What doesMessiahmean?

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The word Messiah is the Hebrew *mashiach*, and it means "the Anointed One." Its Greek equivalent is *Christos* — which we know as Christ. The two words are interchangeable. Morrish's Bible Dictionary explains under "Anointed, the": *Mashiach,* the anointed, is an official title in the O.T. of those who were to rule for God. In the N.T. the title is restricted to the Lord Jesus — ὁ χριστός, the Christ — as the One anointed, not with oil, but with the Holy Spirit by God the Father. This had been predicted in Ps. 45:7 … He was called God's anointed by Hannah, 1 Sam. 2:10 and by David, Ps. 2:2. Daniel spoke of Messiah the Prince, and that He would be cut off and have nothing. Dan. 9:25-26. The Samaritans as well as the Jews expected this anointed One, the Christ; and when He appeared souls were brought into living intercourse with Him, and owned Him as the promised One. John 1:41; John 4:25. In these two passages the Lord is called 'Messias,' the word being simply the Greek form of the Hebrew word *mashiach.* Under the entry "Christ, The Christ," the same dictionary adds: The Hebrew word is *mashiach* and signifies 'anointed.' This term is employed as to the Lord Jesus in Ps. 2:2: the rulers set themselves against Jehovah and His 'Anointed.' The same word is used in reference to the high priest and the king as God's anointed; but the Lord Jesus is emphatically '*the* Anointed,' this being the signification of the Word '*the* Christ' which should be read in many places in the N.T. where the A.V. simply has 'Christ.' … It refers to the Lord as Man, being anointed with the Holy Ghost. A.J. Pollock brings out the full scope of the title: This is a title of our Lord, meaning the Anointed. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek), both meaning Anointed, are interchangeable words. … The actual word, Messiah, occurs only twice in the Old Testament (Dan. 9:25-26), and only twice in the New Testament (John 1:41; 4:25). In the Old Testament there were three classes of persons anointed on their induction to office — priests, prophets, kings. … the anointings of priests, prophets and kings, no doubt were typical of our Lord, who sustains all these three offices. He is God's Priest, our Great High Priest (Heb. 3:1); He is God's Prophet, for Deuteronomy 18:18 tells of God promising that He would raise up a Prophet like unto Moses; and lastly He is God's King, for we read in Psalm 2:6, how the day will come when our Lord shall sit as King upon the holy hill of Zion. Samuel Ridout puts it simply in connection with the Tabernacle: He was the Messiah, the King anointed with the "holy oil," the Holy Spirit, thus set apart to the throne for God's glory and the blessing of His people. So Messiah means "the Anointed One" — the One set apart by God for a unique office. In Old Testament times, priests, prophets, and kings were each anointed with oil when entering their service. The Lord Jesus is *the* Messiah — emphatically and uniquely — because He fulfils all three offices: He is God's Prophet, God's Priest, and God's King. And unlike those who were anointed with oil, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit Himself by God the Father (Psalm 45:7; Acts 10:38). The word "Messiah" appears only twice in the Old Testament (Daniel 9:25-26) and twice in the New Testament in its Greek form "Messias" (John 1:41; 4:25); everywhere else, translators render the same word as "the Christ" or "the Anointed."