In my previous posts I have discussed that why Christians claim that the son of sacrifice was Isaac (peace be upon him)? I also concluded through evidence both from Bible and Quran that the son of sacrifice was in fact Ishmael (peace be upon him). See link below to my post on "Who is the son of sacrifice in Bible - Ishamel or Isaac" if someone has missed it:
Who is the son of sacrifice in Bible - Ishmael or Isaac
Once we have established that, our next step is to discuss if Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was mentioned in Bible. This is the topic of this thread and I will quote Quran only to make a statement and the evidence will come from Bible itself.
What Does Quran Say about Prophecy of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in Bible?
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures) in the law and the Gospel. [Quran 7:157]And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said, 'O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me and giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed.' But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, 'This is evident sorcery!' [Quran 61:6]So Quranic view is very clear from references I provided above.Those to whom We have given the Book recognize it as they recognize their own children. But some of them conceal the truth while they know [Quran 2:146]
What does Bible say about Prophecy of Prophet Muhammad PBUH?
The Bible informs us that the Jews expected three prophets to follow, for the Pharisees are recorded as having questioned John the Baptist as follows:
After John the Baptist identified himself in evasive terms, the Pharisees persisted by inquiring:Now 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)
So there we have it—“Elijah,” “the Christ,” and “the Prophet.” Not just once, but twice.“Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1:25)
That was the short list of prophets the Jews expected according to their scripture.
Now, despite the fact that John the Baptist denied being Elijah in the above quote, Jesus identified him as Elijah twice (Matthew 11:13–14, 17:11–13). Scriptural inconsistencies aside, let’s chalk up Elijah on the word of Jesus, not think too deeply over who “the Christ” refers to, and concentrate on what remains. Who is the third and last on the Old Testament list of foretold prophets? Who is “the Prophet?”
Some Christians expect this final prophet to be Jesus returned, but others expect a different prophet entirely. Hence the reason why all Jews and many Christians are waiting for a final prophet, as predicted by their own scripture. I will keep updating this post to provide more evidence in future to show that this prophet was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
THE PROPHECY IN DEUTERONOMY 33
I will start our discussion with the 95th chapter of the Qur’an, “The Fig”:
In the beginning of this chapter of the Qur’an, God refers to three locations.By the fig and the olive and [by] Mount Sinai and [by] this secure city (Mecca). We have certainly created man in the best of stature. Then We return him to the lowest of the low. Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for they will have a reward uninterrupted. So what yet causes you to deny the recompense? Is not God the most just of judges? [Quran Chapter 95]
- The land of Palestine is meant from the statement “by the fig and the olive”, as greater Palestine is known for its abundance in these fruits.
- The second location mentioned, “Mount Sinai”, is known to be in Egypt.
- The third statement, “this secure city”, refers to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, as this is where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was living when this chapter of the Qur’an was revealed to him.
How this connects with Prophecy in Bible?
The Bible mentions exactly the same locations in a prophecy given by Moses, foretelling the emergence of a “fiery law” in Arabia:
I am going to show that this prophecy is in fact a reference to the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This prophecy can be divided into two parts:And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them. [Deuteronomy 33:1-2]
- The mention of Sinai, Seir and Paran
- The emergence of ten thousand saints and a law
I will now discuss each of these in detail:
The mention of Sinai, Seir and Paran
Here one can see clearly that three locations are mentioned. Sinai is in Egypt, where Moses came from with a message from God, as is evident from the statement “the Lord came from Sinai”. Seir is an allusion to Palestine, as mount Seir was situated within the ancient kingdom of Edom, which was in Palestine. This is according to commentators of the Old Testament:“The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran…”
Palestine is where Jesus appeared with a call to God: “[the Lord] rose up from Seir”.“Seir is the mountain land of the Edomites to the east of Sinai” [Source: Keil-Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament", 1991, p. 497].
The big question is: which location is being referred to in the final part of the verse whereby God proclaims “he shined forth from mount Paran”?
