Claim 40
The prophet like Moses
The New Testament identifies Jesus with Moses's promised prophet, but Deuteronomy may also describe Israel's continuing prophets.
The Old Testament text
Deut 18:15 · BSBThe LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.
Translation note: Cited in Acts 3:22
The claimed New Testament fulfilment
The crowd calls Jesus the expected Prophet after seeing his sign. Acts makes the stronger connection by quoting Moses's promise during a speech about Jesus.
When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people.’
Why Christians see a prophecy
The singular promise and comparison with Moses can point to one exceptional figure. Jewish readers expected an end-time prophet, John calls Jesus ‘the Prophet,’ and Acts explicitly quotes this passage while preaching about him.
Why it is less convincing
Deuteronomy contrasts true prophets with diviners and then explains how to test prophets, which fits an ongoing institution. The crowd in John offers its own interpretation, while Acts supplies a later Christian reading. The singular wording does not settle the question.
Our assessment
Mixed or indeterminateA plausible but disputed prediction
Jesus fits a well-established reading of this promise. The original context also permits a succession of Israelite prophets, so the identification is not uniquely required.
Sources and further reading
- Christoph Stenschke, The prophet like Moses (Dt 18:15–22): Some trajectories in the history of interpretation. Verbum et Ecclesia; original context and Acts 3 reception.
- Judith M. Schubert, The image of Jesus as the Prophet like Moses in Luke-Acts. Fordham University; abstract and thesis summary.
- Kai Akagi, The Prophet like Moses and the Word of the Lord: Reassigning the Composite Citation in Acts 3.22–3. New Testament Studies, Cambridge University Press; abstract and discussion of Acts 3:22–23.
- BSB Publishing, Berean Standard Bible v5.9. BSB Publishing; Deuteronomy 18:9–22; 34:10; John 6:14–15; Acts 3:19–26.
Biblical quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.