Biblical Passages and the Coming Messenger

Biblical passages often read in connection with a coming messenger are gathered here. The passages do not all carry the same weight; read together, they explain why these texts entered a long interpretive discussion in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim contexts.

Prophetic Indications of The Coming Prophet in the Extant Torah and Gospel

The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned upon His people from Seir, and shone forth from Mount Paran; He came with ten thousands of holy ones, in His right hand was a flaming fire for His people.

Deuteronomy 33:2

In this verse, Sinai is the mountain where Prophet Moses received the tablets of the Law. Seir designates Palestine — the land where Prophet Jesus appeared — while Paran refers to the mountains around Mecca. This identification is corroborated elsewhere in the Torah, which records that Abraham settled his son Ishmael in Paran (Genesis 21).

A strikingly similar prophetic geography is found in the Book of Habakkuk:

God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise.

Habakkuk 3:3

The two passages meet at an important point: both invoke Mount Paran as the locus of a divine manifestation yet to come, distinct from the revelations at Sinai and Seir. That the earth would be full of His praise takes on further significance when one considers that the name Muhammad itself means one who is praised — a correspondence that various scholars have not left unremarked.

The Divine Promise Concerning Ishmael

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 17:20

The pledge to Abraham concerning his son Ishmael establishes, within the Torah itself, that the Ishmaelite line was to produce a great nation. The fulfilment read into this promise through the advent of Prophet Muhammad and the civilisation that arose through his message has long been discussed in that light.

From the Lineage of Ishmael

The following verse in the Torah, addressed to Moses, conveys a divine promise:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

Deuteronomy 18:18-19

One striking feature of Deuteronomy 18 is its wording: the prophet comes from among your brethren, rather than from among you or from the Israelites. This expression should not be read as a loose or casual term of closeness in the modern sense. The Jews were a people defined by lineage and tribal descent; for that reason, words such as brethren, sons, and seed carried a far more precise and weighty meaning in their language. The address, too, is directed not to a single individual, but to the whole community descended from the twelve sons of Jacob. When such a collective body is addressed as a whole, the phrase from among your brethren suggests not one arising from within their own internal ranks, but one coming from a related yet distinct branch of kinship.

A second important feature of Deuteronomy 18 is the phrase like unto thee. The passage points to a prophet with a Moses-like profile, not to prophetic status in a generic sense. Moses was more than a messenger who received revelation: he was a leader of his people, a bearer of divine ordinances, a founder of communal order, and one under whom major historical developments unfolded during his own lifetime. Measured by that standard, John does not fit this profile. Jesus, though a great and central prophet, is not presented in the New Testament as a Mosaic lawgiving figure or as the governing head of a people in the same manner.

For that reason, the exchange in John 1:19–21 immediately below is especially important. John is asked separately, Art thou the Christ? Art thou Elias? Art thou that prophet? This threefold distinction shows that, in Jewish expectation, the Christ, Elias, and that prophet were not collapsed into one and the same figure. When Deuteronomy 18 is read with this in mind — especially its phrases from among your brethren and like unto thee — what emerges is a third prophetic figure, distinct from both the Christ and Elias.

On this reading, Prophet Muhammad, known to have come from the line of Ishmael, appears most visibly to correspond both to the idea of a prophet from the brethren and to the description of one like Moses: a prophet who brought divine ordinances, led a community, and whose lifetime itself witnessed major historical transformation.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.' 'Are you the Prophet?' And he answered, 'No.'

John 1:19-21

The threefold interrogation recorded in this passage distinguishes three separate figures awaited by the Jews of the first century: the Messiah, Elijah, and the Prophet. That the Prophet is asked about as a figure distinct from both the Messiah and Elijah indicates a widely held expectation of yet another prophetic advent — one that had not been fulfilled by the time of Jesus.

The Servant of the Lord and the Descendants of Kedar

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Isaiah 42:1-3

Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the ends of the earth… Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

Isaiah 42:10-11

The reference to Kedar is of particular importance. According to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael — placing him squarely within the Ishmaelite genealogy. That the prophetic new song and the establishment of justice among the nations are associated with the settlements of Kedar has led numerous scholars to identify this passage as a foretelling of Prophet Muhammad, who descended from the Ishmaelite line through Kedar, and whose message indeed reached the ends of the earth.

The Name Muhammad in the Song of Solomon

His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely.

Song of Solomon 5:16 (English translation)

In the original Hebrew text of this verse, the word rendered in English as altogether lovely is מחמדים (Machmadim). The root of this word — ח-מ-ד (Ḥ-M-D) — is the same Semitic root from which the Arabic name Muhammad (محمد) is derived, both carrying the essential meaning of praised, desired, or lovely. The suffix -im in Hebrew is a plural of majesty, employed to express greatness or eminence. While conventional exegesis treats the term as a common adjective, the philological correspondence with the name Muhammad has attracted considerable attention in comparative scriptural scholarship.

The Kingdom Transferred to Another Nation

Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruits.'

