Did the Old Testament Prophesy Jesus’ Death for the Forgiveness of Sins?

Did the Old Testament Prophesy Jesus’ Death for the Forgiveness of Sins?

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute

The question raised from Islamic interlocutors—“Is there any prophet in the Old Testament that says Jesus is coming to die for people’s sins?”—is foundational in Christian apologetics and biblical theology. While the Old Testament does not use the name “Jesus of Nazareth” explicitly, it contains multiple prophetic anticipations of a coming Messiah (משיח, “Anointed One”) whose mission is redemptive and sacrificial, pointing directly to His atoning death. These prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and the New Testament interprets them as divine foreshadowing.

1. The Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15)

The earliest promise of redemption occurs immediately after the Fall:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Christian theology has consistently understood this as the protoevangelium (the first gospel). The “seed of the woman” is ultimately Christ (Galatians 3:16). His “heel” would be struck—pointing to suffering and death—yet through that very act, He would crush the serpent’s head, decisively defeating sin and Satan. This foreshadows the cross as both an act of suffering and victory.

2. The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13–53:12)

Isaiah presents the most direct and detailed prophecy of the Messiah’s sacrificial death. Consider these verses:

“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
“The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Here, Isaiah does not describe Israel collectively suffering, but an individual Servant who bears others’ sins, suffers vicariously, and through His death “makes many righteous” (Isaiah 53:11). The language of substitution and atonement is unmistakable. This prophecy is explicitly cited in the New Testament regarding Jesus’ crucifixion (Acts 8:32–35; 1 Peter 2:24–25).

3. The Pierced One (Zechariah 12:10)

Zechariah foretells:

“They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son.”

This is extraordinary. Yahweh Himself speaks (“look on Me”) yet refers to being “pierced.” The Johannine Gospel sees its fulfillment in Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:37). It anticipates a future recognition that the Messiah was rejected, pierced, and mourned as the only Son.

4. The Messianic Psalms

Several psalms prophetically describe the Messiah’s suffering:

• Psalm 22: A striking depiction of crucifixion—“They have pierced my hands and my feet” (v.16), “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing” (v.18). This is not metaphorical poetry alone; it aligns with the exact events of Jesus’ crucifixion.

• Psalm 69: “They gave me vinegar for my thirst” (v.21), fulfilled at the cross (John 19:28–30).

David, writing centuries before Rome invented crucifixion, prophetically described the Messiah’s death in detail.

5. The New Covenant Sacrifice (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Daniel 9:24–26)

• Jeremiah foresees a new covenant where sins will be forgiven decisively (Jeremiah 31:34). The New Testament presents Jesus’ death as the ratification of this covenant (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:15).

• Daniel 9:26 declares, “The Anointed One [Messiah] shall be cut off and shall have nothing.” The Hebrew karet (“cut off”) denotes violent death, directly linked to atonement (“to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity”—Daniel 9:24).

Scholarly Conclusion

From Genesis to the Prophets and Psalms, the Old Testament consistently anticipates a Messiah who would suffer and die for the sins of others. The New Testament does not invent this theology; it recognizes and fulfills it in the person of Jesus Christ.

Thus, the claim that the Old Testament contains no prophecy of a Messiah who dies for sin is historically and theologically unfounded. The prophetic witness—Isaiah’s Servant, Zechariah’s Pierced One, the Psalms’ Suffering King, and Daniel’s Anointed Cut Off—all converge in Jesus of Nazareth, whose atoning death and resurrection constitute the heart of the Christian faith.

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