslation of "young woman." | "Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, 'Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.'" (Isaiah 8:3-4) | Isaiah 8:3-4 describes a birth fulfilling a prophecy in Isaiah's time, suggesting that Isaiah 7:14 may refer to a contemporary event rather than a future virgin birth. The Hebrew word "almah" can mean young woman or virgin, leading to differing interpretations. |
| "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2) | Prophecy of Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem. | Refers to the Davidic lineage and a future messianic figure, not necessarily born in Bethlehem. | "Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem." (1 Chronicles 4:4) | 1 Chronicles 4:4 emphasizes Bethlehem's connection to the Davidic lineage. This suggests Micah 5:2 could be interpreted as referring to a ruler from the Davidic line rather than specifically born in Bethlehem, allowing for both literal and symbolic interpretations. |
| "Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet." (Psalm 22:16) | Foreshadowing of Jesus' crucifixion. | A metaphorical description of suffering, not a literal prophecy. Some argue the translation should be "like a lion at my hands and feet." | "All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive." (Psalm 22:29) | Psalm 22:29 depicts a triumphant ending, which doesn't align with the crucifixion narrative. This, combined with the disputed translation of verse 16, suggests the psalm may be a poetic expression of suffering and hope rather than a specific messianic prophecy. |
| "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." (Zechariah 12:10) | Prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion and the people's eventual recognition of him. | Refers to the mourning for Josiah or a future messianic figure, not necessarily involving literal piercing. | "...All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah..." (2 Chronicles 35:24-25) | 2 Chronicles 35:24-25 provides a historical example of national mourning for a leader, suggesting Zechariah 12:10 could be interpreted as a general prophecy of national repentance or mourning, not necessarily tied to a specific messianic figure. |
| "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place." (Daniel 9:24) | Prophecy predicting the exact time of Jesus' coming and crucifixion. | A complex prophecy about the Second Temple period, not specifically about a messiah figure. | "...I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year." (Ezekiel 4:6) | Ezekiel 4:6 demonstrates that prophetic time periods can be interpreted symbolically. This suggests that the "seventy 'sevens'" in Daniel 9:24 may not correspond to literal years, challenging precise timeline calculations and allowing for broader interpretations of the prophecy's fulfillment. |
| "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) | Description of Jesus' sacrificial death for humanity's sins. | Refers to the suffering of the Jewish people as a whole, not an individual messiah figure. | "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days..." (Isaiah 53:10) "And [The LORD] said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.'" (Isaiah 49:3) |
Isaiah 53:10 mentions offspring and prolonged days, which doesn't align with Jesus' life story. This verse supports interpreting the entire chapter as referring to a collective entity (like the nation of Israel) or a figure who survives their suffering, rather than specifically predicting Jesus' crucifixion. |
| "because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay." (Psalm 16:10) | Prophecy of Jesus' resurrection. | A psalm of David expressing confidence in God's protection, not a literal prophecy of resurrection. | "that they should live on forever and not see decay." (Psalm 49:9) | Psalm 49:9 uses similar language to Psalm 16:10 in a clearly metaphorical context. This parallel usage suggests that Psalm 16:10 might also be a poetic expression of trust in divine protection rather than a literal prophecy of bodily resurrection. |
| "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah." (Jeremiah 31:31) | Prophecy of the New Covenant established through Jesus. | Refers to a renewal of the existing covenant with Israel, not a replacement or new religious system. | "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the Lord, "will Israel ever cease being a nation before me." (Jeremiah 31:36) | Jeremiah 31:36 emphasizes the permanence of God's relationship with Israel. This context suggests that the "new covenant" in verse 31 may represent a renewal or strengthening of the existing covenant rather than its replacement, supporting interpretations that don't necessitate a messianic figure. |
| "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:1) | Prophecy of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus. | Refers to a future restoration of proper Temple worship, not necessarily involving a specific messiah figure. | "Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years." (Malachi 3:4) | Malachi 3:4 focuses on the restoration of traditional offerings, suggesting that the prophecy in Malachi 3:1 may be more about the renewal of proper worship practices than the coming of a specific messianic figure. This allows for interpretations centered on spiritual renewal rather than a single individual. |
| "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his." (Genesis 49:10) | Prophecy of Jesus as the ultimate ruler from the tribe of Judah. | A blessing for the tribe of Judah, possibly referring to King David or a future messianic age, not a specific individual. | "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd..." (Ezekiel 37:24-25) | Ezekiel 37:24-25, written after David's death, uses David as a symbol for a future ideal ruler. This suggests that Genesis 49:10 could be interpreted as a general promise of leadership for the tribe of Judah, fulfilled partially by David and pointing to a future ideal reign, without necessarily specifying Jesus as that ruler. |