Matthew 21:42-43

In this parable, Jesus addresses the chief priests and elders of Israel, declaring that the divine stewardship — the kingdom of God — would be removed from the Israelites and entrusted to another nation. The identity of this recipient nation has been the subject of extensive theological debate. Various scholars have interpreted a nation producing its fruits as a reference to the community (Ummah) established by Prophet Muhammad — a community that arose from outside the Israelite lineage and carried forward the monotheistic message to all peoples.

The Psalms: Portrait of the Coming Prophet

The Book of Psalms — known in the Islamic tradition as the Zabūr (الزبور), the scripture revealed to the Prophet David — contains remarkable passages that have attracted sustained attention in comparative scriptural scholarship. Psalm 45, traditionally classified as a royal or messianic psalm, and Psalm 72, a prayer for the ideal king, delineate a series of characteristics that some scholars have identified as corresponding more closely to Prophet Muhammad than to any other prophetic figure.

You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; the peoples fall under You. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

Psalm 45:2-7 (New King James Version, NKJV)

The figure described here is fairer than the sons of men, a sword-bearing warrior, a ruler who governs with justice, and a leader distinguished above his companions through divine anointing. These attributes correspond in their entirety to the life and mission of Prophet Muhammad. It is recorded in an authenticated tradition (hadith) that the Prophet himself declared: I was sent with the sword before the Hour — a statement that accords with the martial and judicial dimensions of the psalm's portrayal.

Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth. I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

Psalm 45:16-17 (New King James Version, NKJV)

Although fourteen centuries have elapsed since the passing of Prophet Muhammad, billions of believers invoke blessings upon him — Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad… — five times daily following each of the prescribed prayers. There exists no other figure in human history whose name has been commemorated with such unbroken continuity. The psalmist's promise — I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations — has thus been fulfilled in its fullest sense.

Psalm 72: The Universal Dominion

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight… His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.

Psalm 72:8-17 (New King James Version, NKJV)

Psalm 72 envisions a figure whose dominion extends from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth, before whom those who dwell in the wilderness — the desert peoples — will bow, and to whom kings will bring tribute. He is characterised above all by compassion for the poor and the defenceless, and his name is promised eternal endurance: His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed. A number of commentators have noted that this portrait — of a compassionate ruler, defender of the oppressed, whose dominion extends across nations and whose name endures through the ages — finds its most comprehensive historical fulfilment in the person and legacy of Prophet Muhammad.

A Related Witness: The Name Muhammad in the Gospel of Barnabas

Although the focus is mainly on passages from the Old and New Testaments, the Gospel of Barnabas deserves a brief note because the later messenger is identified many times in the text with the name Muhammad. Those explicit references are striking, but they should be handled with care.

The text that has reached us clearly passed through later stages of translation, transmission, and redaction. For that reason, every explicit occurrence of the name Muhammad does not need to be treated as if it must preserve the exact wording of an earliest layer. Some of these name references may reflect how later translators or redactors understood the figure described in the text. Reading the inherited material in their own historical setting, they may have applied the name Muhammad to the coming messenger because they believed he was the figure most clearly matching the description.

That possibility shifts the emphasis from a single name to the profile of the figure. Even if the name Muhammad had not appeared explicitly, the description itself would still be significant: a messenger after Jesus, connected with the restoration of divine truth, and presented as the one whose coming gives completion to the prophetic line. Among figures after Jesus, Prophet Muhammad is the only historical candidate whose mission gives that profile a global historical form.

The examples here are only a selection. Ottoman scholar Husayn al-Jisr (d. 1909), in his Risāla-i Ḥamīdiyya, collected a much larger set of prophetic indications that he believed pointed to Prophet Muhammad in the existing scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Whether one accepts every example or not, his work illustrates how the argument has often been presented: as a cumulative pattern across multiple scriptural passages rather than a single isolated proof-text.

The following Qur'anic verse is especially relevant to that wider claim:

Those to whom We have given the Scripture recognise him as they recognise their own sons. Yet those who have brought loss upon themselves — it is they who will not believe.

Qur'an, Al-An‘ām 6:20

Reference controls and limits

This page is deliberately cumulative. It is not asking Song of Songs 5:16, Psalm 72, Isaiah 42, Deuteronomy 18, or John 14–16 to prove the whole case alone. Each passage should be read first in its own textual setting, then compared with the wider Abrahamic pattern of Ishmael, Paran, Kedar, received speech, and a later messenger.

• Primary passages: Genesis 17:20; Genesis 21:21; Deuteronomy 18:15–18; Deuteronomy 33:2; Isaiah 42:1–12; Matthew 21:42–43; Psalm 72; Song of Songs 5:16; John 14:16–17; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7–13.
• Language controls: BibleHub interlinear tools and standard translations are used to distinguish Hebrew/Greek wording from later interpretive application.
• Historical Muslim witness: Husayn al-Jisr, Risāla-i Ḥamīdiyya, is cited as an example of the larger cumulative Muslim argument, not as an independent proof of every passage.
• Connection to Barnabas: explicit Muhammad-name passages in the extant Barnabas text are treated cautiously because they may reflect later translation or redactional clarification.