Actually, all I see from you, is just spinning propaganda, britedream.
This quote (18:18) is certainly not in Islamic teaching, and have never been being cited by Muhammad, nor anywhere in the Qur'an.
As far as I can determined, this verse you used to reinterpret, is only recent interpretation by modern Muslims. The interpretation certainly don't date back to Muhammad.
That much is very clear (modern interpretation) because you (and other Muslims like you) are using the old King James Version (KJV) translation. But I will get back to you about KJV, later.
I would like to make my first point on your interpretation. So let me requote your reply to tumah:
First, you are ignoring the whole chapter, and you are only using part of the verse 18. You are only cherry-picking what you want other people to read. That's a very dishonest tactic, britedream.
So you are forcing people to look what it is only relevant to your argument.
If you were truly serious about your argument, you would look at all the relevant verses, from verse 15 to 18, and not half of verse 18.
NJPS:
Hey, I will even throw you a couple of bones here:
Dead Sea Scrolls:
(Source: Martin G. Abear (Jnr), Peter Flint & Eugene Ulrich, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 2002)
The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) are missing some verses in this chapter (12 to 16), of which, 2 verses are of importance: verses 15 & 16.
But since you are narrow-mindedly fixated with KJV, I have included the full four verses, which were meant to be read together, but you have stripped down to only one partial verse:
KJV:
You wrote earlier "(Words of God to Moses)" that God was speaking to Moses, well you are dead wrong here. Starting with verse 15, I can see it is Moses who were speaking to the people - the Israelites.
They are the same people when told them about what the Levites' rights were in their new land (Canaan), 18:1-8, and the same people in 18:9-14, when Moses spoke that the Israelites should not adopted the customs of the Canaanites, like sorcery, divination, soothsaying and necromancy (or speaking to the dead).
Moses only began reciting what God WAS SAYING, starting at verse 17:
17 And the Lord said unto me, "They have well spoken that which they have spoken..."
But verses 17 & 18 should be read with 15 & 16, because they all give indications that moses was speaking to his people. And verse 16 is what people was saying to Moses, which Moses quote them about their time at Mount Horeb.
Deuteronomy 18:18 is not the first time was speaking of "raising a prophet"; it began with verse 15, when Moses was continuing to talk to the Israelites that began with the first verse of this chapter.
Moses was recalling what God said to him.
15 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;
This much is clear, it say "like unto
me" is referring to Moses. But who is "thee" and "thy"?
Moses said "thee", twice in this verse and "thy" twice in this verse. And "ye", once at the end.
Apparently, Moses was still talking to his brethren, the Israelites, about what they should do when they cross and settle in Canaan, their new home.
- The Lord thy God ["thy God", thus Moses' God] raise up unto thee [eg Moses] a Prophet...
- ...a Prophet from the midst of thee ["thee" as in Moses], of thy brethren ["thy brethren" thus means "Moses brethren", his fellow-Israelites], like unto me [of course, this "me" is referring to Moses];
- unto him ye shall hearken; [the "ye" is the Israelites, so how can Israelites heed or hear the words of a prophet (Muhammad) if he was not yet born, hence the earlier brethren doesn't refer to any Ishmaelite.]
So all the "thee" & "thy" all referred to Moses, and "thy brethren" and "ye" referred to Moses' fellow Israelites. However, Moses was talking to the Israelites when he said these things. It is not a prophecy about Muhammad.
All of this (above) is just circular reasoning.
I think it is very funny that Muslims would use the bible to validate Muhammad, considering that most Muslims think it has been corrupted.
Did you know that Deuteronomy was never written by Moses?
The Deuteronomy and along with Deuteronomical history (eg the books of Judges, Samuel and Kings) were all written during and after the reign of King Josiah (reign 641 - 609 BCE).
Throughout much of the history of Judah and Israel, they were kingdoms that swung back and forth with polytheism (or more precisely, henotheism) and monotheism. It was only during Josiah's religious reform, that the kingdom of Judah became strictly monotheism.
Anyway, the King James Version (KJV) was written Early Modern English. The main source to the KJV for the Old Testament, was the Masoretic Text, written in Hebrew, which they sometimes with the Greek Septuagint bible and on very few occasions with Latin Vulgate bible, as supplementary sources.
My point is that the KJV is neither the most accurate English translation, nor the most authoritative English.
And we no longer speak like that anymore (early modern English) with thee, ye, thy and hearken.
There are many translations to the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh or OT) using the Masoretic Text, and some are better than others, such as the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), NJPS (New Jewish Publication Society, 1985, titled Tanakh).
But since all English translations are based on the Masoretic Text (hence in Hebrew), including that of KJV, then wouldn't the most authoritative and accurate would be written in Hebrew, hence the Masoretic Text?
Well, guess what, britedream. If tumah can read Hebrew than shouldn't he know better than you, which contexts are right, yours or his?
I have read in past topics, that Muslims would argue that people can only under the Qur'an if they can read Arabic. Shouldn't this same rule apply to the Torah and Tanakh (Old Testament) where it can only be truly understood in Hebrew, with Hebrew lexicon, grammar and context?
Instead you are using English translation, based on the old and outdated Early Modern English of the King James Version.
Seriously, we rarely use the word, "brethren", today, or "hearken".
The only person who is not reasoning properly is you, britedream.