Short answer
Yes. The Bible's own prophets say that God's (﷾) word was changed by the people who kept it. Jeremiah told people who boasted that they had the law of the Lord that the false pen of the scribes had made it a lie. He also said they had perverted the words of the living God (﷾). Moses warned that after his death the people would utterly corrupt themselves. He set the book beside the ark as a witness against them. Centuries later, the high priest found the book of the law in the temple, and the king was shocked by it. The last chapter of Deuteronomy tells of Moses' own death and burial. Modern Bibles now mark whole verses that the oldest copies do not have. So when Muslims say the text was changed, they repeat what the Bible said first, and the Qur'an confirms it.
Full explanation
Jeremiah: the pen of the scribes
Jeremiah was a Hebrew prophet who lived about 600 years before Jesus. He rebukes people who said "the law of the Lord is with us". The Hebrew word he uses twice is sheqer, falsehood, the word for "false" witness in the Ten Commandments. The World English Bible, the ESV and the NRSV render it as a false or lying pen that has made the law a lie. The NIV renders it as a lying pen that has handled it falsely. The King James Version renders it "in vain". Either way, the prophet points at what the scribes did with their pens to the law the people trusted.
““ ‘How do you say, “We are wise, and Yahweh’s law is with us?” But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made that a lie.”
“How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.”
The Hebrew uses the word sheqer (falsehood) twice, the same word as the "false" witness forbidden in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16). The NIV reads that the lying pen of the scribes has handled the law falsely; the ESV that the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie; the NRSV that the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. Older versions such as the KJV and JPS 1917 render the word "in vain".
Jeremiah: the words of the living God (﷾) perverted
Fifteen chapters later, Jeremiah tells the people that every man's own word had become the "burden", the message he claimed came from the Lord. So they had perverted the words of the living God (﷾). This is the very charge the Qur'an makes: men who say of their own words, "That is from Allah".
“And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.”
“There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!”
Moses: after my death
When Moses finished writing the law, he had it placed beside the ark "for a witness against thee". The ark was the sacred chest of the Israelites. Moses told the Levites, the priestly tribe, that he knew the people's rebellion. He said that after his death they would utterly corrupt themselves and turn aside. Moses himself did not trust the people who would keep the book after him.
“And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.”
“For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”
A king shocked by the law
Centuries after Moses, in the reign of King Josiah, the high priest announced that he had found the book of the law in the temple. When the book was read to the king, he tore his clothes. He said God's (﷾) wrath was kindled against them "because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book". The people who kept the law had not been listening to what it said.
“And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.”
“And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.”
“Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.”
Words Moses could not have written
The last chapter of Deuteronomy tells of Moses' death, his burial, and the thirty days of mourning. Deuteronomy is one of the books of Moses. The chapter adds that no one knows his grave "unto this day", and that no prophet like him had arisen "since". Even the evangelical NIV Study Bible (a Bible with notes by conservative Protestant scholars) says this chapter was almost certainly written by someone else. The text shows other hands inside it.
“So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth–peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,”
This evangelical study Bible holds that Moses was the main author of the five books, but its introductions grant later hands. On Genesis it says some later editorial updating appears to be indicated, pointing to the notes on 14:14 and 36:31. On Numbers it says the book need not have come from Moses complete and in final form, that portions were probably added by later scribes or editors, and that the praise of Moses' humility in 12:3 would hardly convince if it came from his own mouth. On Deuteronomy it says the report of Moses' death in chapter 34 was almost certainly written by someone else.
Modern Bibles mark verses the oldest copies lack
For centuries, the King James Version printed words in 1 John 5:7 about the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost being one. Almost all modern Bibles leave them out, because no early Greek copy has them. Mark's last twelve verses are missing from the two oldest Greek Bibles that survive, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. Modern Bibles mark them off with a note. The Bible as printed today admits, on its own pages, that copyists changed it.
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
“For there are three who testify:”
The English Revised Version (1881) and the American Standard Version (1901) removed the words about the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and the RSV, NASB, NIV, NRSV and ESV print verse 7 without them, some with a footnote. The critical Greek editions used by translators today (Nestle-Aland and the United Bible Societies' text) leave them out.
Reports that the earliest known quotation of the words as part of 1 John is in a fourth-century Latin treatise, the Liber Apologeticus; that they are absent from the early Latin writers Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine and from Jerome's Vulgate as first issued; that the earliest Greek manuscript with the words in its text (629) dates from the fourteenth or fifteenth century; and that they first appear in Greek in a Greek version of the acts of the Lateran Council of 1215. The words probably began as a note in the margin of Latin copies, reading the three witnesses of verse 8 as the Trinity, which later scribes copied into the text.
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
The NIV prints Mark 16:9-20 set apart, with a note that the earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have these verses (1984: "the most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses"). The NIV Study Bible adds that serious doubts exist whether the verses belong to Mark, because they are missing from important early manuscripts and differ in vocabulary, style and theology, and that the Gospel probably ended at 16:8 or its first ending was lost.
On Mark 16:9-20, reports that the last twelve verses are absent from the two oldest Greek Bibles that survive in large part, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, and from other early witnesses; that Eusebius and Jerome state the verses were missing from almost all the Greek copies known to them; that some manuscripts carry a different, shorter ending instead; and concludes that the Gospel as we have it from the earliest evidence ends at 16:8.
What Christians hold
Christians hold that God (﷾) has kept His word safe. They point to Isaiah's promise that the word of God (﷾) stands for ever. Many read Jeremiah's charge as aimed at scribes who taught the law falsely, not at a changed text. But Jeremiah speaks of the pen, which means writing, not preaching.
