Muhammad in the Bible 1: Who is the Prophet like Moses?
Previous articles documented how the Qur'an, The Hadith, The biography of the prophet and the commentaries of respected classic Sunni Scholars attest the Trustworthiness of the Torah and the Gospel.
In multiple passages of the Qur'an and the Hadith its documented a claim, that in the time of Muhammad there were clear references that would be easily found in the Torah and the Gospel:
Those who follow the Apostle, the illiterate prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.(1)
Archaeological findings allows us to know that the manuscripts available at the time of Muhammad contain the same message of today's Bible. There exist full Bible codexes available today predating the revelation of the Qur'an by approximately 3 centuries. Therefore is fair and possible to examine today's Bibles to understand if Muhammad is found within it. This is the first of a series of articles evaluating some of those texts claimed by Islam to make reference about Muhammad.
Deuteronomy 18 is claimed to contain clear reference to Muhammad. The verse reads as follows:
18 I will raise up for them a prophet (Prophet) from among their brethren like you, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not hearken to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. (2)
The debate among Jews, Christians and Muslims usually develop into discussions whether this verse refers to Jesus, Muhammad or someone else. I will focus only on Muhammad. And I propose looking at this from a grammatical and hermeneutical point of view.
Let us understand the background of Deuteronomy and chapter 18. Deuteronomy is a repetition of the Laws already given to Moses. It was a reminder of what had been given before, because the people of Israel had been wandering for years is the dessert:
The book consists of three sermons or speeches delivered to the Israelites by Moses on the plains of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land. The first sermon recapitulates the forty years of wilderness wanderings which have led to this moment, and ends with an exhortation to observe the law (or teachings), later referred to as the Law of Moses; the second reminds the Israelites of the need for exclusive allegiance to one God and observance of the laws (or teachings) he has given them, on which their possession of the land depends; and the third offers the comfort that even should Israel prove unfaithful and so lose the land, with repentance all can be restored.(3)
Now verse 18 makes part of the second speech. In this chapter we find toree main topics:
1. From verses 1 to 8 the guidance on provisions for the Levites, the priestly tribe.
2. From verses 9 to 14 is a reminder to be separated from the people of the Land they were about to enter. In there it was common to slay and make child offerings, doing witchcraft and doing omens. God asks the Israelites to keep themselves separated from those practices.
3. Then From verses 15 to 22 is found the promise for prophetical provision. Here God says he will be providing a prophet to mediate between Him and the Israelites.
Two key verses, are parallel and convey a very similar message. Both verses 15 and 18 make reference to the prophet:
15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. (4)
18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (5)
The Muslim claim is that Moses was a siebling of the Israelites but also of the Ishmaelites. Islamic tradition claims Muhammad is a descendant of Ishmael, and therefore he could qualify to be a prophet like Moses. However, Jews and Christians understood this to mean that this prophet must be a fellow Israelite. In the same way Islam requires when studying the Qur'an to review the original arabic, it's required to refer to the original Hebrew in this case.
I would like to present an interlinear translation of the verses:
| Verse 15 | ||||
| 5030 | A prophet | נָבִ֨יא | nā·ḇî | |
| 7130 | among | מִקִּרְבְּךָ֤ | miq·qir·bə·ḵā | |
| 251 | your countrymen | מֵאַחֶ֙יךָ֙ | mê·’a·ḥe·ḵā | |
| 3644 | like | כָּמֹ֔נִי | kā·mō·nî, | |
| 6965 | will raise | יָקִ֥ים | yā·qîm | |
| - | לְךָ֖ | lə·ḵā | ||
| 3068 | the LORD | יְהוָ֣ה | Yah·weh | |
| 430 | your God | אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ | ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā; | |
| 413 | about | אֵלָ֖יו | ’ê·lāw | |
| 8085 | shall listen | תִּשְׁמָעֽוּן׃ | tiš·mā·‘ūn. | |
| Verse 18 | ||||
| 5030 | A prophet | נָבִ֨יא | nā·ḇî | |
| 6965 | will raise | אָקִ֥ים | ’ā·qîm | |
| 1992 | from | לָהֶ֛ם | lā·hem | |
| 7130 | among | מִקֶּ֥רֶב | miq·qe·reḇ | |
| 251 | their countrymen | אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם | ’ă·ḥê·hem | |
| 3644 | like | כָּמ֑וֹךָ | kā·mō·w·ḵā; | |
| 5414 | will put | וְנָתַתִּ֤י | wə·nā·ṯat·tî | |
| 1697 | my words | דְבָרַי֙ | ḏə·ḇā·ray | |
| 6310 | his mouth | בְּפִ֔יו | bə·p̄îw, | |
| 1696 | shall speak | וְדִבֶּ֣ר | wə·ḏib·ber | |
| 413 | about | אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם | ’ă·lê·hem, | |
| 853 | - | אֵ֖ת | ’êṯ | |
| 3605 | all | כָּל־ | kāl- | |
| 834 | i | אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ’ă·šer | |
| 6680 | command | אֲצַוֶּֽנּוּ׃ | ’ă·ṣaw·wen·nū. | |
In verse 15 it's writte: nā·ḇî miq·qir·bə·ḵā mê·’a·ḥe·ḵā kā·mō·nîn yā·qîm lə·ḵā YHWH ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā, word by word translated - A prophet from within your (2nd person masculine singular) midst, from your brothers, like Me, YHWH your Lords will raise unto you. From the context expressed from verse we know Moses is speaking to the congregation of Israelites who were with him. All the speech comes from Deuteronomy 1:1:
These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. (6)
