O. Palmer Robertson interestingly suggests Cyrus! Corporate Israel and the future Davidic ruler (the technical meaning of “messiah”) are the other major options. Hmmm. I have no idea, but I want to explore this.
O. Palmer Robertson interestingly suggests Cyrus! Corporate Israel and the future Davidic ruler (the technical meaning of “messiah”) are the other major options. Hmmm. I have no idea, but I want to explore this.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get information about new videos, content and events.
I’m excited to be teaching an online cohort on arguments for Christianity. We will dive deep into 6 topics, with a view to real conversations and the pressing questions of our culture. Lots of time for interaction. This will be fun! You’re invited to join us!
3 Responses
Gav, very interesting. Haven’t really noticed that verse.
Do you think the notion of corporate solidarity (or corporate representation) could help us with this text? In his ch. in Right Doctrine from Wrong Texts Beale lists five hermeneutical presuppositions with which the NT writers read the Old (and which come from the Old), one of which is corporate solidarity–the many stand for the one and the one for the many. Helps make sense of the crucial role of OT kings–the people were IN their king. Adam and Christ are the plainest NT example (we are in one or the other); we see it also in Dan 7, where the son of man is interchanged with the saints, and in Isa 48, where the servant is at times Israel, and at times does something Israel.
Anyway, it (the one in the many and the many in the one) is not how we think in the modern West, and helps me make sense of a lot of the Bible.
Do you know Desmond Alexander’s The Servant King? He traces the king theme throughout the whole Bible (120 pp or so). It’s amazing how big the king theme is–to which of course ‘the anointed/Messiah/Christ’ refers.
Well that was a longer comment than I intended!
Thoughts?
Dane, very helpful. I think you’re right, the principle of corporate solidarity is probably key here – it makes sense of the parallelism, in which “your people” and “your annointed one” stand together, and yet also does justice to the fact that “annointed one” usually refers to an individual. I haven’t read Beale, but look forward to reading the article you emailed me next month – he seems like he is saying a lot of helpful things for putting the whole Bible together.
Alexander’s book sounds interesting. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for that.
The Anointed One spoken of is indeed prophecy for the End Times. God calls who he wants, and this is meant for them. They are the Judah/ David Line as you will read in verse 3:19- This goes with Psalm 18:33. This is Daughter Zion who has been chastised for her sins by the Babylonians and Assyria. She will be rescued., as all scripture says.