What is a type of Christ? What are the types of Christ in the Old Testament?

A type is special kind of symbol—a thing that represents or suggests something else. The use of symbols is quite common in everyday life—typographical symbols (e.g., punctuation marks and emojis), pictograms (e.g., hazard signs and crosswalk signs), and religious symbols (e.g., a cross). A type is a person, thing, or event that prefigures another person, thing, or event in the future. The fulfillment of a type is an antitype. Types that foreshadow Jesus are called types of Christ.

Typology is the study of the Bible’s use of types, most of which are types of Christ. When we say that a person in the Old Testament is a “type” of Christ, we mean that he behaves in a way that corresponds to Jesus’ character or actions in the New Testament. When we say that a thing in the Old Testament is “typical” of Christ, we mean that an object or event can be seen as representative of some quality of Jesus.

People in the Old Testament that can be seen as types of Christ:

Melchizedek. This king and priest of Salem met Abraham and received tithes from him (Genesis 14:17–20). The Lord Jesus is linked to Melchizedek in Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6–11; and Hebrews 6:20—7:28. At the very least, Melchizedek is a type of Christ, prefiguring the Lord’s ministry. It could also be that Melchizedek was Jesus in a pre-incarnate form. In that case, the priest of Salem in Genesis 14 is not actually a type of Christ but was in reality Christ Himself.

Isaac. The promised son of Abraham was taken to the top of a mountain to be sacrificed. That account, in Genesis 22, prefigures in many ways the New Testament teaching of the atonement, the sacrificial offering of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the sin of mankind.

Joseph. The humiliation and subsequent promotion of Joseph (Genesis 37—45) seem to correspond to the rejection and glorification of Christ.

Boaz. As the kinsman-redeemer in the book of Ruth, Boaz is often seen as an example of Christ. Boaz redeemed Ruth out of her great need, and he was the only one who could do so. In the same way, Christ bought us for Himself, made us His own beloved bride, and blessed us for all generations.

David. David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), a celebrated king (2 Samuel 5:4), “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1), and a giant-slayer (1 Samuel 17). Jesus is the “Son of David” (Matthew 20:30) and the antitype to David’s type.

Jonah. This prophet was swallowed by a great fish and deposited alive on dry ground again three days later. Jesus used this as a prediction as a symbol of His future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection in Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Things in the Old Testament that can be seen as types of Christ:

The tabernacle. The Old Testament tabernacle is identified as a type in Hebrews 9:8–9: “The first tabernacle . . . is an illustration for the present time.” The sacrifices were a foreshadowing of Jesus’ becoming our ultimate sacrifice (John 1:29). The high priest’s entrance into the holiest place once a year prefigured the mediation of Christ, our High Priest. When the Son of God entered our world, He became the antitype of God’s ancient dwelling place in the wilderness: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14, Berean Literal Bible).

The various items in the tabernacle can also be considered types of Christ. The showbread prefigures Jesus as the Bread of Life (John 6:35). The lampstand pictures Christ as the Light of the World (John 8:12). The altar of incense is a symbol of praying in Jesus’ name. The veil of the tabernacle is a type of Christ’s flesh (Hebrews 10:19–20). His flesh was torn, as the veil was when He was crucified (Matthew 27:51), in order to provide entrance into God’s presence for those who are covered by His sacrifice.

The serpent on the pole. At God’s instruction, Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole so the people could be healed from venomous snakebites (Numbers 21:5–7). Then, “when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived” (Numbers 21:9). Jesus indicated that the bronze serpent was a type of Himself: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (John 3:14–15).

The rock that gave water. On two occasions, God provided the Israelites with water from a rock in the wilderness (Exodus 17:1–7; Numbers 20:2–11). In the New Testament, the rock that provided water is revealed to be a type of Christ: “[The Israelites] all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:3–4; cf. John 4:13–14).

Manna. During Israel’s time in the wilderness, God miraculously provided bread from heaven, called “manna,” for them to eat (Exodus 16). After feeding the five thousand, Jesus compared and contrasted Himself to manna: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:48–51). Jesus’ words make it possible to view manna as a type of Christ.

The red cord. Before the battle of Jericho, Joshua sent two spies into the city. Their presence became known, but they hid in the home of Rahab the harlot, who lived on the city wall. They effected their escape when “she let them down by a rope through the window” (Joshua 2:15). Before departing, the spies promised Rahab that her life would be spared when Jericho fell on the condition that she tie the scarlet cord in her window (verses 17–18). Rahab “sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window” (Joshua 2:21), and Joshua honored the spies’ promise (Joshua 6:22–23). The scarlet cord was thus the means of saving the two spies and Rahab and her family. It can easily be seen as a type of the blood of Christ, which saves us.

The ark. When God sent the great flood to destroy the world, he spared Noah and his family and, through them, the future of mankind. The means of their salvation was an ark that God commanded Noah to make. When the floodwaters came upon the earth, only those in the ark survived. Anyone not on the ark perished. The ark, then, becomes a type of Christ—all who are in Him will be saved from the wrath of God, and apart from Christ there is no salvation (see John 3:18).

Events in the Old Testament that can be seen as types of Christ’s work:

The conquest of Canaan. Under the leadership of Joshua, the children of Israel obeyed the Lord and followed His direction. The result was victory over all their enemies and receiving the inheritance God had promised them. The conquest of Canaan is a type of Christ’s work on our behalf: as we follow the Lord Jesus, He grants us victory over our spiritual enemies and leads us into a heavenly inheritance. Interestingly, the names Joshua and Jesus have the same meaning: “The Lord Is Salvation.”

The feasts of the Lord. Each of the seven feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament foreshadow a particular aspect of Jesus’ ministry:

The Sabbath day. The Sabbath command (Exodus 20:8–11) is a type of Christ, who provides for us a Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:1–11). God ceased from His work on the seventh day of creation, and He invites His people to enter that rest. Neither Moses nor Joshua were able to provide that rest (see Hebrews 4:8), and David spoke of the same rest still being offered (Hebrews 4:6–7; cf. Psalm 95). It is Jesus who gives God’s people the true spiritual rest God desires for them, and the Sabbath day was simply a picture of His finished work.

The theme of Scripture, from beginning to end, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Directly and indirectly, the message that Jesus saves comes through on every page.