In verse 18, it's read nabi ’ā·qîm lā·hem miq·qe·reḇ ’ă·ḥê·hem kā·mō·w·ḵā; which is translated word by word - A prophet I will raise unto them (Israelites) from the midst of their brothers, like you (Moses). Note that God refers in the conversation to a prophet, to Moses and "them". We know that "them" here refers to the Israelites in the dessert, based on what verses 16 and 17 tells us:
16 This is what you requested from the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, 'Let us not continue to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die! ' 17 Then the LORD said to me, 'They have spoken well'.(7)
| Two issues which disqualify Muhammad to be the prophet like Moses are: 1. The prophet would come from the seed within the people who was with Moses: the words "miqqereb" and "miqqirbeka", both have the prefix "mem" which means from and the root "qrb". This root, according to the Strong's lexicon and the Gesenius lexicon mean (8):
|
2. The prophet like Moses was expected to know God face to face, and his life be filled with miracles and signs: Deuteronomy 34 tells us that after Moses died there had not been any prophet like Moses, with the following qualifications (9):
10 No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do against the land of Egypt -- to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Within the Qur'an and the hadith it's not found argumentation that Muhammad was the prophet like Moses, as specified by Deuteronomy 34:
A) there is no record to claim that Muhammad met God, the revelation of the Qur'an came to Muhammad via the Angel Gabriel. He did not know God face to face, he didn't even hear God himself speaking the words of the revelation.
B) it was expected that the prophet would be accompanied by signs and wonders which would parallel those which Moses performed in the sight of the people of Israel against the land of Egypt. Which of the signs which accompanied Muhammad parallels those performed by Moses against Egypt?
In the Qur'an is related that people asked Prophet Mohammad to perform a miracle:
They say: "We shall not believe in thee, until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth(9)
[They are] those who said, "Indeed, Allah has taken our promise not to believe any messenger until he brings us an offering which fire [from heaven] will consume." (10
In the Jewish Tanakh (also known as Old Testament) it's mentioned that Moses stroke a rock in the dessert and water gushed from it. Elijah prayed for fire, and it consumed the animal sacrifice when competing against the priests of Baal. It's not a coincidence that Mohammad was asked for these miracles by the people from the Book. Elijah was expected to come before the arrival of the Messiah, and since the Jews do not believe Jesus was the Messiah (Al Masih) they were still looking for Elijah at the time of prophet Muhammad. They were also expectant for a prophet capable to do similar signs which Moses did when leaving Egypt, as Deutoronomy 34 had defined
Summary of The Gap
Deuteronomy 18 cannot be fulfilled in the person of prophet Muhammad because:
A) there is no record to claim that Muhammad met God, the revelation of the Qur'an came to Muhammad via the Angel Gabriel. He did not know God face to face, he didn't even hear God himself speaking the words of the revelation.
B) it was expected that the prophet would be accompanied by signs and wonders which would parallel those which Moses performed in the sight of the people of Israel against the land of Egypt. Which of the signs which accompanied Muhammad parallels those performed by Moses against Egypt?
In the Qur'an is related that people asked Prophet Mohammad to perform a miracle:
They say: "We shall not believe in thee, until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth(9)
[They are] those who said, "Indeed, Allah has taken our promise not to believe any messenger until he brings us an offering which fire [from heaven] will consume." (10
In the Jewish Tanakh (also known as Old Testament) it's mentioned that Moses stroke a rock in the dessert and water gushed from it. Elijah prayed for fire, and it consumed the animal sacrifice when competing against the priests of Baal. It's not a coincidence that Mohammad was asked for these miracles by the people from the Book. Elijah was expected to come before the arrival of the Messiah, and since the Jews do not believe Jesus was the Messiah (Al Masih) they were still looking for Elijah at the time of prophet Muhammad. They were also expectant for a prophet capable to do similar signs which Moses did when leaving Egypt, as Deutoronomy 34 had defined
Summary of The Gap
Deuteronomy 18 cannot be fulfilled in the person of prophet Muhammad because:
- Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:15 makes clear distinction that the promised prophet would come from the seeds of one of those who were with Moses in Sinai.
- The Qur'an does not document any miracle which accompanied Muhammad similar to those signs which accompanied Moses. The Hadith documents that the moon split and that water flowed from Mohammad's hands for his companions. The Qur'an claims that it is a miracle itself. Though it's claimable that both Moses and Mohammad received divine revelation, in the case of Moses God Spoke to him and his countrymen heard the voice of God. Moses knew God face to Face, Mohammad did not meet God. Some signs which people was expecting was for example converting water into blood or walking though the waters with dry feet.
- As mentioned before the promised prophet was expected to know God Face to Face.
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Footnotes:
(1) Qur'an 7:157
(2) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_in_the_Bible Deuteronomy 18:18-20
(3) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Deuteronomy
(4) Deuteronomy 18:15 (HCSB)
(5) Deuteronomy 18:18 (HCSB)
(6) Deuteronomy 1:1 (HCSB)
(7) Deuteronomy 18:16-17 (HCSB)
(8) Strong's lexicon for word H7130
(9) Qur'an 17:90
(10) Qur'an 3:183
(10) Qur'an 3:183
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