A Jewish response: Three Old Testament Biblical Passages Misinterpreted as Referencing Jesus

PJ Media ^ | 05/10/2018 | Avner Zarmi

[SeekAndFind]

Recently, PJ Media published a piece purporting to demonstrate that three Biblical passages refer to the crucifixion of the Messiah. The piece erroneously refers to all three of these passages as “prophecies,” and wrenches them out of context in the attempt to make the point. I have been asked to offer a response indicating what these passages really mean.

The first, which is not a “prophecy,” is Psalms XXII, 16-18. The salient passage is actually at the end of verse 17, which the author renders as follows: “They have pierced my hands and my feet.” On the basis of this reading, he concludes that “the Psalmist” (who is unambiguously identified in verse 2 of the Psalm as King David; we need no vague “ascription” in either Jewish or Christian tradition since it is part of the text) is predicting an event said to have occurred some 900 years in the future from his time.

The problem is that the original text says nothing of the sort. This is how verse 17 reads in the original (in transliteration, for those who don’t read Hebrew): Ki sevavuni kelavim, ‘adath mera‘im heqifuni, ka’ari yadai veraglai. An accurate English translation is: “For dogs have surrounded me, a community of evil-doers has hemmed me in, like a lion, my hands and feet.”

The verb “pierce” doesn’t occur anywhere in the passage; the reader will also note the verb tense, which is perfective, referring to a situation which has already occurred and is a current fact.

Putting this into the context of the rest of the Psalm, it is a lament by King David who feels G-d-forsaken and abandoned, beset by his enemies on all sides -- E-li E-li lamma ‘azavtani (“My G-d, my G-d, why have you abandoned me?”) -- and goes on to discuss his trials. He then prays: Ve’atta Ha-Shem al tirchaq eyaluthi le‘ezrathi chisha. Hatzila mecherev nafshi, miyad kelev yechidathi. Hoshi‘eni mipi arye, umiqarnei remim ‘anithani (“And You, Ha-Shem, my strength, be not distant, hasten to my aid. Rescue from the sword my life, from the hand of a dog my soul. Save me from the mouth of the lion, You have answered me from the horns of remim” [the rem was a large, horned beast, now extinct, which was apparently still around in David’s day].) It goes on in this vein until the end.

We can’t know for certain, but this Psalm was probably composed about the time King Sha’ul was hunting David down, or perhaps during the revolt of his son Avshalom, when he was also being pursued. In this vein, it is similar to other Psalms which David composed at times of great stress, when it seemed his prayers weren’t being answered; see Psalms CXVIII, 10-12: Kol goyim sevavuni, beshem Ha-Shem ki amilam. Sabbuni gam sevavuni, beshem Ha-Shem ki amilam. Sabbuni kidvorim do‘achu ke’esh qotzim, beshem Ha-Shem ki amilam (“All nations have surrounded me, for in the name of Ha-Shem I will destroy them. They enveloped me, also surrounded me, for in the name of Ha-Shem I will destroy them. They enveloped me like bees, thorns stung like fire, in the name of Ha-Shem I will destroy them.”)

No messiah here, but rather a king harried by his enemies.

The second passage mentioned is at least an actual prophecy. The passage is Isaiah LII, 1-LIII, 12, popularly known as the “suffering servant” passage. The salient part begins in chapter LIII: Nivze vachalal ishim, ish mach’ovoth vidua choli uchemaster panim mimmennu velo chashavnuhu (“Despised and wounded of men, a man of pains known of illness and like one hiding the face from him; despised, and we did not consider him.”) Thus verse 3 of the chapter.

The issue here isn’t whether or not the Jewish tradition had any concept of a “suffering messiah,” rather, it is “who is the prophet talking about?” Who is the “he” and who are the “we”?

A clue may be found in the previous chapter, where repeatedly G-d refers to ‘ammi (“my people”; cf. e.g. vv. 5-6, of whom he tellingly says: Hinne yaskil ‘avdi yarum veyissa vegavah me’od [“Behold, My servant will act wisely, he shall be exalted and elevated.”]) Chapter LII deals with the exaltation and vindication of Israel which will occur during the final redemption; it is only then that the nations will have the scales fall from their eyes, and they will face up to the enormity of the crimes they’ve committed against Israel throughout the centuries.

Israel is the “suffering servant” of this chapter; both the words ‘am (“people”) and ‘eved (“servant”) are masculine singular words and are routinely referred with the third person masculine singular pronoun.

Who are the “we”? The nations, looking on in horror as they consider the atrocities down through the ages committed against Israel by them. In context, therefore, we can understand what is being prophesied here. No mention of crucifixion.

The third passage is again a prophetic passage: Zechariah XII, 10. The verse, which also deals with the events of Israel’s final redemption, reads as follows: Veshafachti ‘al beyth David ve‘al yoshev Yerushalayim ruach chen vethachanunim, vehibbitu elai eth asher daqru vesafdu, ‘alav kemispad ‘al hayachid, vehamar ‘alav kehamer ‘al bachur (“And I shall pour on the house of David and the resident of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications, and they will look to Me whom they have stabbed and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an individual, and will feel bitter about him as one feels bitterness on one’s first-born.”)

This, indeed, has something to do with a messiah, but not the final Mashiach ben David. Israel’s final redemption will, in fact, come in two stages, because there are two royal houses in Israel: one from Efrayim ben Yosef, the royal house which ruled in the northern kingdom of Israel, and one from the house of David, who ruled first in the united kingdom and subsequently in the southern kingdom of Yehuda. This verse concerns Mashiach ben Yosef, who will lead the ingathering of the exiles and conduct the final war of which Zechariah speaks so eloquently. He will not survive, but will pave the way for reign of Mashiach ben David, who will reign at the end of history (cf. Metzudath David on the passage beginning with verse 8, Rashi and Malbim ad loc.).

There is, again, no mention of crucifixion at the hands of the Romans, and so the claim that this refers to the execution of a Galilaean carpenter for treason against the Roman emperor falls flat.

[Bellflower]

Putting aside for the moment the fact that under Jewish law one can inherit no status other than that of being Jewish from one’s mother,...

Except under two condition clearly expressed in Scripture. One time is when a woman may marry a kinsman provider and raise up a child to inherit her dead husbands name and inheritance. Though her husband is dead, her first born inherits everything that is his, through his wife, even though the child isn't actually of his direct seed.

Another way is expressed no less than three times in Holy Scripture, coming straight from God through Moses. This seemingly obscure concept and God given rule was so important as to be expressed three different times in Scripture! Why?

If a man hasn't any sons his daughter may inherit his name and his inheritance, with only one caveat. She must marry someone within her father's tribe. When she does this her father's name and inheritance then will bypass her and be passed down to her son. It is recorded that Mary had a sister, but there isn't any mention of a brother. She likely inherited her father's name and inheritance which would pass to her first born. Jesus may of received His Kingship through both Joseph and through Mary. A double blessing. Double blessings are a hallmark of God favor.

---------------------------------------

Numbers 26:33 - And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

-------------

Numbers 27:1 - Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 - And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 3 - Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. 4 - Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. 5 - And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. 6 - And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 7 - The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. 8 - And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.

------------------------------------------

Numbers 36:1 - And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel: 2 - And they said, The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. 3 - And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 - And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. 5 - And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well. 6 - This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. 7 - So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 - And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9 - Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance. 10 - Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 11 - For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons: 12 -And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13 - These are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

-------------------------------------------------

Joshua 17:3 - But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 - And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.