Who says Jesus is never named in the Old Testament?
Here's what we read in Luke 1 in the Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)(caps are all from the OJB text):
28 And when the malach approached her, he said, Shalom, favored one! Hashem is with you!
29 But she was greatly perplexed at the message, and kept pondering what sort of Shalom greeting this might be.
30 And the malach said to her, Do not have pachad (fear), Miryam, for you have found chen before Hashem.
31 And in your womb you will conceive and bear BEN [YESHAYAH 7:14] and you will call SHMO YEHOSHUA.
Ok, that was a little difficult to comprehend because of the mix of Hebrew and English, so let's see how the HCSB renders it:
28 And the angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”
29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.
30 Then the angel told her:
Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
31 Now listen:
You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you will call His name Jesus.
Since the Orthodox Jewish Bible refers us to Zecharyah 6:11-12, let's take a look at that:
11 Then take kesef and zahav, and make atarot (crowns), and set them upon the rosh Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, the Kohen HaGadol
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os: Hinei Ish, TZEMACH Shmo ; [Yehoshua is said to be the namesake of the coming Moshiach Ben Dovid; see Ezra 3:8 for the Aramaic translation of Yehoshua’s name, Yeshua; see Jer 23:5; 30:9; 33:15; Ezra 3:8; Zech 3:8; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2, 11; Moshiach the new “Joshua” Isa 49:8].]; and out of his place yitzmach (he [Moshiach] shall sprout up, Yeshayah 53:2), and he shall build the Heikhal Hashem.
Here's the same passage in the HCSB:
11 Take silver and gold, make crowns and place them on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
12 You are to tell him: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Here is a man whose name is Branch; He will branch out from His place and build the Lord’s temple.
Prior to that, this is what YHWH had told Zechariah in Zecharyah 3:8, Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB):
8 Hear now, O Yehoshua the Kohen HaGadol, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are Anshei Mofet (men of portent); for, hinei, I will bring forth Avdi Tzemach [My Servant, the Branch i.e., Moshiach Ben Dovid Yehoshua, see Jer 23:5; 30:9; 33:15; Ezra 3:8; Zech 6:11-12; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2, 11; Moshiach the new "Joshua" Isa 49:8]
Here it is again in the HCSB:
8 “Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring My servant, the Branch."
Now here's what should cause the Jews to sit up and take notice. The Kohen HaGadol is the High Priest, and yet the instruction to Zechariah (around 520 BC, or more than 500 years before Jesus' coming to earth) is that he should crown the High Priest, whose name is Yehoshua.
High Priests were never crowned in Judaism, but the one named Yehoshua was, at a time when YHWH had just told Zechariah that He was about to send His Servant, the Branch.
The minute you see the name Branch there, a bell should go off in your head because 100 years prior, YHWH had foretold the coming of a Righteous Branch through the prophet Jeremiah.
Yirmeyah 23:5, Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB):
5 Hinei, the days come, saith Hashem, that I will raise up unto Dovid a Tzemach Tzaddik [i.e., Moshiach Ben Dovid Yehoshua, see 30:9; 33:15; Zech 3:8 Ezra 3:8; Zech 6:11-12; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2,11; Moshiach the new "Joshua" Isa 49:8], and a Melech shall reign and act wisely, and shall execute mishpat and tzedakah in ha’aretz.
And in the HCSB:
5 “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration— “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land."
Yeshayah 49:8, Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
8 Thus saith Hashem, In a time of [My] ratzon (favor) have I answered Thee {Moshiach], and in a Yom Yeshuah have I helped Thee; and I will preserve Thee, and give Thee for a Brit Am [See Jer. 31:31-34; Mk 14:24 OJB] to raise up Eretz, to reapportion desolate nechalot (inheritances; Josh chp 13-21). [T.N. Notice that in the previous verse the Moshiach is depicted as a new Yehoshua, which is also his namesake, Yehoshua Tzemach Shmo, Zech 6:11-12.]
Here's how that reads in the HCSB:
8 This is what the Lord says:
I will answer you in a time of favor,
and I will help you in the day of salvation.
I will keep you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land,
to make them possess the desolate inheritances...
Another 100 years passes, and the prophet Malachi brings another word from the Lord:
1 “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts." Malachi 3, HCSB
In the phrase, "Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple," the Hebrew words there for "the Lord" are "ha Adon," a title which is used only for God.
Malachi is the last prophet to speak for 400 years.
The long silence is broken for 1st century Israel by John the Baptist, who fulfills the words of Malachi and Isaiah (40:3) when he prepares the way for the "ha Adon..."
YHWH Himself come in the flesh.
The Kohen haGadol Yeshua (see Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:76, 7:27).
The One Who is forever crowned as the King of kings and Lord of lords!
With thanks to Dr Michael Brown.
