Some muslims claim Muhammad is mentioned in the Song of Solomon.
1. The Hebrew word: מַמְתַּקִּ (mamtaq)
- Root: מ־ת־ק (matok) = “sweet / pleasant.”
- Meaning: sweetness, something sweet, delight.
- This word appears in Hebrew writings (including the Bible) in that sense, nothing to do with a person’s name.
2. Where the Muhammad claim comes in
Some Muslims argue that Song of Solomon 5:16 in Hebrew mentions Muhammad by name.
The verse in Hebrew reads:
חִכּוֹ מַמְתַקִּים וְכֻלּוֹ מַחֲמַדִּים
ḥikko mamtaqqīm, we-kullô maḥămadîm
- מַמְתַקִּים (mamtaqqim) = “sweetnesses”
- מַחֲמַדִּים (machmadim) = “desirable things / lovely, precious”
Muslim polemicists sometimes point to מַחֲמַדִּים (machmadim) and say: “See, that spells Muhammad!”
3. Why that’s not accurate
- Machmad (singular) in Hebrew = “desirable / precious / lovely thing.”
- The plural -im ending makes it machmadim = “desirable things.”
- This is common Hebrew vocabulary (appears in multiple verses, e.g. 1 Kings 20:6, Lamentations 1:10–11) and is not a proper name.
- The word is unrelated in meaning or grammar to the Arabic Muhammad (“praised one”).
- The mamtaq part (“sweetness”) is also just a normal Hebrew word.
In short:
- Hebrew “mamtaq” = sweetness.
- Hebrew “machmad” = desirable thing.
- Arabic “Muhammad” = praised one.
The similarity in sound between machmad and Muhammad is coincidental, not etymological.