The Old Testament is rich with prophecies about Jesus and His birth. These Bible verses reveal God’s grand plan to save humanity, set long before Jesus’ arrival.
God, through His prophets, communicated in the scriptures a detailed account of the many aspects of Jesus’ coming. The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, the specificity of His birthplace in Bethlehem, the divine circumstances of His conception, and the significant role and authority He was preordained to assume are each vividly described in these prophecies. This narrative foretells the arrival of a Savior, symbolizing a beacon of hope and redemption.
Here are the key Old Testament verses that prophecy the birth and the divine mission of Jesus Christ:
Prediction of the Virgin Birth
Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Prophecy of Jesus’ Birthplace in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 – “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Prophecy About His Powerful Names and His Authority
Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Promise of a Righteous King from David’s Line
Jeremiah 23:5 – “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”
The Branch from Jesse’s Line
Isaiah 11:1 – “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:”
Jesus’ Return from Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”
The Voice in the Wilderness
Isaiah 40:3-5 – “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
A Man of Sorrows
Isaiah 53:2-3 – “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
A Light to the Gentiles
Isaiah 49:6 – “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
These Bible verses about Jesus show us the fulfillment of ancient prophecies. They affirm the timeless truth of God’s word and His enduring promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.