Rejecting the Jews for Jesus Claims: A Study in Isaiah 52-53 and Daniel 9:25 & OTHER sources (Isaiah 9, Proverbs 30, etc)

You must know and understand: From the issuance of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the [time of the] anointed leader is seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it will be rebuilt, square and moat, but in a time of distress.

until the anointed king Time will be given from the day of the destruction until the coming of Cyrus, king of Persia, about whom the Holy One, blessed be He, said that he would return and build His city, and He called him His anointed and His king, as it says (Isa. 45:1): “So said the Lord to His anointed one, to Cyrus etc.” (verse 13): “He shall build My city and free My exiles, etc.”

עד משיח נגיד שבועים שבעה - והנה תשע עשרה שנה שהם מלכות כורש ואחשורוש ושנתים לדריוש והוא מלך י"ב שנה, וככה כתוב בספר מלכי פרס ועשרים שנה מארתחששתא המלך.

“Indeed, My servant shall prosper, Be exalted and raised to great heights.

But GOD chose to crush him by disease, That, if he made himself an offering for guilt, He might see offspring and have long life, And that through him GOD’s purpose might prosper.

He was despised, shunned by others, A man of suffering, familiar with disease.As one who hid his face from us, He was despised, we held him of no account.

Despised and rejected by men was he. So is the custom of this prophet: he mentions all Israel as one man, e.g., (44:2), “Fear not, My servant Jacob”; (44:1) “And now, hearken, Jacob, My servant.” Here too (52:13), “Behold My servant shall prosper,” he said concerning the house of Jacob. יַשְׂכִּיל is an expression of prosperity. Comp. (I Sam. 18:14) “And David was successful (מַשְׂכִּיל) in all his ways.”

As can be seen, repeatedly throughout the chapter 40s, Isaiah is referring to the Jewish people as "My Servant" (with Jacob being synonymous with the Jewish people, of course).

Behold My servant shall prosper Behold, at the end of days, My servant, Jacob, [i.e.,] the righteous among him, shall prosper.

נה ישכיל עבדי. הפרשה הזאת נאמרה על גלות ישראל, וקרא אותו עבדי כמו שאמר ואתם ישראל עבדי יעקב אשר בחרתיך, אמר הנה יבא עת שיצליח עבדי וירום ונשא וגבה מאד:

הנה ישכיל עבדי. אז יצלח עבדי ישראל וקראם כולם בל׳ יחיד כדרך המקרא במקומות רבות:

But hear, now, O Jacob My servant, Israel whom I have chosen!

The passage which follows offers great difficulties. The Christians refer it to Jesus, and explain my servant to indicate the body. This is wrong; the body cannot be wise, even during the life of man. Again, what is the meaning of he shall see his seed (53:10), he shall prolong his days (ib.)? This was not in fact the case (me: meaning Jesus did not have children). Again, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong (53:12)[me: Jesus never did this either]. The best proof, however, is the circumstance that this passage is preceded by the Lord will go before you, etc., which undoubtedly refers to the Israelites, and is followed by Sing, O barren, etc., which is likewise addressed to the Israelites. My servant. The Israelites, who are the servants of the Lord, and are now in exile. Many believe that Messiah is meant by this expression, because our ancient teachers said that Messiah was born on the day on which the temple was destroyed, that he was, as it were, bound in chains, etc.; but many verses in this passage cannot be explained on this supposition. Comp. He is despised and rejected of men, he was taken from prison and judgment, and he made his grave with the wicked, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days. The Gaon R. Saadiah refers the whole passage to Jeremiah. His explanation is beautiful; he says: he shall scatter many nations by his words, by his prophecy. Comp. Jer. 1:10. As a tender plant. Jeremiah was young when he began to prophesy (Jer. 1:6). And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of all of us; he took away the sin of many. Comp. Remember that I stood before thee, to speak good for them, and to turn away the wrath from them (ibid. 18:20). He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. Comp. But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter (ibid. 11:19). And he shall divide the spoil with the strong. Jeremiah received presents and gifts from the Babylonian chief of the guard (ibid. 40:5). But I think that this passage must be connected with the chapters that procede and follow. What reason is there for mentioning Jeremiah here after some of the comforting prophecies, and before others of the same kind ? The singular, my servant, is used because the prophet speaks of every one that is a servant of the Lord and suffers in exile, or because ישראל עבדי ═ )עבדי my servant Israel,) refers to the whole nation; the latter reason is more probable.