The Bible tells us that Paran is the very place where Ishmael dwelt:
The dwelling place of Ishmael was none other than Arabia. It’s important to note that biblical geographers differ as to the exact location of Paran. However, they are unanimous that Paran is somewhere within Arabia. From Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible:“While he (Ishmael) was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt” [Genesis 21:21].
Strong’s Bible Dictionary also tells us that Paran is a desert of Arabia:He dwelt in the wilderness of Paran – This is generally allowed to have been a part of the desert belonging to Arabia Petraea, in the vicinity of Mount Sinai; and this seems to be its uniform meaning in the sacred writings.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, which are dated to the second century BCE and represent the oldest surviving manuscript evidence for the Old Testament along with other apocryphal books, link Ishmael and his descendants to Arabia:H6290 pâ’rân From H6286; ornamental; Paran, a desert of Arabia: – Paran.
Sebeos, a seventh century Armenian bishop and historian, when describing the Arab conquest of his time, wrote that the Arabs “assembled and came out from Paran” [Source: The Armenian History of Sebeosi written by Sebeos, pp. 95-97].
Encyclopaedia Biblica, edited by Reverend T. K. Cheyne, asserts: “Paran re-fers to the Arab tribal names, farran or faran.” [Source: Encyclopaedia Biblica, p. 3583]
The fifth century chronicler Sozomen, a Christian historian who wrote much about the history of the Church, wrote that Arabs descended from Ishmael the son of Abraham and were, as a result, originally called Ishmaelites. They practiced circumcision like the Jews, refrained from the use of pork and observed many other Jewish rites and customs.And Ishmael and his sons, and the sons of Keturah and their sons, went together and dwelt from Paran to the entering in of Babylon in all the land which is towards the East facing the desert. And these mingled with each other, and their name was called Arabs, and Ishmaelite. [Source: Dead Sea Scrolls, Book of Jubilees, p.118, verses 12-13]
Hence, the Paran (or Pharan) of Ishmael was certainly in the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, we can narrow this location down further. Modern academic research supports the claim that Ishmael’s Paran was indeed in a specific part of Arabia known as Hijaz, modern-day Western Saudi Arabia."Indeed there are some among them, even at the present day," he wrote, "who regulate their lives according to the Jewish precepts." [Source: The Ecclesiastical History of the Church written by Sozomen, p. 309]
Irfan Shahid, one of the world’s most renowned authorities on pre-Islamic, ancient Arabian geography/history, stated that there was a place called Pharan in Hijaz, which belonged to the Sulaym tribe [Source: Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century written by Irfan Shahid, p. 325].Some Christians claim that Paran is not in Arabia, but rather in the desert of Sinai in Egypt. But this can’t be the case, as the Old Testament clearly distinguishes between Sinai and Paran as two separate places:Professor Haseeb Shehada, an Israeli scholar and professor, in his translation of the Samaritan version of the Torah suggested an identification of the wilderness of Paran with the desert of Western Arabia which is known today as Hijaz. [Source: Translation of the Samaritan Torah by Professor Haseeb Shehada, p. 90]
The emergence of ten thousand saints and a law“Then the Is-raelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran.” [Numbers 10:12]
This brings us onto the next part of the prophecy, “he came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them”. The question we must now ask is: who came from/to Arabia with ten thousand saints and a law in his right hand? As we’ve seen, the third location, Paran, is a direct reference to Western Saudi Arabia. It just so happens that this is exactly where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born, in the city of Mecca which is located in Western Saudi Arabia. At the time in the seventh century, the vast majority of Meccans were polytheistic in religion. Then, in 610 CE, God appointed Muhammad as His Prophet. He began to call his people to a new, monotheistic religion. Initially, Muhammad preached in private, and his early followers congregated in secret. When Muhammad eventually declared his message publicly, he and his early followers were met with increasing hostility. His mission to reform society, which included the call for his people to renounce idolatry and advocating for the rights of the poor and the weak, inevitably put him on a collision course with the rich and powerful tribes of Mecca.
