The Old Testament is rich with prophecies about events and people that were instrumental to the unfolding of biblical history. However, in this article, I want to focus on those that spoke particularly about Jesus’ ministry. Some of these old testament prophecies are found in the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. They pointed directly to Jesus’ birth and his role as the promised Messiah. In this article, I will share with you 70 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. This topic is so important to our faith because when we see the fulfillment of scripture in the new testament, it reassures us of the consistency and faithfulness of the word of God even in this present time.
Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus Christ
There are a lot of prophecies in God’s word that foretold Jesus’ ministry and life. They are often referred to as the ‘messianic prophecies’ by Bible scholars. They are scattered across the writings of Moses, King David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, amongst other Old Testament writers.
As inspired by the Holy Spirit, these human authors foretold events such as Jesus’ birth, his triumphant entry, his crucifixion, and his burial. Even the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his second coming was also foretold by some of these Old Testament prophets! Nearly everything that Jesus did in his ministry was once an Old Testament prophecy. It is believed that there are over 300 messianic prophecies.
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Below are some Bible verses containing Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, showing us how His life and ministry were divinely predicted all through the Scriptures:
1. Deuteronomy 18:18
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”
3. Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
4. 2 Samuel 7:13
“He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
5. Deuteronomy 21:22-23
“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.”
6. Psalm 2:7-8
“I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
7. Joel 2:32
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“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”
8. Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”
9. Daniel 9:26
“And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.”
10. Gen 17: 19
“Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him’”.
11. Psalms 2:9
“You will break them with an iron scepter, as if they are clay pots.”
12. Isaiah 11:10
“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.”
13. Psalms 110:1
“The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
14. Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
15. Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
16. Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.”
17. Deuteronomy 21:23
“You must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
18. 1 Samuel 2:35
“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.”
19. Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
20. Exodus 3:13-15
“Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”
21. Hosea 11:1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
22. Genesis 28:14
“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”
23. Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
24. 1 Chronicles 17:11-12
“When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.”
25. Deuteronomy 18:15
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”
26. Zechariah 6:12-13
“Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’”
27. Malachi 4:5-6
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
28. Genesis 49:10
“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.”
29. 2 Samuel 7:12–13
“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
30. Zechariah 10:4
“From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.”
31. Exodus 12:5
“The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.”
32. Jonah 1:17
“And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
33. Zechariah 10:4
“From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.”
34. Deuteronomy 18:15-16
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’”
35. Exodus 12:13
“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”
36. Zechariah 11:12-13
“I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.”
37. 1 Chronicles 17:11
“When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.”
38. Genesis 28:14
“Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
39. Psalms 2:1-3
“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”
40. Psalms 16:9-10
“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
More Bible Verses Containing Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus Christ
Here are more old testament prophecies about Jesus Christ:
41. Psalms 22:18
“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”
42. Psalms 22:1
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?”
43. Joel 2:32
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”
44. Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
45. Psalms 9:7-8
“The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”
46. Zechariah 6:12-13
“Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
47. Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
48. Zechariah 10:4
“From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.”
49. Isaiah 60:1
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
50. 1 Chronicles 17:14
“I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ ”
51. Isaiah 9:1-2
“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”
52. Psalms 17:15
“As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”
53. Psalms 30:3
“You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.”
54. Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
55. 2 Samuel 7:13
“He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
56. Psalms 18:2-3
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.”
57. Zechariah 11:11-13
“So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.”
58. Psalms 22:31
“They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!”
59. Genesis 17:19
“God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”
60. Psalms 22:12-14
“Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.”
61. Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”
62. Jeremiah 31:31
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
63. Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
64. Jonah 1:17
“And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
65. Genesis 12:7
“Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”
66. Genesis 22:17-18
“I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
67. Zechariah 13:7
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
68. 2 Samuel 7:12
“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.”
69. Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
70. Psalms 22:16
“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.”
Conclusion
The fulfillment of these messianic prophecies in the New Testament is God’s own way of showing that He had a plan for humanity from the beginning. Jesus, the son of God, was not sent as an afterthought. His coming was carefully planned in order to save God’s people from their sins and to give them eternal life. God’s divine foresight is seen in the way He inspired His holy prophets to speak of a Savior who would be born centuries after them.
I mean, this is good news! How amazing it is to serve a God who is so intentional in His love for us! Beloved, God is mindful of you. He has a beautiful plan for your life and has charted a path uniquely designed for you. So, rejoice in this knowledge and be encouraged knowing that God’s timing is perfect, and He has a plan for your life that is good and perfect.
Finally, just as we have seen that the prophecies concerning the birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ have been fulfilled, we can expect the same to be true regarding his second coming for his Church. Yes, Jesus will come back for you and me. So, while we wait for the Lord to return a second time, let us do our best to follow his teachings and words and allow the Holy Spirit to help us live a life of holiness.
Damilola Falayi is a creative writer with a degree in English Language and Literature.
She works with a variety of clients across several niches like mental health, lifestyle, and Christianity.
As a believer and follower of Christ, she is passionate about living purposefully for the Lord. She serves as a Sunday school teacher in the children's department of Foursquare Gospel Church.
Damilola is an advocate for mental health and this has led her to volunteer and work at several mental health organizations, including Psychmoments. She is passionate about showing Christians the intersection between their mental health and faith, and her writing is one way she does that.
An introvert at heart, Damilola enjoys spending time indoors. However, she is big on community and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
Her journey in her Christian faith has transformed her and brought her closer to the Lord. And she hopes to inspire and strengthen others by sharing the good news of the Gospel to them.
You can follow Damilola on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Thank you for this enlightening article
Very helpful.
Thanks for your kind words