For you will not depart in haste, Nor will you leave in flight; For GOD is marching before you, The God of Israel is your rear guard.

And it was the pleasure of the Lord to refine and to purify the remnant of His people, in order to cleanse their souls from sin, that they might see the kingdom of their messiah, that their sons and daughters might multiply, and prolong their days, and those that keep the law of the Lord shall prosper through His pleasure.

"I will speak of the statutes; they are recounted in the law of the Torah, and in the laws of the prophets and the writings. In the law of the Torah (Exodus 4:22), 'Israel is My firstborn son,' in the laws of the prophets (Isaiah 52:13), 'Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up.' What is written afterwards (Isaiah 52:15), 'So shall he startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they perceive.' In the writings (Psalms 110:1), 'The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at My right hand." What is written afterwards? (Psalm 110:4), 'You are a priest forever, in the manner of Melchizedek.' Rabbi Yudan said: all these retributions were given in accordance with the laws of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. Why is this so? Because of his occupation with the Torah. 'You are My son' - from here we learn that he has a son. And when people say to him, 'You have a son,' he does not say, 'I have a son,' but rather, 'You are My son,' like a servant whom his master loves and says to him, 'I hold you dear as my own son.' Rabbi Huna said: the sufferings are divided into three parts: one part was taken by the patriarchs and all the generations; one part by the generation of the rebellion; and one part by the generation of the Messiah. And when the time comes, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, 'It is upon me to create a new creation.' And thus it says, 'Today I have begotten you.' At that time, a new creation was created. And it says (2 Samuel 3:3), 'And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur.' But wasn't Absalom born to Adonijah's mother? Isn't this one the son of Maacah and that one the son of Haggith? But just as this one had chariots and horses, so did the other. And just as this one caused a dispute, so did the other. And just as this one had fifty runners before him, so did the other."

Behold, my servant the messiah shall prosper, he shall be exalted and extolled, and he shall be very strong.

30:1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh, [man of] Massa; The speech of the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

30:2 I am brutish, less than a man;

I lack common sense.

30:3 I have not learned wisdom,

Nor do I possess knowledge of the Holy One.

So these are the first verses of the chapter preceding the 4th verse which some Christians cite as evidence for the claim discussed above.

Who has ascended heaven and come down?
Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hand?
Who has wrapped the waters in his garment?
Who has established all the extremities of the earth?
What is his name or his son’s name, if you know it?

This verse identifies G-D and His "son" - Christians will like to claim this proves that G-D has a "son", that this is pre-Christian plurality of G-D, and this is referring to Jesus.

However, many many assumptions are being made here.

First and foremost, the context of the first 3 verses needs to be taken into account - where the speaker, Agur, starts off by saying he knows nothing about wisdom or G-D and then proceeds to say verse 4. His whole intention in verse 4 is that we don't know anything about G-D!

Proverbs 30:4 isn’t revealing a divine “son” — it’s using rhetorical questions to emphasize how unknowable and incomparable God is. The speaker admits he doesn’t even understand God Himself — so when he says, “What is His name, and what is His son’s name, if you know?” he’s challenging the reader: “Do you really think you understand God or anyone who could possibly be like Him?”

It’s a poetic way of saying: “You know nothing.” The verse is not introducing a second divine being, it’s underlining human ignorance and awe — not theology. The context (vv. 1–3) is about admitting one’s lack of wisdom, and the conclusion (v. 5) affirms faith in God alone.

מה שמו. הוא עניין מליצה כאומר לזולת אם היה מי כמוהו אמור נא מה שמו או אם שכחת שמו אמור שם בנו אם תדע שהיה מי מאז דוגמתו ור״ל ומאחר שלא היה מעולם מי יערוך אליו איך מלאה לבי לנטות מדבריו על פי אומדן הדעת ואמר כמתרעם על עצמו ותוהא על הראשונות ומלמד דעת לבל יאחז מי דרכו להשען על חכמתו

Indeed, Metzudat David understands the verses exactly as I just explained it.