The leaders of Mecca instigated a sustained campaign of violence against what they saw as a rival faith and a threat to their power structure. For over a decade, Muslims would go on to suffer severe persecution; they endured beatings, torture, imprisonment and some were even killed. The leaders of Mecca even signed a pact resulting in the complete social and economic boycott of Muslims along with the tribes associated with them. Muhammad and his followers were forced by these circumstances to leave their homes and wander in the outskirts of Mecca. Confined to the harsh and barren desert valley, they struggled to survive for three years, with even food and medicine being barred to them. During what is known as the Year of Grief, Muhammad’s uncle Abu Talib passed away. Abu Lahab, early Islam’s archenemy and Muhammad’s bitterest foe, replaced Abu Talib as the chief of the tribe. The persecution of the early Muslim community in Mecca intensified and in 622 CE, after suffering for nearly a decade and a half, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers fled their home city of Mecca in order to escape persecution. They had to leave behind their possessions and proper-ties which were confiscated by their enemies.
They arrived safely in the city of Medina. There, the early Muslim community regrouped and flourished. The persecution by their enemies had by no means come to an end, as over the next ten years the tribes of Mecca fought numerous wars against the Muslims. In 629 CE, the Meccans broke a mutual peace treaty with the Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) then led a Muslim army of ten thousand in a triumphant return to their home city of Mecca, nearly a decade after they had been forced to flee it. This historic event is known as the Conquest of Mecca:
This is an exact fulfilment of the Bible’s foretelling of the coming of ten thousand saints to Mecca. These saints are the ten thousand Muslims who accompanied Muhammad in the conquest and obeyed God and His Messenger in all matters.Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet left Medina (for Mecca) in the company of ten-thousand (Muslim warriors) in (the month of) Ramadan, and that was eight and a half years after his migration to Medina. He and the Muslims who were with him, proceeded on their way to Mecca. He was fasting and they were fasting, but when they reached a place called Al-Kadid which was a place of water between 'Usfan and Kudaid, he broke his fast and so did they. [Sahih Bukhari, 59:574]
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not just arrive with an army, he also brought with him the Qur’an, the law that was divinely revealed to him from God through the angel Gabriel. The Qur’an was the book by which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) judged all matters, and the fate of the Meccans was no exception. Before ordering the troops to enter Mecca, the Prophet instructed his men to lift their hands only against those who drew swords against them. He also directed them neither to lay their hands on any moveable or immovable property of the Meccans, nor to destroy anything. The Muslim army entered the city peacefully. No house was robbed; no man or woman was harmed or even insulted. The Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) first act was to go to the Ka’aba, which Muslims believe was originally built by Abraham and Ishmael as a place of worship dedicated to the One God, but subsequently turned into a house of idolatry by the pagan Meccans. There he proceeded to destroy the idols and false gods within, whilst reciting the following verse of the Qur’an:
Then the Prophet went before the defeated people whose hearts were trembling, waiting to see what the victorious conqueror would do with them. The Meccans were afraid because the Arabs had lived by the law of retaliation; their own practice was that of revenge and murder. Many of them were expecting some sort of punishment in accordance with the traditions of the Arabs, and Muhammad had the power to exact that punishment. But, instead, the Prophet granted a general amnesty to the entire population of Mecca, saying to them, “There is no censure on you on this day. May God forgive you, for He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.”Say, the Truth has come and falsehood gone. Verily falsehood is bound to vanish [Quran 17:81].
Muhammad (peace be upon him) could have taken vengeance against all those who had persecuted him and his people for so many years, but instead he forgave them. His merciful conduct was in accordance with the Qur’an’s laws of justice:
It's one thing to forgive others when you are in a position of weakness and have no choice, but it’s very difficult to do so when you find yourself in a position of strength over your staunch enemies and brutal oppressors. This is one of the many beautiful qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that changed the hatred in the hearts of his enemies to love for him, as the Qur’an testifies:You who believe, uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your close relatives…[Quran 4:135].
In summary, we can see that a Biblical prophecy was fulfilled to the letter with the advent of the Prophet of Islam. There is no other person in the entire history of mankind who emerged from Arabia in such circumstances, with ten thousand saints and a law, except the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. [Quran 21:107]
Last edited by 'Abdullah; 11-21-2019 at 06:08 PM.
