Short answer
Deuteronomy 33:2 names Paran, where Ishmael grew up, as a place from which God (﷾) came. The verse says the Lord came from Sinai, rose from Seir and shone from mount Paran. Ibn Kathir, a 14th-century Muslim scholar, reads these as three messengers. They are Moses at Sinai, Jesus at Seir and the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) at Paran. The Bible says God (﷾) would make Ishmael a great nation, and it places his son Kedar beside Arabia. Isaiah adds that the flocks of Kedar and Nebaioth would be accepted on God's (﷾) altar. Of the three messengers, only the Prophet (ﷺ) came from Ishmael's line.
Full explanation
What "God came from" means
In Deuteronomy, a book of the Torah (the scripture given to Moses), Moses names three places. The Lord came from Sinai, rose from Seir and shone from Paran. The verse joins His coming to the giving of a law. Muslim scholars therefore read each place as marking where His guidance was made known. At Sinai God (﷾) gave Moses the law.
“And he 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.”
Three places, three messengers
The Qur'an swears by the fig and the olive, Mount Sinai and "this City of security", which is Mecca. Ibn Kathir explained the Qur'an in the 14th century. He reports that scholars take these as the three places where God (﷾) sent a messenger with a law. They are Jerusalem (the fig and the olive) for Jesus, Sinai for Moses, and Mecca for the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He quotes Deuteronomy 33:2 for the same three: Sinai, Seir and Paran. These scholars, as he reports, read Paran as the mountains of Mecca. They read Seir as the mountain of Jerusalem, where Jesus was sent. This is the reading Ibn Kathir reports. The case for it rests on what the Bible says about Ishmael, set out next.
“By the Fig and the Olive, And the Mount of Sinai, And this City of security,-”
On the fig and the olive, Mount Sinai and "this city of security", Ibn Kathir reports the view that they stand for three places where God sent a prophet with a law: Jerusalem, where Jesus was sent; Sinai, where God spoke to Moses; and Makkah, where Muhammad (ﷺ) was sent. The same scholars add that the end of the Torah names the same three places: God came from Sinai, shone from Seir, and appeared from the mountains of Paran, which they identify as the mountains of Makkah. They read Seir as the mountain of Jerusalem, where Jesus was sent.
“And he 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.”
| Place in Deuteronomy 33:2 | How these scholars read it | The messenger |
|---|---|---|
| Sinai | The mountain where Moses received the law | Moses |
| Seir | The mountains of Jerusalem | Jesus |
| Paran | The mountains of Mecca, in the land where Ishmael grew up | Muhammad (ﷺ) |
Ishmael lived in Paran
Genesis says Ishmael lived in the wilderness of Paran as he grew up. God (﷾) had told Abraham of Ishmael, "I will make him a great nation". An angel of God (﷾) told Hagar the same in the desert. The wilderness of Paran is where Ishmael's family began to grow into that nation.
“And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.”
“And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.”
“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”
Ishmael's sons in Arabia
Ishmael's first sons were Nebajoth (Isaiah spells it Nebaioth) and Kedar. Ezekiel, a prophet of Israel, names "Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar" together, as traders in lambs, rams and goats. Isaiah 60:7 says "the flocks of Kedar" and "the rams of Nebaioth" will "come up with acceptance on mine altar". God (﷾) adds, "I will glorify the house of my glory". So the Bible places the princes of Kedar, Ishmael's son, beside Arabia, and has the flocks of Kedar and Nebaioth accepted on God's (﷾) altar.
“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,”
“Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.”
“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.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) came from Ishmael
Sahih Muslim, a collection of the Prophet's (ﷺ) sayings, reports that he named his line. Allah (﷾) chose Kinana from the descendants of Ishmael, Quraysh from Kinana, Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and him from Banu Hashim. Arab genealogists, who record family lines, trace his line to Ishmael through Kedar or through Nebaioth. They differ on which, and Isaiah 60:7 names both. The Qur'an says Abraham made some of his offspring dwell in a valley without crops, by God's (﷾) Sacred House. It says he and Ishmael raised the House's foundations.
Wathila ibn al-Asqa' reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said God chose Kinana from the descendants of Ishmael, chose Quraysh from Kinana, chose Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and chose him from Banu Hashim. In Sahih Muslim it stands under the heading on the merit of the Prophet's lineage.
“"O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that they may give thanks.”
“And remember Abraham and Isma'il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing.”
“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.”
Verse by verse
Deuteronomy 33:2 — Torah, Devarim, chapter 33, verse 2
“And he 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.”
