Jeremiah 23:5-6 presents the coming figure in unmistakably human and royal terms: He is a Branch raised up for David and will reign as king. At the same time, verse 6 associates Him with the remarkable name traditionally rendered "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Christian interpreters have therefore often seen in this passage an anticipation of a Messiah who is genuinely descended from David yet bears a name closely associated with the LORD Himself. Care is warranted, however, because the Hebrew title can also be understood as proclaiming that the LORD is the source of the people's righteousness, and Jeremiah 33:16 applies closely related wording to Jerusalem.

The New Testament clearly teaches the fuller truth expressed in this table's description. Jesus accepts the title "Lord" in John 13:13, while the New Testament as a whole presents Him as both truly human and divine. The textual history of 1 Timothy 3:16 varies among manuscripts, but the passage in every major reading concerns Christ's manifestation in the flesh. Thus Jeremiah 23:5-6 contributes significantly to Christian reflection on the identity of the Messiah, especially when read alongside the New Testament, but the doctrine that Christ is both God and Man rests on the cumulative New Testament witness rather than upon the divine title in Jeremiah alone.