Typology is a specific interpretation of persons, events, or institutions that prefigure Jesus or other realities contained in the gospel. The term typology comes from the Greek word /tupos/, which is used in the New Testament to mean symbol, example, and pattern.  Actually, two related words are used in the Greek, which we have brought into English to speak about the use of symbols in the Bible.  The first word is /typos/ or /tupos/ which we call the type.  This is the symbol or copy of something.  The second word is /antitypos/ which we call the antitype.  The antitype is the original or the true thing that the type has copied.  The Old Testament does not use these Greek words, but it is full of the ideas of type and antitype. Actions, artifacts, and people can all be types that point to heavenly realities.

An important concept to understand when studying types, is to remember that types are only limited examples of their antitypes. A type is always inferior or limited in some way. The type is meant to focus our attention on a few aspects of the antitype. In other respects the type may not reflect its counterpart at all. This was true of David as a type of Jesus. He was not equal with Jesus. He was sinful and not divine, yet God wanted us to think of him as a symbol of Jesus in some ways. David was the type. As such, he was not equal with Jesus. Jesus is the antitype. He is superior in every way to David, yet the scriptures use David to show us Jesus more clearly. As you read the following passages, meditate on how knowing David’s story opens up our understanding of Jesus’ mission and character.

Psalms 89:3-4–A Chosen Servant

(3)  You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:  (4)  ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

• Who does the psalm say is the chosen one?  David
• What is David’s relationship to God in verse 3?  God’s servant
• What is the promise given to David in verse 4?  Establish his offspring forever and throne for all generations

Matthew 12:15-21  (quoting Isaiah 42:1)–The Chosen Servant

(15)  Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all (16)  and ordered them not to make him known.  (17)  This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:  (18)  “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.  (19)  He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; (20)  a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; (21)  and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

• Who is the chosen servant in these verses?  Jesus

There are many places in the Bible where David’s life and Jesus’ life are similar.  In other words, David is the pattern that helps us to understand the bigger reality of who Jesus is. Let’s look at a few ways that David is the type of Jesus, so that we can see how the Bible uses types to point to the greater antitype.

Read the following verses and consider the many ways that David and Jesus the same. 

1 Samuel 16:1–Bethlehem

(1)  The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

Matthew 2:1–Bethlehem

(1)  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

• Bethlehem: Both David (1 Samuel 16:1) and Jesus (Matthew 2:1) were born in Bethlehem, the “house of bread”.
• This detail does not really have a lot of meaning.  It is here to be like an arrow pointing between the type and the antitype.

1 Samuel 16:11–A Shepherd

(11)  Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”

John 10:11-15–The Shepherd

(11)  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  (12)  He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  (13)  He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  (14)  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, (15)  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

• Shepherds: David was a shepherd of animals.  Jesus is our shepherd.  People are His sheep.  This is another type of Jesus.  Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd because He wants us to look at the relationship of a shepherd and sheep in order to understand the relationship we need to have with Him.
• Types are used to help us understand things that we might be confused about otherwise and to emphasize some aspect that God wants to point out to us.

2 Samuel 15:13-14–Betrayal

(13)  And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.”  (14)  Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

Luke 22:47-48–Betrayal

(47)  While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, (48)  but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

• Sufferings & Betrayal:  How are Jesus and David’s lives parallel in this situation?  They are betrayed by those near to them. 
• This example shows where type is inferior to the antitype.  David’s son Absalom had some grievances against his father, and from a human standpoint may have been somewhat justified in his actions.  (Although, it also shows that Absalom did not fear God since David was God’s anointed king).  Jesus never gave Judas any reason to betray Him.
• Another way this shows the similarity between David and Jesus is how much David grieved for the son who had betrayed him.  Jesus also grieved for Jerusalem which was going to betray Him.

The lesson we should get from types and antitypes is that God uses familiar examples in order to help us understand eternal realities.  This pattern is repeated everywhere in the scriptures.  We need to be looking at these comparisons to truly understand the significance of details that we read in the New Testament.  Now let’s look at Jesus as the antitypical son of David.  Solomon was the real son, but Jesus is the ultimate son of David.

Matthew 1:1–On David’s Throne

(1)  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

• Why did Matthew think it was important to identify Jesus as the son of David?  There were prophecies about David’s offspring that centered around the Messiah.

Jeremiah 23:5-6–On David’s Throne

(5)  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  (6)  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

Verse 11:  Isaiah 9:6-7–On David’s Throne

(6)  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  (7)  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

• How is Jesus on the throne of David?  Is this a literal throne with a literal earthly kingdom?  No this is the new earth and the New Jerusalem.  Earlier we read in Psalm 89:3-4 that God made a covenant with David that his offspring would sit on his throne forever.  This covenant is fulfilled in Jesus, but it does not point to a Jewish throne.  Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world.  Jesus is going to pull His people out of this sinful world and create a new home where sin is no more.
• David’s kingdom was limited. Jesus’ kingdom contains all of humanity, as well as the heavenly beings. Why compare David’s kingdom to the eternal kingdom? Some concepts are too big for our limited understanding. However, when we can focus in on a smaller reality, it helps the bigger idea become more clear. I can easily understand the earthly power of David. Through that seed of comprehension, I can have a clearer idea of Jesus’ kingly authority.

Revelation 22:16–The Root and Descendant of David

(16)  “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

• How does Jesus identify Himself at the end of the book of Revelation?  The root and the descendant of David
• Having looked at the prophecies, why do you think that Jesus felt it was important to label Himself as the son of David at the very end of the very last book of the Bible?  He wants us to remember the prophecies say that His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and that peace will be the defining characteristic of our lives in that kingdom  (Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.)

These are only a few examples of how the Bible points to David as a type of Jesus. See if you can find more verses. For example, we are told that David was a man after God’s own heart. How is the heart of David the same as Jesus’ heart? David revealed God’s character to us in numerous psalms. What are ways that David and Jesus revealed the same attributes of God to us? David trusted in God completely. Can you find verses that parallel where Jesus and David had the same kind of trust in God/the Father?

Knowing the words type and antitype are not important for your salvation, but understanding the relationship between the New Testament verses and the Old Testament ideas that they refer back to can help you not to be deceived, and that can affect your salvation.  It is important as you read the Bible that you look deeper and deeper into what God is trying to communicate to you.  Part of that understanding of God and His word comes from seeing where the pattern points to the reality.