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
What the Qur'an says
The Qur'an states that some who were given scripture wrote the Book with their own hands and said it was from Allah (﷾). It says they changed words from their places and twisted the Book with their tongues. Of those who call themselves Christians, it says that they forgot a good part of the message they were given. Some heard the word of Allah (﷾) and perverted it knowingly. Jeremiah had said the same, long before.
“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.”
“Of the Jews there are those who displace words from their (right) places, and say: "We hear and we disobey"; and "Hear what is not Heard"; and "Ra'ina"; with a twist of their tongues and a slander to Faith. If only they had said: "What hear and we obey"; and "Do hear"; and "Do look at us"; it would have been better for them, and more proper; but Allah hath cursed them for their Unbelief; and but few of them will believe.”
“But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them- barring a few - ever bent on (new) deceits: but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind.”
“From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the day of judgment. And soon will Allah show them what it is they have done.”
“There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!”
“Can ye (o ye men of Faith) entertain the hope that they will believe in you?- Seeing that a party of them heard the Word of Allah, and perverted it knowingly after they understood it.”
Honouring the revelation, not the copies
This is not an attack on the Torah and the Injil (the Gospel Jesus preached). The Qur'an calls them guidance and light, sent down by God (﷾), and a Muslim must believe in them. What a Muslim does not accept is that the books printed today under those names are the revelations as they were first given. The only scripture God (﷾) promised to guard Himself is the last one.
“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.”
“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”
“O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.”
“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”
| Book | What Muslims believe in | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| The Torah (Tawrat) | What God (﷾) revealed to Moses, as it came to him. | The first five books of today's Bible, which Muslims believe were changed over time. They even tell of Moses' own death and burial. |
| The Injil (the Gospel Jesus preached) | The message God (﷾) revealed to Jesus, which Jesus preached himself. | The four Gospels in today's Bible. Modern Bibles themselves mark off verses that the oldest copies lack, such as the last twelve verses of Mark. |
The Qur'an calls the Torah and the Injil guidance and light, sent down by God (﷾), and a Muslim must believe in them. The only scripture God (﷾) promised to guard Himself is the last one, the Qur'an.
Point by point
Jeremiah 8:8 — Nevi'im, Yirmeyahu, chapter 8, verse 8
“How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.”
Cited for
Christians read Jeremiah 8:8 as condemning scribes who taught the law falsely, not scribes who changed its text. The King James Version says only that their pen was "in vain".
The response
The verse speaks of the pen, which is writing, not preaching. The Hebrew word is falsehood. The NIV, ESV and NRSV, all Christian translations, render it as a lying or false pen that falsified the law. And Jeremiah 23:36 adds that people passed off their own words as God's (﷾).
Where it lands — The Bible's own prophet charges the scribes with falsifying, through their writing, the law the people relied on.
Isaiah 40:8 — Nevi'im, Yeshayahu, chapter 40, verse 8
“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
Cited for
Christians say God promised that his word stands for ever, so the Bible must be as God gave it.
The response
God's (﷾) word does stand. Christians reply that older copies kept the true reading. But the Bible the churches read and preached carried 1 John 5:7 as God's (﷾) for centuries, and the printed Bible has itself removed those words. Whatever they were, they were not the word that stands for ever.
Where it lands — The promise is about God's (﷾) word, and the Bible's own editors show that not every printed word is His.
Qur'an 6:115 — Surat al-An'am (The Cattle), verse 115
“The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfilment in truth and in justice: None can change His words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all.”
Cited for
Christians say the Qur'an itself declares that none can change God's words, so the Bible cannot have been changed.
The response
The verse says God's (﷾) word is fulfilled in truth and justice, and that no one can overturn it. Ibn Kathir, a scholar of the 14th century who explained the Qur'an, takes it to mean that no one can overturn God's (﷾) judgment. It does not say that no copyist ever altered a manuscript. The same Qur'an says men wrote the Book with their own hands, and it promises to guard only itself.
Where it lands — The Qur'an does not vouch for the present Bible; it says the opposite.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
God has preserved his word. Jeremiah condemned false teachers and false prophets in his own day, not the text of the Bible. The promise that God's word stands for ever still holds.
Isaiah promises that the word of God shall stand for ever. Christians read this as a promise that scripture will be kept safe.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that God's (﷾) word stands for ever. Christians reply that older copies kept the true reading. But for centuries the Bible the churches read and preached carried the words of 1 John 5:7 as God's (﷾). The one book God (﷾) promised to guard Himself is the Qur'an.
The Islamic perspective
The Torah and the Injil were true revelations. But the books in men's hands were changed. The Bible's own prophets said so first. And the Qur'an, revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ), confirms it.
Jeremiah says the pen of the scribes had worked on the law the people trusted. Most modern translations render his words as a false pen that made it a lie.
Jeremiah says the people had perverted the words of the living God (﷾). They did it by passing off their own words as His message.
Moses said that after his death the people who kept the book would utterly corrupt themselves.
The book of the law was found in the temple in the reign of King Josiah. And the king tore his clothes when he heard its words.
Deuteronomy tells of Moses' death and burial, in words he could not have written. Even evangelical study notes say someone else wrote them.
The oldest copies lack some passages, such as 1 John 5:7 and the end of Mark. Most modern Bibles remove these passages, or mark them off.
The Qur'an teaches that some who were given scripture wrote it, changed it and twisted it, and then said it was from God (﷾). It also teaches that those who call themselves Christians forgot a good part of the message.