# Does Isaiah Prophesy Muhammad? > Matthew 12 says Isaiah 42 was fulfilled in Jesus. Kedar’s villages are told to sing. Isaiah 29:12 is a sealed book in a woe on Jerusalem. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/islam/does-isaiah-prophesy-muhammad - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, muhammad, isaiah, prophecy - Updated: 2026-10-14 [Matthew 12:17–21](/bible/matthew/12) [(2)](#ref-2) says the servant in Isaiah was fulfilled in Jesus. [Isaiah 42:11](/bible/isaiah/42/11) [(1)](#ref-1) tells the villages that Kedar inhabits to lift their voice and sing to the LORD. It does not name Muhammad. [Isaiah 29:11–12](/bible/isaiah/29) [(1)](#ref-1) is a sealed book in a woe on Jerusalem. Jesus applies the next verse to his own hearers. The chapter does not name an unlettered prophet in Arabia. ## Key Points - [Isaiah 42:1](/bible/isaiah/42/1) [(1)](#ref-1) says the LORD’s servant will bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Verse 3 says a bruised reed he will not break. Verse 6 says the LORD gives him for a light of the Gentiles. Verse 8 says the LORD will not give his glory to another. - [Isaiah 42:11](/bible/isaiah/42/11) [(1)](#ref-1) calls the villages of Kedar to sing, with the wilderness, the cities, the isles, and the inhabitants of the rock. Kedar is told to praise. Kedar is not the servant. - [Matthew 12:17–21](/bible/matthew/12) [(2)](#ref-2) quotes the servant song and says it was fulfilled in Jesus, who would not strive or cry, and in whose name the Gentiles would trust. - [Genesis 25:13](/bible/genesis/25/13) [(3)](#ref-3) names Kedar among the sons of Ishmael. A name in a genealogy is not a sentence that the servant of Isaiah 42 is a later prophet from that line. - [Isaiah 29:11–12](/bible/isaiah/29) [(1)](#ref-1) says the vision has become like a sealed book. The learned man says he cannot read it because it is sealed. The one who is not learned says, “I am not learned.” Verse 13 says this people draws near with the mouth and the heart is far away. - [Matthew 15:7–9](/bible/matthew/15) [(2)](#ref-2) says Isaiah prophesied of Jesus’ hearers in that saying. [Qur’an 7:157](https://quran.com/7/157) [(5)](#ref-5) says the unlettered prophet is written in the Torah and the Gospel. Isaiah 29 does not name him. ## What Is the Background of Isaiah 42? Isaiah 42 opens the first of the servant songs in that part of the book. The LORD says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” He will not cry or lift up his voice in the street. A bruised reed he will not break, and the smoking flax he will not quench, until he has set judgment in the earth, and the isles wait for his law. [(1)](#ref-1) Verse 5 names the speaker as God the LORD, who created the heavens and spread forth the earth. Verse 6 says, “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness,” and “give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles” to open the blind eyes and to bring prisoners out of the prison house. Verse 8 says, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” The reading that the servant is Muhammad takes the Gentiles, the law, and Kedar in verse 11 as Arabia. The reading has to include verse 8. The glory is the LORD’s, and he will not give it to another. [Is Muhammad the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) is the claim of a prophet like Moses, which [Qur’an 7:157](https://quran.com/7/157) [(5)](#ref-5) is used to support. That page leaves Isaiah 42 for this one. [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) is a later song in the same book, the one Acts 8 applies to Jesus. ## Kedar in Isaiah 42:11 [Isaiah 42:10–11](/bible/isaiah/42) [(1)](#ref-1) is a call to sing a new song to the LORD, from the end of the earth, the sea, the isles, the wilderness, and the cities. “Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.” Kedar’s villages are among the places told to sing. They are not the servant of verse 1. The line tells the inhabitants of the rock to sing, in a sentence that also addresses the isles and the sea. [Isaiah 60:7](/bible/isaiah/60/7) [(1)](#ref-1) says the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered, and the rams of Nebaioth shall minister, and they shall come up with acceptance on the LORD’s altar. That verse puts Kedar’s flocks on the altar in Zion’s light. It does not name a prophet. [Genesis 25:13](/bible/genesis/25/13) [(3)](#ref-3) lists the sons of Ishmael: Nebajoth first, then Kedar. [Genesis 16:11–12](/bible/genesis/16) [(3)](#ref-3) is the angel’s word to Hagar: she will bear Ishmael, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. Muslims trace Muhammad’s line through Ishmael. The Bible names Kedar as Ishmael’s son. The genealogy is real. It does not say that the servant whom the LORD calls in Isaiah 42:6 is a descendant of Kedar. The servant is called “thee.” Kedar is told to sing. ## Matthew Says the Servant Is Jesus [Matthew 12:15–21](/bible/matthew/12) [(2)](#ref-2) says Jesus withdrew, healed, and charged the people not to make him known, so that what was spoken by Isaiah would be fulfilled. Matthew then quotes the servant: “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.” He