Messiah

“Messiah,” = anointed one, refers to the anointed king of Israel and hence to the anointed future king of redeemed Israel, the Messiah. The notion of a divinely sent, redeeming Messiah is not found in the Tanakh and only developed in the late Second Temple period. But it was already active at the time of Jesus, and it has served as an inspiration for Jews through the ages, particularly in difficult times. The coming of the Messiah is hinted at in the Passover Seder (“next year in Jerusalem!”), as the Seder recalls our original deliverance and anticipates our future salvation.

King David

David was the first king of a viable, united ancient Israel. The biblical text represents David as God’s beloved (this is the meaning of the name David), despite his missteps, and the royal covenant with David promises that his line would be the only legitimate monarchic line in Israel for all time. Hence, David would also be the ancestor of the final Messianic king.  

As the attributed author of many psalms, David is also seen as the great poet-songwriter of biblical Israel, and it is common to find images of David playing at his legendary harp.