Song of Solomon

The first prompt is: the Prophet Muhammad is clearly mentioned in the Bible. Uthman opens by establishing that the Song of Solomon is not merely a love song. The Orthodox annotated Bible and the Oxford New Annotated Bible both describe it as prophetic speech involving mystical symbolism and highly figurative language. For centuries, critical biblical scholars understood the Song of Solomon as pointing to a coming prophetic figure — the allegory showing the relationship between God and who He would send to guide Israel and the people. That prophetic character is the context for the name appearing in Song of Solomon 5:16.

Uthman presents a printout from the Hebrew-English lexicon (with Strong numbers), showing that the word in Song of Solomon 5:16 is Muhammadim. The lexicon — written entirely by Christian scholars — lists the root as Hamida, which is the same Arabic root from which the name Muhammad is derived. This is not a Muslim source: it is a standard scholarly Christian reference used for Bible translation. The entry explicitly shows the Arabic cognate Hamida beside the Hebrew entry for Muhammadim, and lists Muhammad as a related noun. The lexicon even references the Arabic origin of the word.

The -im suffix in Hebrew is a masculine plural marker, but it is also used as a plural of majesty — the same way Elohim is used for God (grammatically plural but referring to one divine being). In Arabic, the same respectful plural form exists: the greeting Alaikum is grammatically plural but is used for a single person out of respect. So Muhammadim is Muhammad with the -im of honor and majesty attached — not a claim that there are multiple Muhammads. The construction is parallel to Elohim: the suffix intensifies honor, it does not change the singular referent.

Proper nouns in the Bible are never translated by meaning — they are always kept as names. The name David comes from a Hebrew root meaning beloved or cherished, but the Bible never says the most beloved or the cherished one — it always says David. Similarly, the name Muhammad in the Hebrew text should be kept as Muhammad, not rendered as the most lovely or the most praised. The lexicon written by Christian scholars even notes that in Arabic, Muhammad is a masculine noun — a proper name. Since the lexicon confirms the Arabic root and lists it as a noun, the name Muhammad is present in Song of Solomon 5:16 and should be preserved as a name in translation.

Uthman distinguishes the theological question (who does the passage ultimately point to?) from the linguistic question (what word is actually in the text?). When Bible translators do their work, they use lexicons — not theological presuppositions — to determine what a word means. The lexicon Uthman presents is written by Christian scholars and has nothing to do with Islamic interpretation. It independently lists the Arabic root Hamida as the source of the Hebrew Muhammadim and records Muhammad as a derived noun. Whether one believes the passage is about Jesus or Muhammad is a separate debate. But the word Muhammad — from Hamida — is present in the text. That is a factual linguistic claim, confirmed by the same reference tools used for translation.

The exchange concludes with a clear agreement: at least from a linguistic perspective, the word written in Song of Solomon 5:16 is Muhammadim — Muhammad with the -im of respect and honor — derived from the root Hamida in Arabic, which is the same root as the name Muhammad. The Presbyterian scholar confirms this. The theological question of whether the prophecy ultimately refers to the Prophet Muhammad or to Jesus remains a point of disagreement, but the linguistic presence of the name is not disputed.