What Old Testament prophecies connect to the events in Matthew 21:15?

Matthew 21:15 in Focus

“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonders Jesus performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant.”

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Old Testament Streams Feeding This Moment

• Psalm 8:2 – Children’s Praise Foretold

– “From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.”

– Jesus cites this verse in the next line (Matthew 21:16), grounding the spontaneous cries of the youngsters in a prophecy that their praise would silence unbelief.

• Psalm 118:25-26 – “Hosanna” and the Messianic Welcome

– “O LORD, save us, we pray! O LORD, cause us to prosper! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.”

– “Save” in Hebrew is hoshi‘ah na—rendered by first-century Jews as “Hosanna.” The children echo the exact wording anticipated for welcoming the coming King.

• Isaiah 35:5-6 – Healing the Blind and Lame

– “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue will shout for joy.”

– The “wonders” that the chief priests observe are precisely the healings Isaiah promised would mark Messiah’s arrival.

• 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 11:1-10 – The Davidic Son

– God swore to David, “I will raise up your offspring after you… I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

– Isaiah elaborates: “A Shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1).

– By calling Jesus “Son of David,” the children identify Him with the covenant King foreseen in these passages.

• Malachi 3:1 – The Lord Comes to His Temple

– “See, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.”

– Matthew 21 places the Messiah inside the temple, performing marvels and receiving praise, fulfilling Malachi’s promise of the Lord’s sudden appearance in that very precinct.

• Zechariah 9:9 – Context of the Same Scene

– “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion… behold, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.”

– Though fulfilled two verses earlier (Matthew 21:5), Zechariah’s oracle sets the stage for 21:15, linking the crowd’s earlier acclamation with the children’s continued cries of “Hosanna.”

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Seeing the Prophetic Tapestry

– Children praising in the temple: Psalm 8:2.

– The very word “Hosanna”: Psalm 118:25-26.

– Miraculous healings: Isaiah 35:5-6.

– Title “Son of David”: 2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 11.

– Messiah present in the temple: Malachi 3:1.

– Immediate backdrop of the triumphal entry: Zechariah 9:9.

Every strand converges in Matthew 21:15, underscoring that the scene is not a spontaneous accident but a divinely scripted fulfillment of multiple, literal Old Testament prophecies.