Echoes of Deuteronomy 6:5 in Two Pre-Islamic Arabic Inscriptions (Paleo-Arabic) from Northwest Arabia

Abstract This paper identifies the earliest possible renditions of the Bible in pre-Islamic Arabic (Paleo-Arabic) epigraphy through an analysis of two sixth-century CE inscriptions from Northwest Arabia: BuSDA 1 and FaS 5.2. The author proposes that these texts contain an idiomatic vernacular rendering of the “Greatest Commandment” (Deuteronomy 6:5, via Matthew 22:37/Luke 10:27), specifically the triad of “might, mind, and heart.” The implications on the Qur’an’s audience and context are considered.