shall not strive nor cry. A bruised reed he shall not break. In his name shall the Gentiles trust. Matthew does not leave the song unassigned. The Gospel says the quiet healer is the servant. The Muslim reading has to say Matthew misapplied the chapter, or that a second servant stands beside this one. The text Matthew quotes is Isaiah’s servant, including the Gentiles and the reed he does not break. [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) is a different proposed text, John 14–16 and Qur’an 61:6. This chapter is claimed for Muhammad because of Kedar. Matthew’s quotation does not include verse 11, and it does include the servant’s person, whom Matthew names by telling the story of Jesus. Jesus is God. The servant who is a light of the Gentiles, and whose name the Gentiles trust, is the one [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) [(6)](#ref-6) calls the Word who was God. [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## What Does Isaiah 29:12 Say? [Isaiah 29:11–13](/bible/isaiah/29) [(1)](#ref-1) comes in a woe on Ariel, the city where David dwelt, which the chapter has already named. The vision of all has become like the words of a book that is sealed. Men deliver it to one who is learned, and he says he cannot read it, for it is sealed. They deliver it to one who is not learned, and he says, “I am not learned.” The LORD then says this people draws near with their mouth and honors him with their lips, but their heart is far from him, and their fear is taught by the precept of men. The “I am not learned” line is the unlearned man’s refusal of a sealed book, inside a judgment on that people. It is not a promise of a future prophet who cannot read. [Was Muhammad Illiterate?](/islam/was-muhammad-illiterate) is the Qur’an’s “unlettered prophet” in 7:157, a different sentence. [Qur’an 7:157](https://quran.com/7/157) [(5)](#ref-5) says they find him written in the Torah and the Gospel. Isaiah 29:12 does not write a name. [Matthew 15:7–9](/bible/matthew/15) [(2)](#ref-2) quotes Isaiah 29:13 and says Isaiah prophesied of the hearers in front of Jesus: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Jesus applies the verse after 29:12 to his own generation’s worship. The sealed-book picture and the lip-service sentence are one passage. The Gospel uses the second of them and names the audience. ## Is Muhammad a Descendant of Ishmael? [Genesis 25:13](/bible/genesis/25/13) [(3)](#ref-3) names Kedar as a son of Ishmael. Islamic genealogy places Muhammad in Ishmael’s line. This page does not re-try that family tree. A descent from Ishmael, if granted, identifies an ancestor. It does not identify the servant of Isaiah 42, who is called a light of the Gentiles and is fulfilled, in Matthew 12, in Jesus. [Is Muhammad the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) ## Is Muhammad Mentioned in the Song of Solomon? [Song of Solomon 5:16](/bible/song-of-solomon/5/16) [(4)](#ref-4) says, “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” The King James sentence does not contain the name Muhammad. It is the beloved in that poem, described to the daughters of Jerusalem. A claim that a Hebrew word inside “altogether lovely” is the name Muhammad is a claim about a different language than the English line. The English line the churches have read is a description, not a proper name. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Does Isaiah 60 Say? [Isaiah 60:2–3](/bible/isaiah/60) [(1)](#ref-1) says darkness covers the earth, and the LORD shall arise, and his glory shall be seen, and the Gentiles shall come to the light, and kings to the brightness of that rising. Verse 7 gathers the flocks of Kedar to the altar. The light is the LORD’s rising. The verse does not name Muhammad. ### What Does Isaiah 42:6 Mean? The LORD says he has called the servant in righteousness, will hold his hand, and will give him for a covenant of the people and a light of the Gentiles. [Matthew 12:18–21](/bible/matthew/12) [(2)](#ref-2) puts that servant’s gentile mission on Jesus. ### Does Deuteronomy 18 Name Isaiah’s Servant? Deuteronomy 18 promises a prophet like Moses. Isaiah 42 describes the LORD’s servant. [Is Muhammad the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) is the first claim. This page is the second. Matthew assigns the servant song to Jesus. ## Keep Reading - [Is Muhammad the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) - [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) - [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) - [Was Muhammad Illiterate?](/islam/was-muhammad-illiterate) - [Was Muhammad a Real Person?](/islam/was-muhammad-a-real-person) - [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Matthew 12:17–21 King James Version. > [12:17] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, [12:18] Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. [12:19] He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. [12:20] A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. [12:21] And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. ### Isaiah 29:11–12 King James Version. > [29:11] And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: [29:12] And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. ### Genesis 25:13 King James Version. > And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, ### Matthew 15:7–9 King James Version. > [15:7] Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, [15:8] This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. [15:9] But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ### Qur’an 7:157 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/7/157) > Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written [i.e., described] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and prohibits them from what is wrong and makes lawful for them what is good and forbids them from what is 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. ### Isaiah 42:10–11 King James Version. > [42:10] Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. [42:11] Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. ### Isaiah 60:7 King James Version. > All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. ### Genesis 16:11–12 King James Version. > [16:11] And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. [16:12] And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. ### Matthew 12:15–21 King James Version. > [12:15] But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; [12:16] And charged them that they should not make him known: [12:17] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, [12:18] Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. [12:19] He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. [12:20] A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. [12:21] And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. ### John 1:1 King James Version. > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ### Isaiah 29:11–13 King James Version. > [29:11] And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: [29:12] And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. [29:13] Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: ### Isaiah 60:2–3 King James Version. > [60:2] For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. [60:3] And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. ### Matthew 12:18–21 King James Version. > [12:18] Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. [12:19] He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. [12:20] A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. [12:21] And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. ### Isaiah 42:1–11 King James Version. > [42:1] Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. [42:2] He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. [42:3] A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. [42:4] He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. [42:5] Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: [42:6] I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; [42:7] To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. [42:8] I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. [42:9] Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. [42:10] Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. [42:11] Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Book of Isaiah, 42:1–11; 29:11–13; 60:2–7](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/42). King James Version 2. [Gospel of Matthew, 12:17–21; 15:7–9](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/12). King James Version 3. [Book of Genesis, 25:13; 16:11–12](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/25/13). King James Version 4. [Song of Solomon, 5:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/song-of-solomon/5/16). King James Version 5. [Qur’an, 7:157](https://quran.com/7/157) (Saheeh International. The unlettered prophet, whom they find written in the Torah and the Gospel.) 6. [Gospel of John, 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version ## See Also - [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) — Some Muslims hear Muhammad in Jesus' promise of the Comforter, and in the name Ahmad in Qur'an 61:6. John 14–16 says who that person is. - [Is Muhammad the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) — Qur'an 7:157 says the unlettered prophet is written in the Torah and the Gospel. Deuteronomy 18 is the passage most often offered. - [How Did Muhammad Die?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-did-muhammad-die) — Muslim sources say Muhammad died in Medina in 632, at sixty-three, and that in his last illness he still felt the poison from a sheep he had eaten at Khaybar. - [How Many Prophets Are There in Islam?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-many-prophets-are-there-in-islam) — The Qur’an names messengers and says some stories were not related. It does not print a total. It calls Muhammad the seal of the prophets. Christians say God has spoken by the Son, who is God, not by a later seal. - [How Many Wives Did Muhammad Have?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/muhammads-wives) — The Qur’an permits Muhammad more wives than the four it allows other men. Muslim historians name Khadijah first, and Sunni hadith name Aisha among those who followed.