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Assalam o alaikum rahmatullahi
https://youtu.be/yJk6VB_coiI
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the city of Madinah in The Bible - YouTube
The main proof of Muhammad’s Prophethood, peace and blessings be upon him, is and forever will be the Miraculous Qur’an which was revealed by God to him thro......
@taha_
I understand that its the biggest proof but I am posting this stuff for Christian audiance who reject Quran. For them Bible in word of God not Quran. It is best to talk to them in their language, using their book which they believe in. Once they see clear evidences in Bible, then Insha'Allah Allah will open the hearts of those who are sincere to accept Islam.
And Allah knows the best!
Ma'a Salama
Post updated: Added prophecy in [Deuteronomy 33:1-2]
Second Prophecy in Bible for the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)-DEUTERONOMY 18:18I (God) will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee (Moses), and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.[Deuteronomy 18:18]While Deuteronomy 18:18 is about the prophecy of a coming prophet, very next verse Deuteronomy 18:19 is a severe warning against those who will reject this prophet. I will first discuss the prophecy and will leave it up to my Christians friends to think about the warning in Deuteronomy 18:19.And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him.(in some translations: "I will be the Revenger").[Deuteronomy 18:19]
Many Christians believe this prophecy foretold by Moses to be in regards to Jesus. Indeed Jesus was foretold in the Old Testament, but as will be clear, this prophecy does not befit him, but rather is more deserving of Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him. Moses foretold the following:
1. The Prophet Will Be Like Moses
Muhammad Muhammad Acceptance by own people 3 0
In the table above I compared 12 areas and it is only Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who meet all the areas I compared.
2. The Awaited Prophet will be from the Brethren of the Jews
The verse in discussion is explicit in saying that the prophet will come amongst the Brethren of the Jews. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac as I discussed that before. The Jews are the descendants of Isaac’s son, Jacob. The Arabs are the children of Ishmael. Thus, the Arabs are the brethren of the Jewish nation. The Bible affirms:
The children of Isaac are the brethren of the Ishmaelites. Likewise, Muhammad is from among the brethren of the Israelites, because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of Abraham.‘And he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.’ (Genesis 16:12)
‘And he (Ishmael) died in the presence of all his brethren.’ (Genesis 25:18)
3. God Will Put His Words in the Mouth of the Awaited Prophet
The Quran says of Muhammad (peace be upon him):
Interestingly, Muslims begin every chapter of the Quran in the name of God by saying:Neither does he speak out of his own desire: that [which he conveys to you] is but [a divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired.[Quran 53:3-4]
This is quite similar to the verse in Deuteronomy 18:18:Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem
"‘In the Name of God, the Most-Merciful, the Dispenser of Grace."
The Prophet Muhammad came with a message to the whole world, and from them, the Jews. All, including the Jews, must accept his prophethood, and this is supported by the following words:
4. A Warning to RejectersThe LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.[Deuteronomy 18:15]
The prophecy continues:
How could Christians and Jews then say that Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala did not leave guidance for them to follow Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Read the Bible at your own and you will see there are many very clear prophecies which are only fulfilled by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). If you still reject him then its your pride and ego which is asking you not to accept the truth. I will post few more evidences in near future.And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him." (in some translations: "I will be the Revenger").[Deuteronomy 18:19]
I will try to briefly summarize the Jewish position on this matter:
Jews believe that God's word is perfect and absolute. It therefore does not make sense that a perfect God would come up with a "new and improved" religion for people to follow, be it Christianity or Islam.
Sure, the Torah revealed on Musaformat_quote Originally Posted by JohannahSmith
was prefect and absolute but it was meant for only the children of Israel. Moreover, the original version is no long preserved. It was meant to be replaced by Quran and Judaism was meant to be replaced by Islam from the very beginning, as Islam and Quran are for the whole of humanity until the last day.
