Almanac › Words & writing

Messiah and Christ

Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ. Greek Χριστός. Also called Messiah, Christ, Anointed One, Mashiach, Christos, mashiach · christos.

One title in two languages: the Hebrew mashiach and the Greek christos both mean “anointed one”. The BSB renders mashiach “anointed” 37 times and “Messiah” twice, and christos “Christ” every time but one.

Priests and kings were anointed with oil when they took office, so mashiach is first a title: the anointed priest, the LORD’s anointed King Saul, whom David would not harm, David himself, and even Cyrus of Persia, “His anointed”. Only in Daniel 9:25–26 does the BSB write “the Messiah”. In Greek the same title is christos, which became the name Christ; John twice keeps the Hebrew word and translates it, “We have found the Messiah (which is translated as Christ)”. Translations draw the line in different places: the LSV and YLT say “Messiah” in Psalm 2 as well as Daniel, the WEB and ASV in neither.

Messiah and Christ: one title, anointed one, in Hebrew and Greek

מָשִׁיחַ mashiach, anointed: 39 times

  • 37 anointed
  • 2 Messiah

How the BSB renders it. Priests and kings were anointed with oil when they took office, so the word is first a title for them:

  1. the high priest“If the anointed priest sins”Leviticus 4:3
  2. King Saul“my master, the LORD’s anointed”1 Samuel 24:6
  3. King David“the one anointed by the God of Jacob”2 Samuel 23:1
  4. the patriarchs“Do not touch My anointed ones!”Psalm 105:15
  5. Cyrus, king of Persia“to Cyrus His anointed”Isaiah 45:1
  6. the one to come“until the Messiah, the Prince”Daniel 9:25

Χριστός christos, the same title in Greek: 529 times

The BSB writes “Christ” every time but one, Acts 4:26, where the apostles quote Psalm 2: “against His Anointed One”. Twice the New Testament keeps the Hebrew word in Greek letters, and translates it on the spot:

  • “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ) John 1:41
  • “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” John 4:25

Messiah or anointed, in ten translations

Translation Daniel 9:25 Psalm 2:2
LSV Messiah the Leader His Messiah
YLT Messiah the Leader His Messiah
KJV the Messiah the Prince his anointed
BSB the Messiah, the Prince His Anointed One
DBY Messiah, the Prince his anointed
FBV the Messiah his anointed one
WEB the Anointed One his Anointed
ASV the anointed one his anointed
OEB not translated yet his anointed
T4T the leader/king that God has chosen his chosen king

The same word in both verses. The LSV and YLT say “Messiah” in both; the KJV, BSB, Darby and FBV only in Daniel; the WEB and ASV in neither. Counted by Strong’s number: H4899, G5547 and G3323.

Where it appears

All 99 almanac entries