Shiloh (/ˈʃaɪloʊ/; Hebrew: šīlōשִׁיל֔וֹ or šīlōhשילה) is a figure mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 49:10 as part of the benediction given by Jacob to his son Judah. Jacob states that "the sceptre will not depart from Judah... until Shiloh comes...".[1][2]
Versions and translations
The Latin Vulgate translates the word as "he ... that is to be sent"[3] (Latin: donec veniate qui mittendum est[4]), which would be the equivalent of the Hebrew shaluach (Hebrew: שלוח, "messenger"), indicating a possible corruption of the text (on either side). The Peshitta has "the one to whom [it] belongs"[5] Similarly, the Septuagint translates the word to "the things stored up for him".[6][7]
"How goodly are your tents, O Jacob!" Balaam saw that the entrances of the Jewish tents: how goodly are the "tents" of Shiloh and the Temple, where the Jews offer sacrifices to atone for their sins[8]
The name Shiloh is associated both with "MoSheH" (משה, Moses), whose name has the same numerical value as the word "ShiLoH" (שילה)[10]... and with Mashiach[11]
This interpretation goes back at least as far as the Targum Onkelos in the first century AD, and was indeed interpreted to be the promised Messiah in most traditional Jewish thoughts and writings.[12]
Among some Christians, "Shiloh" is seen as a reference to Jesus, whom they believe to have fulfilled the earlier prophecies of the Torah, although the word itself is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament,[13] although some have connected it to the Pool of Siloam, referred to in the story of the healing of the man born blind.[14] However, Genesis 49:10 became a major messianic text appealed to by the early Church Fathers.[13] The Christian messianic interpretation is found in the capitalisation of the pronoun "He" in the Holman Christian Standard Bible ("until He whose right it is comes").
Some Christian scholars, however, have pointed out that the rendering of the text labors under the difficulty that Shiloh is not found as a personal name in the Old Testament. Other interpretations from analysts have translated the term to indicating "the name of a place, not a person", although they also conclude that this is less likely overall.[15]
According to Muslims, Muhammad is identified as Shiloh,[19] with a particular reference to Quran 3:81.
Rahmatullah Kairanawi, a Muslim scholar from the 19th century, argues that Shiloh is Prophet Muhammad.[citation needed] Dr. Ali Ataie, a contemporary Muslim scholar of biblical hermeneutics, also argues that Shiloh is Prophet Muhammad.[citation needed] Hamza Myatt, a founding member of EFDawah, a debater, and a famous YouTuber, also entertains this argument.[citation needed]
Several former Jews and Christians also believed that Muhammad was the Shiloh. Abdul Salaam, a former Jewish scholar, converted to Islam in approximately 1512 CE in the reign of the Ottoman SultanBayezid II.[citation needed] Mohammad Ridha, an Iranian Jewish scholar, converted to Islam in approximately 1821 CE.[citation needed] Mohammad Sadiq Fakhrul Islam, an Iranian Christian cleric, embraced Islam at the beginning of the 19th century CE.[citation needed] Professor Abd al-Ahad Dawud was a Chaldean Catholic priest who converted to Islam in the 20th century CE.[citation needed] Contemporary American Islamic scholar Hamza Yusuf, a former Catholic Christian, also argues that Shiloh refers to Muhammad.[citation needed]