From the Jewish perspective, the Torah was only accepted by the children of Israel, hence why Jews were to act as a "light upon the nations." But its message is for all mankind, not just Jews. We consider that the original version WAS preserved... when you look at the Dead Sea scrolls, they are nearly identical to modern-day Torah. Why? Because Jewish scribes took extra care to accurately transcribe word-for-word the Torah scrolls over the years. The authentic Dead Sea scrolls passages are completely readable to modern-day Hebrew-fluent people and correspond almost perfectly to the modern Torah. Again, an important belief in Judaism is that to truly have free will and have merit for our good deeds, humanity has hints of God's existence but still needs to doubt. If we were to be 100% certain of God's existence and of being rewarded for whatever good we do, then we wouldn't have so much merit for the good things we do. This is the reason why the Torah is sufficient for us and why God doesn't need everyone to be Jews or to study Torah... just little hints of it here and there to stay on the right path.format_quote Originally Posted by AabiruSabeelSure, the Torah revealed on Musa
We humans grow...we develop, we learn from each other and we build on each others knowledge.format_quote Originally Posted by JohannahSmith
We make new discoveries and change our standards and therefore we change our living, our habits and our interests.
a few examples:
We discovered alcohol
we adopted the idea of homosexuality being normal
if these rules were given to Adam as, and the first humans, no one would understand because alcohol and homosexuality were not "a thing" yet. Alcohol wasn't discovered and homosexuality started to be a problem in the time of Lot as. (if I remember correctly)
So as people develop, the rules of religion must be renewed. that is why Judaism started being obsolete with the arrival of Jesus as and then later on with Muhammad sas.
You ask What does Bible say about Prophecy of Prophet Muhammad ? The answer is nothing ! Muslims are desperate to find Mohamad in the Bible. But he is not there !format_quote Originally Posted by 'Abdullah
Let me explain John 1 :19–21 and who “the Prophet is” ? The Jews were confused and simply trying to understand their prophecies. Jesus is both The Christ and the prophet. When John comes on the scene, he has an incredible impact on the Jews and the people start to ask whether he is the fulfillment of one (or more) of these prophecies. So, they go through the list of the major prophecies. Are you the Elijah who is supposed to come? Are you the Messiah who is supposed to come? Are you the prophet who is supposed to come? It is not settled in their mind that those are to be three different persons. It is certainly not clear from the OT that this is so. They are just trying to make some sense of John in the light of the promises of God.Their question did not imply: If you are the one then you can't be the other. They only tried to find a slot for him in the fulfilment of their scriptures.A careful look at the foregoing demonstrates that Muslims are basing their case on the (mis)understanding of the Jews that three figures were expected to come, and that Christ and the Prophet were two distinct individuals.
Further to the above. The prophet the Jews referring to is Jesus the one promised by Moses in Deuteronomy 18 NIT Mohamad for the reason I will now explain. The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; Deuteronomy 18:15. Notice its states he will be raised up from his brethren (Israelite Jews) and before you try to argue that Ishmael as the slave boy off spring of Abraham counts as “brethren” the no. Don’t try. Its clear the brethren referred to in Deuteronomy 18 were Israelites through Issacs line. Ishmael was only a slave boy who had no direct link to the Jewish Israelites.
The PROPHECY IN DEUTERONOMY 33
Firstly the problem with your claim is that it totally fails to acknowledge the context of who is being talked about in the passage in question; is this verse claiming that a prophet came from Paran? No, of course not, it is perfectly obvious to even the most casual reader that it is the Lord God who is being talked about here. Not a human “prophet” like Mohamad.
Deuteronomy 33:2 is not talking about prophets. Who is being talked about in Deuteronomy ? Let's look at Deuteronomy 33:2 in more detail:
And Moses said, "The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them."Deuteronomy 33:2. The key to understanding who this verse is talking about lies in the first few words of Moses' speech:"The LORD came from ..." Now the word is the Hebrew word YHWH:This is the name of God himself. It is not referring to a prophet, or to any many, but to God. It is certainly not talking about Muhammad.
