prophecies debunked
The most frequently cited Old Testament verses that Christians claim prophesy the coming of Jesus. While often presented as direct predictions of his birth, death, and resurrection, modern biblical scholarship recognizes that these passages were originally written in historical or poetic contexts unrelated to Jesus and were later reinterpreted by New Testament authors to align with his story. This section explores each verse in full and contrasts the traditional Christian reading with the scholarly consensus.
1. Psalm 22:1 - The Cry of Abandonment
Claim: Jesus fulfills “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Old Testament (Psalm 22:1, NIV):
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?”
New Testament (Matthew 27:46, NIV):
“About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).”
Scholarly view:
Psalm 22 is a lament psalm by David, expressing personal suffering and faith. It is not a messianic prophecy, but an ancient poetic cry of distress.
Jesus quoting it was a literary and emotional echo, not fulfillment of prediction.
2. Psalm 22:16 - The Pierced Hands and Feet
Claim: “They pierce my hands and my feet” predicts crucifixion.
Old Testament (Psalm 22:16, NIV):
“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.”
New Testament (John 19:34–37, NIV):
“Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water… and, as another Scripture says: ‘They will look on the one they have pierced.’”
Scholarly view:
This verse contains a major translation controversy.
The Hebrew text says: “Like a lion are my hands and my feet” (כָּאֲרִי יָדַי וְרַגְלָי).
The Septuagint (Greek) altered it to “They pierced my hands and feet.”
Therefore, “pierced” is likely a mistranslation.
The psalm is about suffering and mockery, not crucifixion prophecy.
3. Isaiah 7:14 - The Virgin Birth
Claim: “The virgin will conceive…” predicts Jesus’ birth.
Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14, NIV):
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
New Testament (Matthew 1:22–23, NIV):
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”
Scholarly view:
The Hebrew term ‘ʿalmāh’ means young woman, not “virgin.”
In Isaiah’s time, this “sign” referred to a child born during King Ahaz’s reign, not a future messiah.
Matthew reinterpreted it using the Greek “parthenos” (virgin).
4. Micah 5:2 - The Messiah from Bethlehem
Claim: The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Old Testament (Micah 5:2, NIV):
“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.”
New Testament (Matthew 2:1–6, NIV):
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea… the chief priests and teachers of the law said, ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written.’”
Scholarly view:
Micah speaks about a Davidic ruler who would restore Israel from Assyrian oppression.
It’s a national hope, not a prediction of Jesus centuries later.
Matthew places Jesus’ birth there to match the text.
5. Hosea 11:1 - Called Out of Egypt
Claim: “Out of Egypt I called my son” foretells Jesus’ return from Egypt.
Old Testament (Hosea 11:1, NIV):
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
New Testament (Matthew 2:14–15, NIV):
“So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt… And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”
Scholarly view:
Hosea refers to Israel’s Exodus, not a future event.
It’s past tense, not prophecy.
Matthew uses it symbolically, making Jesus a “new Israel.”
6. Jeremiah 31:15 - The Weeping Mothers
Claim: Herod’s massacre fulfills “Rachel weeping for her children.”
Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:15, NIV):
“This is what the Lord says: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.’”
New Testament (Matthew 2:16–18, NIV):
“Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children…’”
Scholarly view:
Jeremiah refers to Israel’s exile to Babylon, not the death of infants.
Matthew uses it as literary symbolism, not fulfillment.
7. Isaiah 40:3 - The Forerunner’s Voice
Claim: “A voice crying in the wilderness” predicts John the Baptist.
Old Testament (Isaiah 40:3, NIV):
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
New Testament (Matthew 3:1–3, NIV):
“In those days John the Baptist came… This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah.”
Scholarly view:
Isaiah speaks of God leading Israel out of Babylonian exile.
The “way of the Lord” is God’s path of restoration, not a literal person.
NT writers repurpose it typologically.
8. Zechariah 9:9 - The King on a Donkey
Claim: Jesus’ donkey ride fulfills this.