Here's what we read in Luke 1 in the Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)(caps are all from the OJB text):
28 And when the malach approached her, he said, Shalom, favored one! Hashem is with you!
29 But she was greatly perplexed at the message, and kept pondering what sort of Shalom greeting this might be.
30 And the malach said to her, Do not have pachad (fear), Miryam, for you have found chen before Hashem.
31 And in your womb you will conceive and bear BEN [YESHAYAH 7:14] and you will call SHMO YEHOSHUA.
Ok, that was a little difficult to comprehend because of the mix of Hebrew and English, so let's see how the HCSB renders it:
28 And the angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”
29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.
30 Then the angel told her:
Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
31 Now listen:
You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you will call His name Jesus.
Since the Orthodox Jewish Bible refers us to Zecharyah 6:11-12, let's take a look at that:
11 Then take kesef and zahav, and make atarot (crowns), and set them upon the rosh Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak, the Kohen HaGadol
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os: Hinei Ish, TZEMACH Shmo ; [Yehoshua is said to be the namesake of the coming Moshiach Ben Dovid; see Ezra 3:8 for the Aramaic translation of Yehoshua’s name, Yeshua; see Jer 23:5; 30:9; 33:15; Ezra 3:8; Zech 3:8; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2, 11; Moshiach the new “Joshua” Isa 49:8].]; and out of his place yitzmach (he [Moshiach] shall sprout up, Yeshayah 53:2), and he shall build the Heikhal Hashem.
Here's the same passage in the HCSB:
11 Take silver and gold, make crowns and place them on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
12 You are to tell him: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Here is a man whose name is Branch; He will branch out from His place and build the Lord’s temple.
Prior to that, this is what YHWH had told Zechariah in Zecharyah 3:8, Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB):
8 Hear now, O Yehoshua the Kohen HaGadol, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are Anshei Mofet (men of portent); for, hinei, I will bring forth Avdi Tzemach [My Servant, the Branch i.e., Moshiach Ben Dovid Yehoshua, see Jer 23:5; 30:9; 33:15; Ezra 3:8; Zech 6:11-12; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2, 11; Moshiach the new "Joshua" Isa 49:8]
Here it is again in the HCSB:
8 “Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring My servant, the Branch."
Now here's what should cause the Jews to sit up and take notice. The Kohen HaGadol is the High Priest, and yet the instruction to Zechariah (around 520 BC, or more than 500 years before Jesus' coming to earth) is that he should crown the High Priest, whose name is Yehoshua.
High Priests were never crowned in Judaism, but the one named Yehoshua was, at a time when YHWH had just told Zechariah that He was about to send His Servant, the Branch.
The minute you see the name Branch there, a bell should go off in your head because 100 years prior, YHWH had foretold the coming of a Righteous Branch through the prophet Jeremiah.
Yirmeyah 23:5, Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB):
5 Hinei, the days come, saith Hashem, that I will raise up unto Dovid a Tzemach Tzaddik [i.e., Moshiach Ben Dovid Yehoshua, see 30:9; 33:15; Zech 3:8 Ezra 3:8; Zech 6:11-12; Mt 2:23; Isa 4:2; 9:2-7; 11:1-12; 53:2,11; Moshiach the new "Joshua" Isa 49:8], and a Melech shall reign and act wisely, and shall execute mishpat and tzedakah in ha’aretz.
And in the HCSB:
5 “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration— “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land."
Yeshayah 49:8, Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
8 Thus saith Hashem, In a time of [My] ratzon (favor) have I answered Thee {Moshiach], and in a Yom Yeshuah have I helped Thee; and I will preserve Thee, and give Thee for a Brit Am [See Jer. 31:31-34; Mk 14:24 OJB] to raise up Eretz, to reapportion desolate nechalot (inheritances; Josh chp 13-21). [T.N. Notice that in the previous verse the Moshiach is depicted as a new Yehoshua, which is also his namesake, Yehoshua Tzemach Shmo, Zech 6:11-12.]
Here's how that reads in the HCSB:
8 This is what the Lord says:
I will answer you in a time of favor,
and I will help you in the day of salvation.
I will keep you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land,
to make them possess the desolate inheritances...
Another 100 years passes, and the prophet Malachi brings another word from the Lord:
1 “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts." Malachi 3, HCSB
In the phrase, "Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple," the Hebrew words there for "the Lord" are "ha Adon," a title which is used only for God.
Malachi is the last prophet to speak for 400 years.
The long silence is broken for 1st century Israel by John the Baptist, who fulfills the words of Malachi and Isaiah (40:3) when he prepares the way for the "ha Adon..."
YHWH Himself come in the flesh.
The Kohen haGadol Yeshua (see Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:76, 7:27).
The One Who is forever crowned as the King of kings and Lord of lords!
With thanks to Dr Michael Brown.
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