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says יהוה: Israel is My first-born son.

This is the ONLY PLACE where G-D's "son/firstborn" is identified in Chumash, and it is the Jewish people!

So to be clear:

A) The context of the verses points to the "son" not being understand as referring to some divine entity, but is a rhetorical device to note that the author knows nothing about G-D

B) We will further note that "the son" is not mentioned again for the remainder of the entire book of Proverbs

C) Most significantly, the only reference to G-D's child in Chumash is to the Israelite/Jewish people, not any divine entity.

For a child has been born to us,A son has been given us.And authority has settled on his shoulders.He has been named“The Mighty God is planning grace;The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler”—

What Christians will say is that this verse is describing "a son" (not G-D's) who is seemingly described as a "Mighty G-D" - they use to support their claim of a divine entity who is referred to as The Son being part of the Biblical theology & literature.

This one is quite easy to disprove.

First of all, the book of Isaiah was written several hundreds years before Jesus was born and the verse here is saying יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד, a child has beenborn, which is in the past tense! So this cannot possibly be referring to Jesus.

For unto us, etc. All this has come to pass through the merit of the child that is born unto us. We know that at the time of the invasion of Sennacherib, Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old; at the time of this prophecy he is, therefore, called child (ילד). פלא יועץ אל גבור אבי עד. According to some, these expressions are names of God, and the following שר שלום, the name of the child. I think that all these words are names of the child; he is called פלא wonder, because God did wonders in his days; יועץ counselling; this is distinctly said of Hezekiah (comp. 2 Chr. 30:2); אל גבור Mighty chief; for Hezekiah was powerful; אבי עד The father of perpetuity, because the reign of the house of David was prolonged through his merits: עַד has here the same meaning as in 58:15. שר שלום Prince of peace because peace was established in his days; comp. 2 Chron. 32:22

and...called his name The Holy One, blessed be He, Who gives wondrous counsel, is a mighty God and an everlasting Father, called Hezekiah’s name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.

pay homage in good faith,^-d
lest He be angered, and your way be doomed
in the mere flash of His anger.
Happy are all who take refuge in Him.

Christians use this one as evidence as well because the first 2 words could be translated as "kiss the son"

Other than that's not the only way to read this, there is no way this is referring to some divine son/entity.

Who is the son being spoken about then? The one referred to in 2:7!

Let me tell of the decree:
the LORD said to me,
“You are My son,
I have fathered you this day.^-b

This is talking about David!! David is the son. G-D is discussing how loyalty must be professed to David, G-D's chosen MORTAL king.

We also see David & his her Solomon referred to as G-D's son in the Book of Samuel.

I will be a father to him,And he shall be a son to Me.When he does wrong,I will chastise him With the rod of mortals And the blows of humankind.

Kiss the son: – as (in the verse) “and he kissed all his brethren” (Gen. 45:15). And (the word) בר is the same as בן; and so “What, my son (בני)? ”; and “what, O son (בר) of my womb?” (Prov. 31:2). Or it may be interpreted by “the pure (ברי) of heart” (Ps. 73:1). If its meaning is “son,” this will be its interpretation: Kiss this son whom God has called “son,” as He says (above): Thou art My son. And the command is Kiss, because it is the custom for a servant to kiss the hand of the master. And if its meaning is “pure,” its interpretation is, “What have I to do with you, for I am pure in heart and there is no wickedness in me that ye should come and fight against me? Your duty is to kiss me and to confess that I am king by the command of God.” And בר may also be fittingly interpreted from (the verse) “Choose (ברו) you a man for you” (1 Sam. 17:8), upon the analogy of “Saul the chosen of the Lord” (2 Sam. 21:6).

As can be seen, Radak understands this similarly to the way we do

.

Ibn Ezra interprets 2:12 similarly (albeit a bit differently) to the way we do, with the son being Solomon that G-D is saying that one must side with Solomon against Adoniyahu in the bid for who should be king!