In the Jewish tradition the future King of Israel was called the messiah. The messiah would be human and not a god. The Jews thought the messiah would be a powerful figure who would overthrow the enemy and not be killed by the enemy. There is no indication that Jewish tradition ever thought that the messiah would die for others, that was a Christian concept created later. The term Christ is the Greek for messiah.

(The Great Courses – How Jesus Became God)