Cited for
The verse describes one event, God at Sinai, with Seir and Paran as poetic parallels.
The response
Ibn Kathir reads the three places, named in order, as where God's (﷾) guidance appeared: Moses at Sinai, Jesus at Seir and Muhammad (ﷺ) at Paran. The Bible names Paran as the home of Ishmael, and Sahih Muslim traces the line of the Prophet (ﷺ) to Ishmael.
Where it lands — In Ibn Kathir's reading the list ends at Paran, Ishmael's home, and of the three messengers only the Prophet (ﷺ) came from Ishmael's line.
Numbers 10:12 — Torah, Bamidbar, chapter 10, verse 12
“And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.”
Cited for
Paran is the wilderness Israel crossed after Sinai. It belongs to the Exodus story, not to Ishmael.
The response
Israel did pass through Paran, but Moses names it apart from Sinai. Genesis says Ishmael lived there, and the Bible places his son Kedar beside Arabia. The Muslim case rests on who lived in Paran, not on Israel's route through it.
Where it lands — Israel camped in Paran on its journey. The Bible names it as Ishmael's home and places his sons beside Arabia.
Deuteronomy 33:2 — Torah, Devarim, chapter 33, verse 2
“And he 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.”
Cited for
The verbs are past tense. Moses is recalling Sinai, not foretelling anything.
The response
Deuteronomy 33 is the blessing Moses gave "before his death", and most of the chapter speaks of the tribes' future. Hebrew prophecy often speaks of what is certain to come as if it had already happened. Isaiah spoke long before the exile, when the people of Judah were taken to Babylon. Yet he says "my people are gone into captivity" (Isaiah 5:13). The Torah was given at Sinai. Paran is named apart from it, as the third place of God's (﷾) coming.
Where it lands — The tense does not tie the verse to Sinai alone. Paran is named separately, as the third place from which God (﷾) came.
Perspectives
Jewish and Christian reading
Deuteronomy 33:2 is a poem about one event: God appearing to Israel at Sinai. Seir and Paran are mountains near the route of the Exodus, Israel's journey out of Egypt. The poem names them alongside Sinai.
Deuteronomy 33:2 opens Moses' blessing of Israel. The 'fiery law for them' is the one law God gave Israel at Sinai.
Rebuttal
The law was given at Sinai, the first place named. But the verse goes on to name Seir and Paran apart from Sinai. Genesis tells us who lived in Paran: Ishmael. Ibn Kathir reads the three places as the places of Moses, Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
Israel camped in the wilderness of Paran after leaving Sinai, so Paran belongs to the Exodus route.
Rebuttal
Israel did pass through Paran, but Moses names it apart from Sinai. Genesis says it was the home of Ishmael, whom God (﷾) promised to make a great nation. The Muslim case rests on who lived in Paran, not on Israel's route through it.
Jewish: one event, the giving of the Torah
Jewish tradition reads Deuteronomy 33:2 as a poem about one event: God appearing to Israel at Sinai. Seir and Paran are places near the route of the Exodus. Israel camped in the wilderness of Paran after leaving Sinai.
Israel camped in the wilderness of Paran after leaving Sinai. So Paran belongs to the Exodus, not to another revelation.
Rebuttal
Israel did pass by Paran. But the verse ties each place to God's (﷾) coming, and the Torah names Paran as the home of Ishmael, whom God (﷾) promised to make a great nation. A light that "shined forth from mount Paran" points to the line of Ishmael, from which the last prophet came.
The Islamic perspective
Ibn Kathir reads Sinai, Seir and Paran as three revelations. They are the Torah to Moses, the Injil (the Gospel Jesus preached) to Jesus, and the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) came from Ishmael, who lived in Paran.
In this verse God's (﷾) "coming from" a place is tied to the giving of a law. So each place marks a revelation.
Ibn Kathir reads Sinai, Seir and Paran in Deuteronomy 33:2 as the places of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (ﷺ). He reads Paran as the mountains of Mecca.
The Bible says Ishmael lived in the wilderness of Paran. It says God (﷾) would make him a great nation.
The Bible lists Kedar among Ishmael's first sons and names the princes of Kedar beside Arabia.
Isaiah 60:7 has the flocks of Kedar and the rams of Nebaioth come up with acceptance on God's (﷾) altar.
The Prophet (ﷺ) came from Ishmael's line. Sahih Muslim has him say that Allah (﷾) chose Kinana from Ishmael's descendants, and chose him from Banu Hashim.
In the Qur'an, Abraham settled some of his offspring by God's (﷾) Sacred House. He raised its foundations with Ishmael.