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Throughout the Hebrew Bible, many individuals are described as ‘anointed’, typically with the task of carrying out God’s will.
As many understand, ‘anointed’ translates to ‘Messiah’. The concept of THE Messiah is central to both Judaic and Christian understanding of a certain figure who will function as a deliverer for God’s people.
However, figures such as Cyrus will also be described as a messiah (Isaiah 45:1), leading [scholars] (see the Cambridge commentary) 1 to distinguish between the OT’s use of an anointed one vs THE anointed one
Daniel 9:25 is a good example of a passage that is interpreted messianically by Christians:
“Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.”
Daniel 9:25 ESV
(note the use of ESV instead of NIV because for some reason the NIV incorrectly translates it as ‘the’ anointed)
So with passages like Daniel in mind (or perhaps any others relevant), what is the difference between ‘an’ anointed and ‘the anointed’?
And, is there a textual justification to interpret references to ‘an’ anointed one messianically rather than merely to a temporary figure in history (like Cyrus) used by God when the ‘an’ or ‘the’ seem to make a big difference?
