Messianism, roots 3: Prophets

Messiah (mâšîah, "the anointed one"): Jewish religious concept, a future savior who will, in some sense, come to restore Israel. Both the nature of the Messiah and the restoration were matters of debate.

Roots of the concept: Micah and Isaiah

The three prophets discussed in this part of this article and the next, Micah, Isaiah and Ezekiel, are not messianic prophets in the strict sense of the word. 

Roots of the concept: Micah

Judah, Israel, and their neighbors

After the death of king Solomon (c.931 BCE), the Jewish state was split up into a very powerful northern kingdom Israel (capital: Samaria) and a southern kingdom Judah (capital: Jerusalem). The independence of Israel came to an end when it was subjected by the Assyrians in 724 BCE; in Judah, the Davidic dynasty continued to rule until Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 587.

Witness to the fall of the northern kingdom was the prophet Micah, who regarded the destruction of Samaria as God's punishment of the corrupt gentry. He predicted the fall of Jerusalem too, but he also announced the coming of a new David who would restore Israel's fortunes. (As a matter of fact, the king is not called "from the house of David" in the following quote; the Davidic descent is implied in the new king's birth place Bethlehem.)

   When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of [the Assyrian capital] Nimrud with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders.note

The prophecy was directed against the Assyrians, but in later times the first part of the text was quoted as proof that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. As it happened, the second prophecy was never fulfilled: the Assyrians renewed their attacks, but never were seven commanders sent out against them. It was unnecessary. In 612 BCE, the Assyrians were subjected by the Babylonians and their capitals were destroyed (more).

Roots of the concept: Isaiah

Micah was not the only one to develop ideas about a Davidic prince who would restore Israel. They can also be found among the prophecies of Isaiah, his contemporary. The following words were addressed to Ahaz, the king of Judah (743-727) as an adhortation to trust in only one God.

Hear now, you house of David! [...] The Lord will give you a sign: a young woman will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel ["God with us"]. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.note

It is not known who Isaiah meant with this prophecy. The most likely explanation is that it refers to a son of Ahaz or another prince from the Davidic house. However this may be, in later centuries, the text was understood as messianic and was to play an important role in Christian theology. The text continues with a description of hard times and the return of the ten tribes of Israel under a descendant of David's father Jesse.


After this beautiful poetical image about the future harmony in nature, Isaiah predicts several military victories of this descendant of David, culminating in the return of all exiled Jews and the restoration of Israel. This is remarkably similar to the prophecies of Micah.

Two final remarks should be made. (1) These texts were not messianic; but later generations interpreted them as such. (2) The motif of the "branch" was common in the ancient Near East. It can also be found in Jeremiah 23.5-6.

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land."

It is not clear when these lines were written - they may have been added in the days of Zerubbabel -, but it is clear that the "branch" was understood to be a descendant of David.