What is the significance of "Hosanna" in Matthew 21:9? Key Old Testament Source: Psalm 118:25-26 “‘O LORD, save us, we pray! O LORD, grant us success! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.’ ” . Psalm 118 belonged to the Hallel (Psalm 113-118) sung at Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, framing “Hosanna” with messianic expectancy. The Dead Sea Scrolls (11QPs a) preserve this psalm virtually as we have it today, underscoring textual stability across two millennia. Occurrences in the New Testament Matthew 21:9, 15; Mark 11:9-10; John 12:13 record the cry at the Triumphal Entry. Matthew alone preserves both “Hosanna to the Son of David!” and “Hosanna in the highest!” revealing (1) messianic kingship and (2) cosmic acknowledgment in the heavenly realm. Second-Temple Liturgical Background By the first century A.D., worshipers at the Feast of Tabernacles processed with palm branches, chanting the Hoshana Rabbah (“Great Hosanna”) litany. The Mishnah (Sukkah 4-5) describes this custom; Josephus (Ant. 11.331) notes palm-branch acclaim for victorious rulers. That the Jerusalem crowd applied the same festal formula to Jesus days before Passover shows they believed messianic victory was arriving. Matthew 21:9 in Narrative Context “‘The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” . 1. Processional Route: Excavations of the Pilgrim Road from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple (2019, Israel Antiquities Authority) clarify the physical setting described by the evangelists. 2. Prophetic Convergence: Zechariah 9:9 (“See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey”) is cited explicitly in Matthew 21:5. The cry of “Hosanna” links Zechariah’s king with Psalm 118’s Savior. Shift from Petition to Praise Because Jesus’ miracles had already demonstrated divine authority (Matthew 11:4-6), the crowd’s “save now!” crosses into confident celebration: the Savior is present. Linguistically, the Greek aorist imperative wrapped in praise captures that dual nuance. Messianic Titles Embedded “Son of David” designates legitimate royal heir (2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 11). In Jewish expectation the Davidic Messiah would defeat Israel’s enemies and restore covenant blessings. By shouting “Hosanna,” the people publicly recognized Jesus as that Messiah. Christological Fulfillment 1. Divine Identity: “Hosanna in the highest” projects the acclamation heavenward, implying participation of angelic hosts (cf. Luke 2:14). 2. King-Priest Motif: Riding a donkey (a peace-time mount, 1 Kings 1:38-40) associates Jesus with Solomon’s coronation and Melchizedek-like priest-kingship (Psalm 110). Theological Summary “Hosanna” in Matthew 21:9 fuses prayer and praise, anchoring Jesus’ identity as the promised Davidic King and divine Savior. It signals: 1. Fulfillment of messianic prophecy. 2. Public acknowledgment of Jesus’ authority by both earth and heaven. 3. A direct plea for salvation answered definitively in the cross and empty tomb. Devotional and Missional Implications Believers today echo “Hosanna” each time they call on Christ for rescue and honor Him as King. Evangelistically, the word bridges Old Testament hope and New Testament fulfillment, offering a concise gospel snapshot: the God who created, entered history, and rose again still answers the plea, “Save now!” |
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