Yes. Centuries before Jesus, the Hebrew prophets describe a suffering, righteous figure pierced for the sins of others. Isaiah 53:5-6 describes the servant 'pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities.' Psalm 22:1, 14-16 records a righteous sufferer abandoned, mocked, with hands and feet pierced, his garments divided. Zechariah 12:10 describes the people 'looking on him whom they have pierced.' Daniel 9:26 says an Anointed One will be cut off, but not for himself. Luke 24:44-46 records Jesus himself walking his disciples through these texts as foretelling his death and resurrection.
The four texts
1. Isaiah 53:5-6
Written around 700 BC, more than seven centuries before Jesus.
Isaiah 53:5-6: 'But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.'
The Hebrew word mecholal (pierced, wounded through) and medukka (crushed) describe a violent, fatal wounding. The whole chapter describes someone who suffers for the sins of others, is silent before his accusers, is reckoned among the wicked, dies, and is buried with the rich. The chapter ends with the servant seeing the light of life.
2. Psalm 22:1, 14-18
Written by David around 1000 BC.
Psalm 22:1, 14-16: 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?... I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax... my hands and feet have been pierced.' Verse 18: 'They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.'
This psalm matches Jesus's crucifixion in remarkable detail: the cry of forsakenness (Matthew 27:46), the dislocation of the bones (consistent with crucifixion physiology), the piercing of hands and feet (the only ancient executions with this feature), and the dividing of garments and casting lots (John 19:23-24).
3. Zechariah 12:10
Written around 520 BC.
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.'
The text speaks of God himself being pierced. John explicitly applies this to the cross (John 19:37).
4. Daniel 9:24-27
Written around 530 BC.
Daniel 9:26: 'After the sixty-two weeks an Anointed One shall be cut off and shall have nothing.' The seventy-weeks prophecy specifies a time-frame leading to the cutting off of the Messiah and the destruction of the temple — the temple was destroyed in AD 70, decades after Jesus.
Jesus's own use
Luke 24:44-46: 'Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead."'
What honest engagement with the rabbinic readings looks like
Rabbinic Judaism developed alternative readings of these texts after the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Notable alternatives:
- Isaiah 53. Some rabbinic sources read the suffering servant collectively as Israel itself, suffering for the sins of the nations. Others (e.g., the Targum Jonathan) read the servant as the Messiah but reassign the suffering to others. The earliest rabbinic readings (the Talmud at Sanhedrin 98b, Yalkut Shimoni) actually read the chapter messianically.
- Psalm 22. Read in some Jewish traditions as the suffering of David himself, of Israel in exile, or of any righteous individual.
- Zechariah 12. Read in some Jewish traditions as the Messiah ben Joseph, who suffers but is not the Messiah ben David.
A Christian conversation honors these alternative readings by name without conceding them. The relevant questions:
- Which reading fits the text in its plain, original grammar? A specific singular figure 'pierced for our transgressions' and 'crushed for our iniquities' (Isaiah 53), with a singular grave that is 'with the rich,' fits a single individual better than the corporate Israel.
- Which reading was held earliest? The Targum Jonathan and Talmudic citations show messianic readings present in early rabbinic tradition.
- Which reading fits the events of the first century? Jesus's life, death, and resurrection map onto these texts in detail no earlier figure does.
How to walk this with a Muslim friend
Many Muslim friends have not read Isaiah 53. Almost none have read Psalm 22. The Christian's job is not to argue. The Christian's job is to read these chapters with their friend, slowly, and let the texts speak.
A simple practice:
- Open Isaiah 53 (it takes about three minutes to read aloud). Ask, 'Who do you think this passage is about?'
- Open Psalm 22. Ask the same question.
- Mention the dates (Isaiah 700 BC, Psalm 22 around 1000 BC, Zechariah 520 BC) and the historical events of AD 30.
- Let the friend ask questions. Many do.
Do not push to a conclusion. The texts are powerful. Patience honors both the text and the friend.
A note for the Christian reader
Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 have brought many Muslim seekers to Jesus by themselves. Treat them as gifts, not as ammunition. Pray before reading them with a friend. Trust the Holy Spirit to do the persuading work that arguments cannot.
Why this matters for the Muslim conversation specifically
The Qurʼānic objection to the cross (Q 4:157) sits in a vacuum if the Old Testament is heard. The Qurʼān's denial says only that Jesus was not crucified. It does not engage why the Hebrew prophets foretold a suffering Messiah, why Jesus himself prepared his disciples for his death, why the apostles preached the cross from the first day, and why first-century non-Christian witnesses (Tacitus, Josephus) confirm the crucifixion happened.
A Muslim friend who reads Isaiah 53 with a Christian friend has, often for the first time, encountered the prophetic preparation that the Qurʼānic denial does not address. That is a real gift.
Sources to read
Click a source title to read it on an authoritative site (quran.com for the Qurʼān and tafsīr; sunnah.com for ḥadīth).
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 53:5-6 | Pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. |
| Psalm 22:1, 14-16 | My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? |
| Zechariah 12:10 | They will look on him whom they have pierced. |
| Daniel 9:26 | An Anointed One shall be cut off. |
| Luke 24:44-46 | Jesus opens their minds to understand the Scriptures. |
| Genesis 3:15 | The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. |
| John 19:37 | John applies Zechariah 12:10 to the cross. |
| Q 4:157 | Allah denied that Jesus was crucified. |
How to think about it
- Walk the four texts in order. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Zechariah 12:10, Daniel 9:26.
- Honor the rabbinic alternatives by name. Then ask which reading the text most naturally bears.
- Date the texts. Centuries before the events.
- Read with the friend. Let the Hebrew prophets speak; do not over-argue.
- Land in Luke 24:44-46. Jesus himself walked his disciples through these texts.
Common objections
- Rabbinic Judaism does not read these as messianic.
Some streams do not. Others do, including the Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 53 (which applies it to the Messiah, even while reassigning the suffering) and several Talmudic citations. The earliest rabbinic engagement with Isaiah 53 was messianic. The non-messianic readings are real but later.
- Christians read these texts in light of the New Testament; that is circular.
Christians read them in light of how Jesus himself read them (Luke 24:44-46) and how first-century Jewish followers immediately applied them (Acts 8:32-35). The reading is not invented after the fact; it is recorded in the earliest Christian sources we have.
Related questions
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