Anointed / Messiah

The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:

Psalm 2:2

Mashiach is the anointed one — a person set apart by oil for God's service, and the title that becomes “Messiah.”

In the Bible

Mashiach describes kings, priests and — once, strikingly — a foreign emperor whom God uses for His purposes. Saul is “the LORD's anointed,” and the Psalms use the term for the Davidic king, which is where Israel's hope of a coming anointed deliverer takes root.

Where the word comes from

Mashiach comes from mashach, “to smear” or “anoint” with oil. The physical act made the appointment visible and public: oil poured on the head marked a person as chosen and equipped, which is why the noun means simply “anointed” before it means anything grander.

What the original language adds

English has two words for one — “Messiah” transliterates the Hebrew and “Christ” translates it into Greek, so Jesus Christ and Jesus the Messiah are the same claim in different languages. Reading the Old Testament occurrences shows the title's ordinary use before its ultimate one.

Did you know

Mashiach (H4899) appears 29 times in the Hebrew Bible — and in Isaiah 45:1 it is applied to Cyrus, the Persian king God used to send Israel home.

Why it matters

Because the anointed one is God's appointed representative, messianic hope is about rightful rule rather than mere rescue. The New Testament's confession that Jesus is the Christ is therefore a political sentence as much as a religious one: the true King has come.

Apply it

If Jesus is the anointed King rather than a private savior, ask where His rule is not yet welcome in your life. Name one area and hand it over this week.

Strong's definition

anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically, the Messiah

Where it appears

• If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

  Leviticus 4:3

• Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”

  1 Samuel 2:10

• So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”

  2 Samuel 1:14

• ‘Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!’

  1 Chronicles 16:22

• O LORD God, do not reject Your anointed one. Remember Your loving devotion to Your servant David.”

  2 Chronicles 6:42