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anointed, anointed one, Messiah
Mashiach (from the verb mashach, "to anoint") means "anointed one" and is the source of the English "Messiah" (via Greek Μεσσίας/Messias). BDB defines it as "anointed" or "anointed one." In the Old Testament, mashiach is used of: 1. **Priests**: Anointed to serve at the altar 2. **Kings**: Especially Saul, David, and David's line 3. **Prophets**: Occasionally (1 Kings 19:16) 4. **Cyrus**: The Persian king called "his anointed" (Isaiah 45:1) 5. **The Patriarchs**: Called "my anointed ones" (Psalm 105:15) The term develops toward referring to an expected future king from David's line who will restore Israel and establish God's kingdom. This "messianic" expectation is central to Second Temple Judaism and Christianity. Anointing with oil symbolized: - Divine selection and empowerment - Setting apart for sacred service - The Spirit's presence and enabling
anointed (priests)
Priests anointed for tabernacle/temple service
anointed (kings)
Kings anointed to rule Israel
the Anointed One (Messiah)
The expected future king/deliverer
“he will exalt the horn of his anointed”
“my hand against the LORD's anointed”
“against the LORD and against his Anointed”
“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus”
“until Messiah the Prince... Messiah shall be cut off”
Mashiach/Messiah is theologically central: 1. **Royal Ideology**: Anointing established legitimate kingship under God 2. **Davidic Promise**: 2 Samuel 7 promises David's line will reign forever—the "anointed" from David's line 3. **Psalm 2**: The "anointed" installed on Zion is God's son, ruling the nations 4. **Daniel 9**: The chronological prophecy of "Messiah the Prince" being "cut off" 5. **Second Temple Expectation**: By Jesus's time, "the Messiah" (hamashiach) was a title for the expected deliverer The Greek translation Christos (Χριστός) gives us "Christ"—not Jesus's last name but his title: Jesus the Messiah/Christ.
Mashiach is essential for Christology: 1. **Jesus's Claim**: Jesus accepted the title "Christ/Messiah" (Matthew 16:16-17; 26:63-64) 2. **Daniel 9**: The prophecy that "Messiah shall be cut off" before the Temple's destruction (70 CE) is a powerful chronological argument for Jesus as the Messiah 3. **Psalm 2**: The messianic king is called God's "Son" whom the nations should worship—applied to Jesus 4. **Anointed with Spirit**: Jesus's baptism anointing (Luke 3:22; 4:18) fulfills the Spirit-anointing pattern 5. **Counter-Missionary**: Jewish objections that Jesus didn't fulfill messianic prophecies (world peace, etc.) must be addressed with a "two-comings" understanding 6. **Suffering Messiah**: Daniel 9:26 ("Messiah cut off") and Isaiah 53 show the Messiah must suffer—contrary to expectations of only a conquering king
Modern scholarship explores: 1. The development from "anointed one" (generic) to "the Messiah" (specific eschatological figure) 2. The diversity of messianic expectations in Second Temple Judaism (royal, priestly, prophetic) 3. The relationship between messiahship and divine sonship 4. Daniel 9's chronology and its various interpretations 5. The Dead Sea Scrolls' evidence for multiple messianic figures
| Language | Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aramaic | מְשִׁיחָא | mešîḥāʾ | anointed one |
| Arabic | مسح | masaḥa | to wipe, anoint |
משח
mšḥ
to anoint, smear