(Targum – Isaiah 11:2 Maimonides – Teshuva 9:2) The Messiah will become the greatest prophet in history, second only to Moses. (2) Jesus Did Not Embody the Personal Qualifications of Messiah A. Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright in the Bible no concept of a second coming exists. All past Messianic claimants, including Jesus of Nazareth, Bar Cochba and Shabbtai Tzvi have been rejected.Ĭhristians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming. If an individual fails to fulfill even one of these conditions, then he cannot be the Messiah.īecause no one has ever fulfilled the Bible's description of this future King, Jews still await the coming of the Messiah. As it says: "God will be King over all the world – on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9). Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one.As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4) Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease.Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).What is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? One of the central themes of biblical prophecy is the promise of a future age of perfection characterized by universal peace and recognition of God. (Exodus 29:7, 1-Kings 1:39, 2-Kings 9:3) (1) Jesus Did Not Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies The word "Messiah" is an English rendering of the Hebrew word Mashiach, which means "anointed." It usually refers to a person initiated into God's service by being anointed with oil. Jewish belief is based on national revelation.īut first, some background: What exactly is the Messiah?.Biblical verses "referring" to Jesus are mistranslations.Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah.Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies.Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: In retaliation, Joab murdered Abner with help from his brother Abishai, against the wishes of David.One of the most common questions we receive at is: "Why don't Jews believe in Jesus?" Let's understand why – not to disparage other religions, but rather to clarify the Jewish position. Īlthough Joab won the battle, Abner escaped with his life Asahel was buried in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Abner begged Asahel to stop pursuing him, but when Asahel refused to desist, Abner thrust the blunt end of a spear through Asahel's stomach, and Asahel died on the spot (cf.
2 Samuel 23:24 1 Chronicles 11:26).Īfter a battle at Gibeon between Abner, commanding the army of Ish-bosheth son of Saul and Joab, commanding the army of David, Asahel pursued Abner while he attempted to escape. He is considered among David's thirty valiant men (cf. He was put to death by Abner, whom he pursued from the battlefield when fighting against Abner at Gibeon, in the army of his brother Joab, (cf. 2 Samuel 2:18) and was told that if he was running through wheat field, the stalks wouldn't bend. He was known for his swiftness of foot: "Asahel was swift of foot, like a gazelle in the open field, or like a wild deer." (cf. His older brothers were Joab and Abishai. This would make it a name of "thanksgiving", thanking God for what he has "made" or "done".Īsahel was the youngest son of Zeruiah, David's sister ( 2 Samuel 2:18 1 Chronicles 2:16). perfect, and the theophorous element (deity name), אל, the Hebrew God El, or Elohim. The name is made up of two parts: the verb עשה, Hebrew "to do, make" 3rd m.sg. Asahel is mentioned in 2 Samuel Chapters 2 and 3.Īdditionally, the name Asahel (under a variant spelling) appears in Aramaic in the Book of Enoch. The name means 'made by God.' Asahel was the nephew of King David, as well as the younger brother of both Joab, David's general, and of Abishai. Woodcut of Abner killing Asahel, by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695Īsahel ( Hebrew: עשהאל, Ancient Greek: ‘Ασαέλ, Latin Asael) was the youngest son of Zeruiah.