[Isaiah 7] Having completed his long-term prophecy, Isaiah gave a short-term prophecy. In doing so, he followed a frequent pattern in his book. He consistently did this so his readership could have confidence in the distant prediction by observing the fulfillment of the near one.The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?
The discovery of a fragment of the book of Psalms, dated between AD 50–68,46 contains Ps 22:17 and reads, ("they pierced").47 It might be objected that this was a Christian interpolation or contamination. But a Christian interpolation is unlikely because it would have been far too early in Christian history for a Christian corruption to make its way into this text. Moreover, it has strong support from the earlier Septuagintal reading.48 Thus, the oldest extant Hebrew manuscript of Ps 22:17 reinforces the Septuagintal, Syriac, and Vulgate readings, supporting the translation "They pierced my hands and my feet." In this case, it is better to take the more messianic variant reading than the nonmessianic rendering of the Masoretic Text.The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?
So what does all this about the Masoretic Text have to do with messianic prophecy? It is significant to messianic prophecy because it has been shown that the Masoretic Text is a post-Christian, Jewish version of the Old Testament. As such, it reflects the theological perspective of post-Christian, rabbinic Judaism. Thus, there are several significant examples of the Masoretic Text interpreting Old Testament messianic texts in a distinctly nonmessianic (or historical) fashion, whereas other ancient versions interpret the same texts as referring to the Messiah.The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?
The Hebrew word (mashiach) is commonly and accurately translated as "anointed." It is used 39 times in the Hebrew Bible, generally with another noun, such as "the anointed priest." The word also has a technical meaning, commonly translated as "the Messiah" and defined by W. H. Rose as "a future royal figure sent by God who will bring salvation to God's people and the world and establish a kingdom characterized by features such as peace and justice."
The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?