It is quite a mystery how any Muslim can justify saying "Muhammad = YHWH = God". Deuteronomy 33:2 is talking about God himself, and to try to insert Muhammad's name here is offensive, blasphemous, and wrong. Rather it is talking about God in this passage, for it was Yahweh who led his people in the wilderness of Paran (on the southern borders of Canaan) by a flaming pillar of fire; it was Yahweh whose covenant with his people dawned like a sunrise in the desert; it was Yahweh who gave Moses his law at Mount Sinai. You can read about it all in the book of Exodus.
Paran is the area where Israel camped after leaving Sinai on their way to Canaan (Num.10:12; 12:16); the spies were sent into Canaan from there (Num.13:3,26); David went there after the death of Samuel (I Sam.25:1); and when Hadad the Edomite revolted against Solomon, he stopped there on his way to Egypt (I Kings 11:18). All of these clearly show that Paran could not be as far south as Mecca.
The claim that Muhammad is prophesied in Deuteronomy 33:2 is wrong. So who exactly is this Bible verse talking about? Does Deuteronomy 33:2 speak of a prophet with 10,000 followers? And Moses said, "The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. “ Deuteronomy 33:2
The phrase highlighted in blue is the Hebrew word "rebabah" (RBBH), translated in this case by the King James translation as "ten thousands". Here is what the word looks like:
This word does not simply mean 10,000; rather it means "multitude, myriad, ten thousand" according to Strong's Hebrew Dictionary. More modern translations, such as the NIV, translate it in Deuteronomy 33:2 as just that, "myriad". It does not signify a precise numeric amount, simply a great many. An interesting exercise is to look through the Old Testament at all the occurences of the word to understand how it is used in this context. Here are the 16 places where it occurs, just for reference: Genesis 24:60 1 Samuel 18:8 Leviticus 26:8 1 Samuel 21:11 Numbers 10:36 1 Samuel 29:5 Deuteronomy 32:30 Psalms 3:6 Deuteronomy 33:2 Psalms 91:7 Deuteronomy 33:17Song of Solomon 5:10 Judges 20:10 Ezekiel 16:7 1 Samuel 18:7 Micah 6:7 In every case above, you will see that the word is used in this figurative, non-exact sense, it simply means a lot!
No you are not correct. The brethren referred to were Israelites through Issacs line. Ishmael was only a slave boy who had no direct link to the Jewish Israelites.format_quote Originally Posted by 'Abdullah
The "brethren" from Deut. 18:1-12 are obviously Israelites (specifically Levities in this case) and the "brethren" in Deut. 18:13-22 must be Israel as well. Why? We begin by seeing Deut. 18:13-14 addressing Israel (as does v. 15), then verses 16 and 17 explain the purpose of verse 15 and begin to even quote Israel and Yahweh's agreement with the nation.
It turns out because of the immediate needs of the nation, they were not able to communicate with the LORD since Moses was not allowed to enter into the promise land, they required an additional successor which would "be like Moses" (vv. 15 and 18) who would mediate and hear the voice of the LORD on behalf of Israel.
Verse 16 and 17 clearly have Yahweh agreeing with Israel that the nation was not able to hear the Lord any longer and actually responds with the promise of raising up a new prophet like Moses for them in this very chapter. For the entire story read Deut. 5 (which is where verses 16 and 17 are referring to) and then we will know why Yahweh is sending the prophet to Israel in the first place.
How could God forget about his promise for Israel while Deuteronomy and its entire focus is about the Torah given to Israel and their status and history with God and their future and then suddenly magically promise a prophet to a completely irrelevant party of people that have nothing to do with Deuteronomy whatsoever?
So maybe one could pretend that Deut. 18:18 may refer to a non-Israelite faction but in the immediate and neighbouring contexts of Deuteronomy all statements in Deut. 18 are referring to Israel and the prophecy has already been set up for Joshua and a succession of future prophets being sent to Israel, ultimately ending in their very own Messiah.
Lastly where Genesis refers to Ishmaels brethren it was not the Israelites. And even then Genesis refers to Ishmael as “a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him,and he will live in hostility toward[a] all his brothers.” …Not much of a Godley man for the honour of the fore bear to a future prophet !
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