We will now see that the idea that the Messiah is the LORD originates with Judaism and not with Christianity.
Jeremiah 23:6, as translated by the Jewish Publication Society-1917, reads:
“Behold the days are coming, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign as king and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
From the line of David will come the LORD, not “lord” or “Lord,” not a generic “El,” but the Tetragrammaton. Yes many people have “El,” “Jah” or “Yah” in their names but never, ever, the unpronounced name of HaShem, The Name, The LORD, etc. Astonishing as it is; the infinite-eternal God is prophesied to come through a mere human lineage.
Alfred Edersheim comments thusly regarding Rabbinic application of Jeremiah 23:5-6:
“the Targum has it: ‘And I will raise up for David the Messiah the Just.’This is one of the passages from which according to Rabbinic views, one of the Names of the Messiah is derived, viz: Jehovah our Righteousness.
So in the Talmud (Babba Bathra 75 b), in the Midrash on Ps. xxi. 1, Prov. xix. 21, and in that on Lamentations i. 16.”1
The above referred to Talmud-Baba Bathra 75b reads thusly:
“R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan: Three were called by the name of the Holy One; blessed be He, and they are the following: The righteous, the Messiah and Jerusalem. [This may be inferred as regards] the righteous [from] what has just been said.
[As regards] the Messiah-it is written: And this is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness.(1)
[As regards] Jerusalem-it is written: It(2) shall be eighteen thousand reeds round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be ‘the Lord is there.’ (3) Do not read, ‘there’ but ‘its name.'(4)”
Footnotes: (1) Jer. 23:6.
(2) Jerusalem.
(3) Ezek. 48:35.
(4) ‘There,’ Heb. [Hebrew font not available] ‘Its name,’ Heb. [Hebrew font not available] These consonants [Hebrew font not available: shin-mem-heh] are the same. The relevant text is accordingly to be rendered: And as to the name of the city, from that day, ‘The Lord’ shall be its name.
Minor Tractates of the Talmud-Soferim 40b reads:
“Gladden us, O Lord our God,(1) with Elijah the prophet, Thy servant, and with the kingdom of the house of David, Thine anointed.Soon may he come and rejoice our hearts. Suffer not a stranger to sit upon his throne, nor let others any longer inherit his glory; for by Thy holy name Thou didst swear unto him, that his light should not be quenched forever.
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: the Lord is our righteousness.(2) Blessed art thou, O Lord, Who causest the horn of salvation to flourish from Thy people Israel.(3)”
Footnotes: (1) From ‘with Elijah’ to ‘swear unto him’ is represented in V by ‘etc.’ M and H cite benediction in full.
(2) ‘In his days_righteousness’ is a quotation from Jeremiah 23:6 and is now omitted from the benediction.
(3) The present custom (in accordance with Pes. 117b, Sonc. ed., p. 603) is to conclude, ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the shield of David’
Midrash on Psalm 21 states:
“This is the Messiah, the Son of David, who has been hidden until the last days. Rabbi Tanhuma says, ‘The Messiah-King will come only to give the world six commandments, such as the Feast of Tabernacles, (the use of) the palm fronds, and the phylacteries, but all Israel will learn the Torah_and why so?Because the Gentiles will seek him.’” [After this the Midrash asks] “Who is this king?_God will not crown a king of flesh and blood, but the Holy One-may he be praised-will give his own crown to the Messiah-King, because it is said of him, ‘You placed a crown of pure gold on his head.’
God will not dress an earthly king in his own purple robe, rather he has given it to the Messiah-King, for it is said, ‘You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty’_And he will call the Messiah-King by name, for it is said, ‘This is the name by which he will be known: The LORD our Righteousness.’”