Was the Messiah supposed to be divine?

The Tanakh hints that he is more than a man: he's called "Mighty God" (Isaiah 9:5), "the LORD our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6), his origins are "from ancient days" (Micah 5:1), and he comes with the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:13).

Most Jewish teaching today expects a human king. But the Scriptures describe this king in ways that stretch past a human being. Isaiah calls the child El Gibbor, "Mighty God", the same title used of God in Isaiah 10:21. Jeremiah gives the king the divine name. Daniel sees "one like a son of man" coming with the clouds and served by every nation.

The rabbis noticed this too. The Talmud says the Messiah is one of three things called by God's name (Bava Batra 75b).

Yeshua's claim isn't that a man became a god. It's that the one God of Israel came near, in a way Israel had already glimpsed: the angel of the LORD who speaks as God (Genesis 16, Exodus 3), the "Word" by which God created.

In the Scriptures

⁵כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִי עַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם׃

⁵For a child is born unto us, a son is given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor Abi-ad-sar-shalom;
Isaiah 9:5 (Hebrew & JPS 1917) · English Bibles: Isaiah 9:6

⁶בְּיָמָיו֙ תִּוָּשַׁ֣ע יְהוּדָ֔ה וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יִשְׁכֹּ֣ן לָבֶ֑טַח וְזֶה־שְּׁמ֥וֹ אֲֽשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֖וֹ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ צִדְקֵֽנוּ׃

⁶In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the LORD is our righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:6 (Hebrew & JPS 1917)

¹³חָזֵ֤ה הֲוֵית֙ בְּחֶזְוֵ֣י לֵֽילְיָ֔א וַאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑ה וְעַד־עַתִּ֤יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃

¹³I saw in the night visions, And, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven One like unto a son of man, And he came even to the Ancient of days, And he was brought near before Him.
Daniel 7:13 (Hebrew & JPS 1917)

A child born: Mighty God One like a son of man The LORD our righteousness Ask about it