Old Testament (Zechariah 9:9, NIV):
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
New Testament (Matthew 21:4–5, NIV):
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘Say to Daughter Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”’”
Scholarly view:
Zechariah describes a peaceful Jewish ruler returning from victory.
Matthew misreads Hebrew poetic parallelism and depicts Jesus riding two animals — showing literary fulfillment, not literal prophecy.
9. Zechariah 11:12–13 - The Thirty Pieces of Silver
Claim: Judas’ betrayal payment fulfills this.
Old Testament (Zechariah 11:12–13, NIV):
“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.”
New Testament (Matthew 27:9–10, NIV):
“Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.’”
Scholarly view:
Zechariah’s imagery is a symbolic rejection of God’s shepherd.
It’s not predictive; Matthew conflates Jeremiah and Zechariah.
10. Isaiah 53:3–7 - The Suffering Servant
Claim: Jesus’ death fulfills “He was pierced for our transgressions.”
Old Testament (Isaiah 53:3–7, NIV):
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain…
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering…
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities…
We all, like sheep, have gone astray… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
New Testament (Matthew 8:16–17 / Acts 8:32–35, NIV):
“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
Scholarly view:
Isaiah 53’s “Servant” is Israel personified, suffering in exile.
Early Christians reinterpreted it typologically to describe Jesus’ passion, but Isaiah himself never mentions a messiah.
11. Psalm 34:20 - None of His Bones Broken
Claim: Fulfilled when Jesus’ legs weren’t broken.
Old Testament (Psalm 34:20, NIV):
“He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
New Testament (John 19:33–36, NIV):
“But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs… These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken.’”
Scholarly view:
Psalm 34 expresses general divine protection, not prophecy.
John uses the line symbolically, not historically.
12. Zechariah 12:10 - They Will Look on the One They Pierced
Claim: Predicts Jesus’ crucifixion wound.
Old Testament (Zechariah 12:10, NIV):
“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.”
New Testament (John 19:37, NIV):
“As another scripture says, ‘They will look on the one they have pierced.’”
Scholarly view:
In context, Zechariah refers to Israel mourning divine judgment.
John alters pronouns (“me” → “the one”) to fit Jesus’ crucifixion.
13. Psalm 69:21 - The Gall and Vinegar
Claim: Fulfilled when Jesus was offered vinegar.
Old Testament (Psalm 69:21, NIV):
“They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”
New Testament (John 19:28–30, NIV):
“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished… so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it… When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’”
Scholarly view:
Psalm 69 is Davidic lament poetry, describing personal suffering.
It’s not prophecy, but the Gospel uses it to dramatize Jesus’ death with Scripture.
14. Psalm 16:10 - The Resurrection Foretold
Claim: “You will not let your Holy One see decay” predicts resurrection.
Old Testament (Psalm 16:10, NIV):
“Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
New Testament (Acts 2:25–31, NIV):
“Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.”
Scholarly view:
Psalm 16 expresses trust in God’s protection, not resurrection.
Peter in Acts reinterprets it as prophecy after the fact.
15. Psalm 110:1 - The Exalted Lord
Claim: “The Lord said to my Lord…” shows Jesus’ divinity.
Old Testament (Psalm 110:1, NIV):
“The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”
New Testament (Matthew 22:44 / Acts 2:34–36, NIV):
“The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’”
Scholarly view:
Psalm 110 was a royal enthronement psalm for an earthly king (likely David or Solomon).
“Lord” simply means “master” or “sovereign.”
Jesus and the NT reinterpret it to claim exalted divine status.
Scholarly Consensus
Historical-critical scholars (Jewish and Christian alike) overwhelmingly agree:
None of these OT passages were originally messianic predictions of Jesus.
The New Testament authors retroactively reinterpreted them to build theological connections.
Most “prophecies” rely on Greek mistranslations, poetic imagery, or typological parallels, not literal foresight.
As Bart Ehrman summarizes:
