plurality in the old testament

8/4/2019 Plurality in the Old Testament

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Plurality in the Old Testament

An Examination of God’s Uniplurality in light the Hebrew Bible’s Use of Plurals

Sam Shamoun

In several articles and rebuttals we have presented evidence which we feel conclusively

shows that the Hebrew Bible presents a Triune Godhead, that there are three (and only three)

distinct Persons identified as ahweh God! The Hebrew Scriptures refer to ahweh,

ahweh"s #n$el, and ahweh"s Spirit as distinct Persons, all of whom are fully God! To read

the data that establishes this position please consult the followin$ (%, &, ', , )!

In this article we want to focus our attention on the Bible"s use of plural nouns, verbs,

ad*ectives etc!, to see how they lend further support for our premise that the God revealed in

the +T is a multiPersonal Bein$!

+ur e-amination of the use of plurals is not intended to stand on its own, that these plurals by

themselves are sufficient enou$h to prove that God is a multiPersonal Bein$! Instead, the

biblical use of plurals is intended to supplement the evidence already presented which

conclusively demonstrates that the God revealed in both the Hebrew Bible and the .hristian

Scriptures is triPersonal!

Basically, the e-istence of such plurals is actually what we would e-pect to find if the Bible

does present a Triune God! In other words, if our ar$uments re$ardin$ there bein$ more than

one /ivine Person e-istin$ as God are e-e$etically sound, then it should not come as asurprise to find the Holy Bible spea0in$ of God in the plural, i!e! we would e-pect to find

plural nouns, verbs, ad*ectives bein$ used for God to denote the fact that he is a multi

Personal Bein$!

Someone may inter*ect and claim that these plurals would actually prove that there are

multiple Gods, not multiple Persons of God! This would be a valid ob*ection had it not been

for the fact that the Bible clearly and emphatically teaches that there is only one God (cf!

/euteronomy '&1'23 Isaiah '41%5, &63 512%%3 7ar0 %&1&2'&3 8ohn 1, %41'3 9omans

'1'63 Galatians '1&6, 1:3 % Thessalonians %123 % Timothy &13 8ames &1%2)! ;hat this

su$$ests is that the Bible writers used plurals, not because they intended to convey the notion

that there is more than one God, but because they were tryin$ to communicate the truth thatGod e-ists as multiple Persons! They communicated this divinely revealed truth by

e-pressin$ it in the thou$ht patterns and cate$ories of the Hebrew lan$ua$e!

In the biblical world of the Hebrews they didn"t use terms such as persons and bein$s as

distinct cate$ories whereby they could communicate the fact of God e-istin$ as one Bein$ in

three different Persons! They would therefore need to relay this truth in a manner appropriate

to the Hebrew mindset and lan$ua$e, and one way to do that would be to refer to God by

usin$ both by sin$ular and plural nouns, verbs etc!

The first 0ind of plurals we will loo0 at is that of nouns, since there are many places in the

Holy Bible where plural nouns are used for ahweh God! ;e start off by analy<in$ the heart

http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/contact.htm

http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/tam1.htm

http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/gabriel.htm


http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/storkey.htm


http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/spirit1.htm




http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/tam1.htm








of 8ewish and .hristian monotheism 0nown as the Shema, found in /euteronomy 51! Here is

the Hebrew transliteration of this +T monotheistic creedal confession1

Shema Yisrael Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh Echad

# literal translation of the above would be1

=Hear, + Israel3 ahweh >is? our Gods, ahweh is a Unity!=

The Hebrew word Eloheinu, which we translated as =our Gods,= is the % st person plural

declension of Elohim! @lohim, as most people 0now, is a plural noun which is re$ularly

translated as God when referrin$ to the one and only God, ahweh! +ne 9eformed 8ewish

source made the followin$ interestin$ claim re$ardin$ this specific word1

Eloheinu is the firstperson plural possessive form of the Hebrew noun Elohim, which is

translated =God= but literally means =our God!= et stran$ely, this plural noun is virtuallyalways translated as a sin$ular! +ur mystics understood this to be the One manifesting as

the many! (Aev Sham Tov, =Aife #t Its Hi$hest= by Ted alcon as seen in 9eform 8ewish

7a$a<ine3 source3 bold and underline emphasis ours)

The word that we rendered as Cnity is Echad ! Echad functions precisely li0e our @n$lish

word one, and can refer to either a solitary unity or to a compound one! Places where Echad

is used as a uniplural, a compound unity, include1

=Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they

shall become one flesh (basar echad)!= Genesis &1&

Two distinct persons of flesh come to$ether to form a unity!

=Then we will $ive our dau$hters to you, and we will ta0e your dau$hters to ourselves, and

we will dwell with you and become one people (‘am echad)D +nly on this condition will the

men a$ree to dwell with us to become one people (‘am echad)when every male amon$ us is

circumcised as they are circumcised!= Genesis '1%5, &&

Two $roups of people, the Israelites and the Shechemites, come to$ether to form one people!

=Then 8oseph said to Pharaoh, EThe dreams of Pharaoh are one (echad)3 God has revealed to

Pharaoh what he is about to do! The seven $ood cows are seven years, and the seven $oodears are seven years3 the dreams are one (echad)!"= Genesis %1&&5

Pharaoh"s dreams are one, a unity!

It may be worth notin$ that a medieval 8ewish 9abbi and Scholar named 7oses 7aimonides

substituted the word echad for yachid (a word which can mean uniFue, solitary, only one etc!)

when articulatin$ the 8ewish position re$ardin$ God"s unity! However, this very chan$e, or

the fact that 7aimonides felt the need to insert yachid in the place of echad , betrays the fact

that the .hristians had a stron$ ar$ument based on the ori$inal form! 7aimonides seemed to

be aware that echad could function as a uniplural, su$$estin$ a pluralitywithinunity, and

chose another word that he thou$ht would more stron$ly emphasi<e that God is a sin$ularity

or a solitary e-istence! 7essianic Scholar /r! 7ichael Brown writes1

http://www.levshalom.org/article_rj.html

http://www.levshalom.org/article_rj.html



=#ctually, echad simply means Eone," e-actly li0e our @n$lish word Eone!" ;hile it can refer

to compound unity (*ust as our @n$lish word can, as in one team, one couple, etc!), it does not

specifically refer to compound unity! +n the other hand, ‘echad certainly does not refer to the

concept of absolute unity, an idea e-pressed most clearly in the twelfth century by 7oses

7aimonides, who asserted that the 8ewish people must believe that God is yachid , an Eonly"

one! There is no doubt that this reaction was due to e-a$$erated, unbiblical, E.hristian" beliefs that $ave 8ews the impression .hristians worshiped three $ods! Cnfortunately, the

view of 7aimonides is reactionary and also $oes beyond what is stated in the Scriptures! In

fact, there is not a sin!le "erse anywhere in the #ible that clearly or directly states that God

is an absolute unity!= (Brown, $nswerin! %ewish &b'ections to %esus Theolo!ical &b'ections

>Ba0er Boo0s, Grand 9apids 7I, &666?, olume Two, p! )

The Shema is not the only place where the plural is used for God! There are other references

which refer to ahweh as bein$ Gods or Aords such as1

=or the A+9/ your God is Gods (Eloheh) of !ods and ords ($doneh) of lords, the $reat,

the mi$hty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and ta0es no bribe!= /euteronomy %61%4

ahweh is the Gods and Aords of all the other $ods and lords

+ne of the most freFuent names for God is El , i!e! El Shaddai, and often forms part of a

person"s name such as Immanu El , Isra El etc! In at least two places the plural form is used in

reference to God1

=#scribe to the A+9/, & sons of Gods (Elim), #scribe to the A+9/ $lory and stren$th!=

Psalm &21%

=or who in the s0ies is comparable to the A+9/ ;ho amon$ the sons of Gods (Elim) is

li0e the A+9/,= Psalm :215

Elim is the plural of El and literally means Gods or the 7i$hty +nes!

How do we therefore account for the use of all these plural nouns for the one true God There

are basically two e-planations which can be proffered, two e-planations why plural nouns are

used for ahweh, as well as for other persons or entities!

Plural words such as @lohim can function either as a numerical plural, referrin$ to more than

one God or $od as in the followin$ te-ts1

=Jow I 0now that the A+9/ is $reater than all !ods (ha elohim), because in this affair they

dealt arro$antly with the people!= @-odus %:1%%

=ou shall have no other !ods (elohim) before me!= @-odus &61'

+r it can function as an intensive plural, a plural of intensification, denotin$ that all the

fulness of the /eity is focused or concentrated in the one God, =the hi$hest God,= =the

Fuintessence of all divine powers,= =the only God who represents the divine in a

comprehensive and absolute way!=



;hen the plural such as @lohim is used for the true God it is often used as an intensive plural,

and most individuals would want to view the use of plurals in such places as /euteronomy

51 in this manner! These same individuals would want to render the Shema in the followin$

way1

=Hear, + Israel3 ahweh >is? our God , ahweh $lone!=

Jow we fully a$ree that ahweh alone is God and there is none besides him1

=To you it was shown, that you mi$ht 0now that the &*+ is God (Elohim) there is no other

besides himD 0now therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the &*+ is God (Elohim)

in hea"en abo"e and on the earth beneath there is no other != /euteronomy 1', '2

=Eou are my witnesses," declares the A+9/, Eand my servant whom I have chosen, that you

may 0now and believe me and understand that - am he. #efore me no !od was formed, nor

shall there be any after me. -, - am the &*+, and besides me there is no sa"ior ! I declared

and saved and proclaimed, when there was no stran$e $od amon$ you3 and you are mywitnesses," declares the A+9/, Eand I am God! #lso henceforth I am he3 there is none who

can deliver from my hand3 I wor0, and who can turn it bac0"= Isaiah '1%6%'

=Thus says the A+9/, the Kin$ of Israel and his 9edeemer, the A+9/ of hosts1 EI am the

first and I am the last3 besides me there is no !od ! ;ho is li0e me Aet him proclaim it! Aet

him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people! Aet them declare what

is to come, and what will happen! ear not, nor be afraid3 have I not told you from of old and

declared it #nd you are my witnesses -s there a God besides me/ There is no *oc0 - 0now

not any!"= Isaiah 15:

= - am the &*+, and there is no other, besides me there is no God 3 I eFuip you, thou$h you

do not 0now me, that people may 0now, from the risin$ of the sun and from the west, that

there is none besides me - am the &*+, and there is no other D /eclare and present your

case3 let them ta0e counsel to$ether ;ho told this lon$ a$o ;ho declared it of old ;as it

not I, the A+9/ $nd there is no other !od besides me, a ri$hteous God and a Savior3 there

is none besides me!= Isaiah 15, &%

et the primary reason why we translated the nouns in the above citations as numerical

plurals is because we believe there is $ood evidence from the Hebrew Scriptures to show that

these nouns should be ta0en as denotin$ a numerical plurality within God, not in the sense

that ahweh consists of many $ods, but that there is actually more than one /ivine Personwho is ahweh! Basically, we feel that the evidence is Fuite stron$ in supportin$ the premise

that the reason why plurals such as @lohim are used in many places is because the Bible

writers 0new that there is a plurality of /ivine Persons who e-ist as ahweh God! ;e have

documented many of the evidences and reasons in our papers dealin$ with the Trinity which

are listed above! In this article, we will provide some additional evidence from the Holy Bible

to support our premise, specifically passa$es where more than one /ivine Person appears in

the very same te-t or conte-t!

But before we proceed to the evidence we need to repeat this point lest the reader

misunderstands our position! ;e are not sayin$ that every sin$le occurrence (or even the

ma*ority of the occurrences) of these plurals refers to God bein$ a multiPersonal @ntity!



There are places where the plurals clearly refer to one specific member of the Godhead as in

the followin$1

=In the be$innin$, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth! The earth was without

form and void, and dar0ness was over the face of the deep! #nd the Spirit of God (*uach

Elohim) was hoverin$ over the face of the waters!= Genesis %1%&

Here, @lohim cannot be referrin$ to the distinct members of the Godhead collectively since

the Spirit is distin$uished from @lohim, and yet we 0now from other passa$es of Scripture

that the Spirit is one of these /ivine Persons of God! Therefore, @lohim must be a reference

to at least one specific member, particularly the ather, as opposed to the others!

et in the very same chapter the author uses @lohim in a collective sense to refer to the

/ivine members of the Godhead1

=Then God said, EAet CS ma0e man in +C9 ima$e, after +C9 li0eness! #nd let them have

dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestoc0 andover all the earth and over every creepin$ thin$ that creeps on the earth!" So G+/ created

man in HIS +;J ima$e, in the ima$e of G+/ H@ created him3 male and female he created

them!= Genesis %1&5&4

God uses the plural pronouns when he comes to create man, an act which we 0now he

performed by himself1

=then the A+9/ God formed the man of dust from the $round and breathed into his nostrils

the breath of life, and the man became a livin$ creatureD So the A+9/ God caused a deep

sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept too0 one of his ribs and closed up its place withflesh! #nd the rib that the A+9/ God had ta0en from the man he made into a woman and

brou$ht her to the man!= Genesis &14, &%&&

#nd yet we are also told that God"s own Spirit, who is mentioned in Genesis %1&, created

man1

=The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the #lmi$hty $ives me life!= 8ob ''1

;e therefore have very stron$ $rounds to conclude that the use of the plural pronouns is

because the /ivine Persons of God were communicatin$ with one another in their

deliberation re$ardin$ man"s creation! Basically this means that the inspired author used@lohim in reference to the entire Godhead, not simply as an intensive plural!

+ther places where @lohim applies to the entire Godhead include the followin$1

=or God (Elohim) 0nows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be

like God (Elohim) , 0nowin! !ood and e"il !" D Then the &*+ God (Yahweh Elohim) said,

E #ehold, the man has become like one of US in 0nowin! !ood and e"il. Jow, lest he reach

out his hand and ta0e also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever"= Genesis '1, &&

To be li0e God is to be li0e one of the =Cs=, indicatin$ that God is somehow a plurality

withinunity! Here is a reference to ahweh spea0in$ of himself in the plural1



= $nd the &*+ (Yahweh) 1$2E +&34 to see the city and the tower , which the children of

man had built! #nd the A+9/ (ahweh) said, EBehold, they are one people, and they have all

one lan$ua$e, and this is only the be$innin$ of what they will do! #nd nothin$ that they

propose to do will now be impossible for them! 1ome, let US G& +&34 and there confuse

their lan!ua!e, so that they may not understand one anotherLs speech! So the &*+ dispersed

them from there o"er the face of all the earth, and they left off buildin$ the city! Therefore itsname was called Babel, because there the &*+ confused the lan!ua!e of all the earth! #nd

from there the &*+ dispersed them o"er the face of all the earth != Genesis %%12

The A+9/ by himself comes down to confound the people and the city, and yet the A+9/

who came down is clearly a plural entity!

or more on Genesis %1&5&4 and the other verses usin$ plural pronouns, as well as our

responses to some ob*ections raised a$ainst our position, please read this paper !

It is time to turn our focus on the use of plural verbs, participles andMor ad*ectives! The ne-t

set of passa$es all use either plural verbs, participles or ad*ectives for God providin$additional support that ahweh is multiPersonal1

Genesis &61%'

=#nd when God (Elohim) caused me to wander (hituw) from my fatherLs house, I said to her,

EThis is the 0indness you must do me1 at every place to which we come, say of me, He is my

brother!"=

The verb hit5uw, translated =cause to wander=, is the plural of ta5u! The te-t can therefore be

translated, =;hen they, Gods (Elohim), caused me to wander from my father"s house!=

Genesis '14

=and there he built an altar and called the place @lbethel, because there God (Elohim) had

re"ealed himself (ni!luw) to him when he fled from his brother!=

The verb which modifies God (@lohim) is ni!luw (revealed) and is the plural of !la, which

means that the verse is more literally rendered as, =Gods, They re"ealed themsel"es to him!=

It shouldn"t surprise the readers that both #braham and 8acob could use such plurals for God

since these men were aware that their God was(is) multiPersonal! or instance, 8acob 0newthat ahweh had an #n$el who was also God1

=In the breedin$ season of the floc0 I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the $oats that

mated with the floc0 were striped, spotted, and mottled! Then the angel of God said to me in

the dream, E8acob," and I said, EHere I am" #nd he said, EAift up your eyes and see, all the

$oats that mate with the floc0 are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Aaban

is doin$ to you! I am the God of Bethel where you anointed a pillar and made a !ow to

me! Jow arise, $o out from this land and return to the land of your 0indred!"= Genesis '%1%6

%'

He even invo0ed this very same #n$el to bless his son and $randchildren1

http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/spirit1_r1.htm





=#nd he blessed 8oseph and said, EThe God before whom my fathers #braham and Isaac

wal0ed, the God who has been my shepherd all my life lon$ to this day, THE A"GE# who

has redeemed me from all e!il B#E$$ the boys 3 and in them let my name be carried on,

and the name of my fathers #braham and Isaac3 and let them $row into a multitude in the

midst of the earth!"= Genesis :1%%5

8acob uses the sin$ular verb for bless even thou$h he has two distinct entities in mind,

namely God and the #n$el

@-odus ''1%%

=#nd he said, = 2y 6ace they will !o with you, and I will $ive you rest!" #nd he said to him,

E -f your Faces, they will go not with me, do not brin$ us up from here!"= @-odus ''1%%

;e present the transliteration for this passa$e1

3ayo7mar Paanay yeeleekuw wah8nichotiy laa0 3ayo7mer 7eelaayw 7-m9 7eeyn paaney0aaholªkiym 7al9 ta58leenuw mi:eh

The words, yeelee0uw and hol80iym, are plural of yala0 , and literally say =they will $o!=

+ne may ta0e the plural as a reference to ahweh, the #n$el and the Holy Spirit who all went

ahead of Israel to prepare their way1

=Behold % send A" A"GE# before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the

pla&e that % ha!e prepared! Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice3 do not rebel

a$ainst him, for he will not pardon your transgression for my name is in him ! But if youcarefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then % will be an enemy to your enemies and

an ad!ersary to your ad!ersaries' (hen my angel goes before you and brin$s you to the

#morites and the Hittites and the Peri<<ites and the .anaanites, the Hivites and the 8ebusites,

and % blot them out= @-odus &'1&6&'

=#nd when we cried to the A+9/, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us

out of Egypt! #nd here we are in Kadesh, a city on the ed$e of your territory!= Jumbers

&61%5

=But they rebelled and grie!ed his Holy $pirit3 therefore he turned to be their enemy, and

himself fou$ht a$ainst them! Then he remembered the days of old, of 7oses and his people!;here is he who brou$ht them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his floc0 (here is he

who put in the midst of them his Holy $pirit, who caused his $lorious arm to $o at the ri$ht

hand of 7oses, who divided the waters before them to ma0e for himself an everlastin$ name,

who led them throu$h the depths Ai0e a horse in the desert, they did not stumble! Ai0e

livestoc0 that $o down into the valley, the $pirit of the #O)* ga!e them rest! So you led

your people, to ma0e for yourself a $lorious name!= Isaiah 5'1%6%

8oshua &1%2

=But 8oshua said to the people, Eou are not able to serve the A+9/, for he is a holy God

( Elohim ;adoshim hu)! He is a *ealous God3 he will not for$ive your trans$ressions or yoursins!"=



Holy is the plural ad*ective ;adoshim (=Holy +nes=) and can be translated as, =Gods, the

<oly &nes is he!=

& Samuel 41&'

=#nd who is li0e your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went (haal80uw Elohim) to redeem to be his people, ma0in$ himself a name and doin$ for them $reat and

awesome thin$s by drivin$ out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from

@$ypt, a nation and its $ods=

The words =God went= is plural and literally says, =Gods, they went to redeem!=

Psalm &15, %%

=;hy are you cast down, + my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me Hope in God3

for I shall a$ain praise him, my sal"ation and my God ! 7y soul is cast down within me3

therefore I remember you from the land of 8ordan and of Hermon, from 7ount 7i<arD ;hyare you cast down, + my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me Hope in God3 for I

shall a$ain praise him, my sal"ation and my God !=

Psalm '1

=Then I will $o to the altar of God, to God my e-ceedin$ *oy, and I will praise you with the

lyre, & God, my God ! ;hy are you cast down, + my soul, and why are you in turmoil within

me Hope in God3 for I shall a$ain praise him, my sal"ation and my God !=

In the above passa$es, =my salvation= ( yeshu‘ohth), =my God= ( Elohai), =+ God, my God=( Elohim Elohai)= are plural and literally read, =my sal"ations and my Gods,= and =& Gods,

my Gods!=

Psalm :1%%

=7an0ind will say, ESurely there is a reward for the ri$hteous3 surely there is a God ( Elohim)

who 'ud!es (shophetim) on earth!"=

/avid uses the plural verb shophetim, implyin$ that the passa$e should read, =Gods, They

'ud!e the earth!=

;e will include a transliteration of the Hebrew for the ne-t particular te-ts!

8ob '1%6

=But none says, E;here is God my 2a0er (5osaay), who $ives son$s in the ni$ht,"=

38lo79 7aamar 7$yeeh 7Elowah osaay noteen :8mirowt balaay8laah

The word ‘osaay is the plural participle of asa and refers to =my 2a0ers!=

The author of 8ob clearly 0new of more than one Person who was the 7a0er of all thin$s1



=our hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me alto$ether! 9emember

that you have made me li0e clay3 and will you return me to the dust /id you not pour me out

li0e mil0 and curdle me li0e cheese ou clothed me with s0in and flesh, and 0nit me

to$ether with bones and sinews! ou have $ranted me life and steadfast love, and your care

has preserved my spirit!= 8ob %61:%&

=The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the #lmi$hty $ives me life!= 8ob ''1

ahweh and his Spirit made man, and yet ahweh alone is the .reator accordin$ to 8ob1

=who commands the sun, and it does not rise3 who seals up the stars3 who #A+J@ stretched

out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea3 who made the Bear and +rion, the

Pleiades and the chambers of the south3= 8ob 2142

=/id not he who made me in the womb ma0e him #nd did not !"E fashion us in the

womb= 8ob '%1%

Psalm %21&

=Aet Israel be $lad in his 2a0er (b85osaayw )3 let the children of Nion re*oice in their Kin$=

Yismach Yisraa7eel #ªosaayw #8neey9 Tsiyown yaa!iyluw b8mal0aam

The te-t literally says =his 2a0ers= because it is a plural participle!

The Psalms, much li0e the boo0 of 8ob, identify more than one Person or @ntity as the .ause

of all creation1

= #y the word of the &*+ the heavens were made, and by the #reath=Spirit (ruach) of his

mouth all their host!= Psalm ''15

God, His ;ord, and His Spirit created the constellations!

=;hen you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the $round!=

Psalm %61'6

God sends forth his Spirit to create and renew the earth!

Isaiah 1

=or your 2a0er (5&sayi0) is your <usband (bo58layi0), the A+9/ of hosts is his name3 and

the Holy +ne of Israel is your 9edeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called!=

>iy #oªlayik !sayik Yahweh ts8baa7owt sh8mow 38!o78lee0 ;8dowsh Yisraa7eel 7Eloheey

0aal9 haa7aarets yi?aaree7

The word 5&sayi0 is the plural participle of asa and bo58layi0 is the plural noun form of baal ,

and should therefore read, =or your 2a0ers are your <usbands!=



The prophet Isaiah a$rees with the other inspired writers that ahweh alone created and, since

ahweh is a multiplicitywithinunity, he was also aware of more than one /ivine Person as

bein$ responsible for creation1

=or the palace is forsa0en, the populous city deserted3 the hill and the watchtower will

become dens forever, a *oy of wild don0eys, a pasture of floc0s3 until the Spirit is pouredupon us from on hi!h, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is

deemed a forest!= Isaiah '&1%%

=Thus says the A+9/, your 9edeemer, who formed you from the womb1 EI am the A+9/,

who made all thin$s, who #A+J@ stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth B

7S@A,"= Isaiah 1&

=Aisten to me, + 8acob, and Israel, whom I called I am he3 I am the first, and I am the last!

7y hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my ri$ht hand spread out the heavens3 when I

call to them, they stand forth to$ether!= Isaiah :1%&%'

@cclesiastes %&1%

=9emember also your 1reator (bowr87ey0aa) in the days of your youth, before the evil days

come and the years draw near of which you will say, EI have no pleasure in them"3=

@cclesiastes %&1%

Uw:0or 7et9 #owrª$eykaa biymeey b8chuwrotey0aa 5ad 78sher lo79 yaabo7uw y8meey

haaraa5aah w8hi!iy5uw shaaniym 78sher to7mar 7Eeyn9 liy baahem cheepets@

#owr87ey0aa is a plural participle and is literally =your .reators!=

These plurals do not at all come as a shoc0 or surprise to the Trinitarian, since we e-pect to

find such thin$s if indeed the Holy Bible teaches God"s uniplurality! It is the Cnitarian, the

antiTrinitarian, who should be troubled and shoc0ed to find such phenomena!

This concludes the first part! In the ne-t section we will present some te-ts where more than

one /ivine Person appear to$ether in the same set of passa$es!

Plurality in the Old Testament

Sam Shamoun

;e now move into the second part of our discussion where we ta0e a loo0 at specific te-ts

which refer to multiple /ivine Persons side by side! #fter all, if the e-e$esis and analysis that

we presented in the first part of our discussion that the use of plurals points in the direction of God bein$ multiPersonal is correct, then we shouldn"t be surprised to find passa$es where


http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/plurality1.htm


http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/plurality1.htm



the Bible writers mention more than one /ivine Person! #nd, lo and behold, this is precisely

what we find happenin$ in the Holy Bible!

Here is the first te-t which mentions two different /ivine Persons side by side1

=Then the A+9/ rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the &*+ out ofhea"en!= Genesis %21&

ahweh brin$s down sulfur and fire from the ahweh who is in heaven above! Some anti

Trinitarians have come up with an e-planation in order to deny that this refers to two distinct

entities as God1

#nswer1 It has been alle$ed by some .hristian theolo$ians that there are two divine

personalities mentioned in this verse, one on earth, conversin$ with #braham, and the other

in heaven! The one on earth, it is claimed, rained down fire upon the two cities from the one

in heaven!

There is, however, no $rammatical basis for such an inference! In accordance with the

construction of the Hebrew lan$ua$e, we find that in the first half of the verse, the reader is

informed who caused the brimstone and fire to fall upon the two cities! In the second half of

the verse he is told for emphasis, not only from whom it came but also from where! The verse

emphasi<es that it is =from the Aord,= in order to leave no doubt as to who is in command of

events!

#n individual will often spea0 of himself in the third person instead of usin$ the first person!

@-amples of this may be seen in the followin$1 Aamech said, =Hear my voice you wives of

Aamech= (Genesis 1&'), not =my voice=3 similarly /avid said, =Ta0e with you the servants of your lord= (% Kin$s %1''), and not =my servants=3 and #hasuerus said, =! ! ! in the name of the

0in$= (@sther :1:), not =in my name!= They are all referrin$ to themselves in the third person

not to another personality! Ai0ewise, when God spea0s of Himself in the third person He is

also not spea0in$ of another personality!

God uses the techniFue of spea0in$ in the third person about Himself in a number of

scriptural conte-ts! It is a common feature of the Scriptures, when =the Aord= (HaShem)

spea0s, for the te-t to repeat the noun rather than ma0e use of a pronoun (e!$! Genesis %:1%23

@-odus '1%&, &1%3 Jumbers %21%&3 Nechariah %1%4)! (8ews for 8udaism, ;uestion -sn7t the

doctrine of the Trinity supported by Genesis ABCD Then the ord caused to rain upon

Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the ord out of hea"en/3 source)

The e-planation $iven is possible, but not at all probable since the evidence demonstrates that

the te-t is not an e-ample of third person usa$e! Genesis %: clearly establishes the fact that in

%21& the author is indeed referrin$ to two distinct and different Persons as ahweh! ;e

Fuote the entire chapter because of its importance in establishin$ this point1

=And the #O)* appeared to him by the oa+s of ,amre, as he sat at the door of his tent in

the heat of the day! He lifted up his eyes and loo0ed, and behold three men were standing

in front of him! ;hen he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed

himself to the earth and said, E+ Aord, if I have found favor in your si$ht, do not pass by your

servant! Aet a little water be brou$ht, and wash your feet and rest yoursel!es under thetree, while I brin$ a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may

http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq061.html

http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq061.html



pass onsince you have come to your servant!" So they said, E/o as you have said!" #nd

#braham went Fuic0ly into the tent to Sarah and said, EOuic0 Three seahs of fine flour

Knead it, and ma0e ca0es!" #nd #braham ran to the herd and too0 a calf, tender and $ood,

and $ave it to a youn$ man, who prepared it Fuic0ly! Then he too0 curds and mil0 and the

calf that he had prepared and set it before them' And he stood by them under the tree

while THE- ATE! They said to him, E;here is Sarah your wife" #nd he said, EShe is in thetent!" THE #O)* $A%* .% will surely return to you about this time next year and $arah

your wife shall ha!e a son!" #nd Sarah was listenin$ at the tent door behind him! Jow

#braham and Sarah were old, advanced in years! The way of women had ceased to be with

Sarah! So Sarah lau$hed to herself, sayin$, E#fter I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I

have pleasure" THE #O)* $A%* TO Abraham, E;hy did Sarah lau$h and say, =Shall I

indeed bear a child, now that I am old= Is anythin$ too hard for the A+9/ #t the appointed

time I will return to you about this time ne-t year, and Sarah shall have a son!" But Sarah

denied it, sayin$, EI did not lau$h," for she was afraid! HE $A%*, EJo, but you did lau$h!"

Then the men set out from there, and they loo0ed down toward Sodom! #nd #braham went

with them to set them on their way! THE #O)* $A%*, EShall I hide from #braham what I

am about to do, seein$ that #braham shall surely become a $reat and mi$hty nation, and allthe nations of the earth shall be blessed in him or I have chosen him, that he may command

his children and his household after him to 0eep the way of the A+9/ by doin$ ri$hteousness

and *ustice, so that the A+9/ may brin$ to #braham what he has promised him!" THE"

THE #O)* said, EBecause the outcry a$ainst Sodom and Gomorrah is $reat and their sin is

very $rave, % (%## GO *O(" to see whether they ha!e done altogether a&&ording to

the out&ry that has &ome to me' And if not % will +now'’ $o the men turned from there

and went toward $odom BUT AB)AHA, $T%## $TOO* BE/O)E THE #O)*!

Then #braham drew near and said, E;ill you indeed sweep away the ri$hteous with the

wic0ed Suppose there are fifty ri$hteous within the city! ;ill you then sweep away the place

and not spare it for the fifty ri$hteous who are in it ar be it from you to do such a thin$, to

put the ri$hteous to death with the wic0ed, so that the ri$hteous fare as the wic0ed ar be

that from you $hall not the 0udge of all the earth do what is 1ust2’ A"* THE #O)*

$A%*, EIf I find at Sodom fifty ri$hteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their

sa0e!" #braham answered and said, EBehold % ha!e underta+en to spea+ to the %ord , I who

am but dust and ashes! Suppose five of the fifty ri$hteous are lac0in$! ;ill you destroy the

whole city for lac0 of five" A"* HE $A%*, EI will not destroy it if I find fortyfive there!"

#$ain he spo0e to him and said, ESuppose forty are found there!" HE A"$(E)E* Eor the

sa0e of forty I will not do it!" Then he said, EOh let not the %ord be angry, and I will spea0!

Suppose thirty are found there!" HE A"$(E)E* .% will not do it if % find thirty there'’

He said, .Behold % ha!e underta+en to spea+ to the %ord ! Suppose twenty are found there!"

HE A"$(E)E* .or the sa0e of twenty I will not destroy it!" Then he said, EOh let notthe %ord be angry, and I will spea0 a$ain but this once! Suppose ten are found there!" HE

A"$(E)E* Eor the sa0e of ten I will not destroy it!" And THE #O)* (E"T H%$

(A- (HE" HE HA* /%"%$HE* $PEA3%"G TO Abraham and #braham returned to

his place!= Genesis %:1%''

In the above we see that ahweh appeared as a man alon$side two other men, ate food and

conversed directly with #braham! To substantiate that one of the three men was indeed

ahweh appearin$ to #braham note verse && carefully1

=So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the

#O)*!= Genesis %:1&&



The te-t says that as the men headed towards Sodom #braham stood before ahweh,

meanin$ that ahweh remained behind! If ahweh was indeed one of the three men and yet

remained with #braham then we would e-pect to find that only two men showed up at

Sodom! Ao and behold, this is precisely what we find1

=The T(O A"GE#$ &ame to $odom in the e!ening, and Aot was sittin$ in the $ate ofSodom! ;hen Aot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the

earth and said, E7y lords, please turn aside to your servantLs house and spend the ni$ht and

wash your feet! Then you may rise up early and $o on your way!" They said, EJo3 we will

spend the ni$ht in the town sFuare!" But he pressed them stron$ly3 so they turned aside to him

and entered his house! #nd he made them a feast and ba0ed unleavened bread, and they ate!=

Genesis %21%'

Instead of three men showin$ up we find that only two of the three arrived at Sodom, which

the verses identify as an$els! The reason why only two showed up is because the third man

had remained behind to tal0 to #braham! #nd yet Genesis %: states that the +ne who

remained with #braham was none other than ahweh God, affirmin$ that he was one of thethree men

urthermore, Genesis %: says that ahweh intended to $o down to Sodom in order to verify

for himself that the city was as wic0ed as he had been told1

=Then the A+9/ said, EBecause the outcry a$ainst Sodom and Gomorrah is $reat and their

sin is very $rave, I &I%% G! '!&" ! SEE whether they have done alto$ether accordin$

to the outcry that has come to me! #nd if not, I will 0now!"= Genesis %:1&6&%

;hat this implies is that after ahweh finished conversin$ with #braham (cf! Gen! %:1'') he

went to Sodom to *oin the other two men in order to brin$ destruction upon Sodom!

It is not surprisin$ that this is e-actly what we find happenin$1

=Then TH@ 7@J said to Aot, EHave you anyone else here Sonsinlaw, sons, dau$hters, or

anyone you have in the city, brin$ them out of the place! or ;@ are about to destroy this

place, because the outcry a$ainst its people has become $reat before the A+9/, and the

#O)* HA$ $E"T U$ to destroy it!" So Aot went out and said to his sonsinlaw, who were

to marry his dau$hters, ECp Get out of this place, for the A+9/ is about to destroy the city!"

But he seemed to his sonsinlaw to be *estin$! #s mornin$ dawned, TH@ #JG@AS ur$ed

Aot, sayin$, ECp Ta0e your wife and your two dau$hters who are here, lest you be sweptaway in the punishment of the city!" But he lin$ered! So TH@ 7@J sei<ed him and his wife

and his two dau$hters by the hand, the A+9/ bein$ merciful to him, and they brou$ht him

out and set him outside the city! #nd as they brou$ht them out, one said, E@scape for your life!

/o not loo0 bac0 or stop anywhere in the valley! @scape to the hills, lest you be swept away!"

#nd Aot said to them, E+h, no, my #O)*$! Behold, your servant has found favor in your

si$ht, and you have shown me $reat 0indness in savin$ my life! But I cannot escape to the

hills, lest the disaster overta0e me and I die! Behold, this city is near enou$h to flee to, and it

is a little one! Aet me escape thereis it not a little oneand my life will be saved" <e said

to him, EBehold, I $rant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you

have spo0en! @scape there Fuic0ly, for % &an do nothing till you arri!e there!" Therefore the

name of the city was called Noar! By the time #ot rea&hed 4oar the sun had risen o!er theland! Then the &*+ rained down burnin! sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah@6*&2 T<E



&*+ out of the hea"ens! Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, includin$ all

those livin$ in the citiesand also the ve$etation in the land! But AotLs wife loo0ed bac0, and

she became a pillar of salt! @arly the ne-t mornin$ #braham $ot up and returned to the

pla&e where he had stood before the #O)*! He loo0ed down toward Sodom and

Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smo0e risin$ from the land, li0e

smo0e from a furnace! $o when God destroyed the &ities of the plain , he remembered#braham, and HE brought #ot out of the &atastrophe that o!erthrew the &ities where

#ot had li!ed!= Genesis %21%&&2

# careful readin$ of this chapter shows that at first the an$elsMmen came to escort Aot and his

family safely out of Sodom in order to destroy it! # little later, after a period of time had

elapsed, ahweh himself appears to destroy that wic0ed place!

Hence, the fore$oin$ establishes beyond any doubt that Genesis %21& is indeed referrin$ to

two distinct entities or Persons as ahweh, the +ne on earth who appeared as a man and the

+ther who was in heaven! There is no escapin$ this conclusion!

There are other references affirmin$ that ahweh did indeed appear personally to #braham1

=;hen #bram was ninetynine years old the &*+ $PPE$*E+ to $bram and said to him, ‘-

am God $lmi!hty3 wal0 before me, and be blameless, D" ;hen he had finished tal0in$ with

him, God went up from $braham!= Genesis %41%, &&

=God spo0e to 7oses and said to him, EI am the A+9/! - $PPE$*E+ to $braham, to -saac,

and to %acob, as God $lmi!hty, but by my name the A+9/ I did not ma0e myself 0nown to

them!"= @-odus 51&'

=#nd Stephen said1 EBrothers and fathers, hear me! The God of !lory $PPE$*E+ to our

father $braham when he was in 7esopotamia, before he lived in Haran,"= #cts 41&

# person should therefore have no problem acceptin$ the Bible"s clear teachin$ that on at

least one occasion ahweh appeared to #braham as a man who then left him to destroy

Sodom and Gomorrah!

#s it stands, Genesis %21& is an e-plicit witness that there are two different Persons

identified as ahweh God!

Here is another1

=#nd I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the A+9/, and I will be the $lory in

her midst! Cp Cp lee from the land of the north, declares the A+9/! or I have spread you

abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the A+9/! Cp @scape to Nion, you who

dwell with the dau$hter of Babylon! 6or thus said the &*+ of hosts, after <-S !lory sent

2E to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of <-S eye1

Behold, - will sha0e 2Y hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served

them! Then you will 0now that the &*+ of hosts has sent 2E! Sin$ and re*oice, + dau$hter

of Nion, for behold , - come and - will dwell in your midst, declares the &*+! #nd many

nations shall *oin themselves to the A+9/ in that day, and shall be 2Y people. $nd - will

dwell in your midst, and you shall 0now that the &*+ of hosts has sent 2E to you! #nd theA+9/ will inherit 8udah as his portion in the holy land, and will a$ain choose 8erusalem! Be



silent, all flesh, before the A+9/, for he has roused himself from his holy dwellin$!=

Nechariah &1%'

ahweh sends ahweh to dwell in the midst of God"s people Aest the readers fail to see this

point we present the specific section once a$ain, this time usin$ a different translation1

=Ho @scape to Nion, you who dwell with the dau$hter of Babylon! 6or thus said the &*+

of hosts, after HIS $lory sent 7@ to the nations who plundered you, for H@ who touches you

touches the apple of HIS eye1 Behold, I will sha0e my hand over them, and they shall become

plunder for those who served them! Then you will 0now that the &*+ of hosts <$S SE4T

2E ! Sin$ and re*oice, + dau$hter of Nion3 for lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you,

says the &*+! #nd many nations shall *oin themselves to the A+9/ in that day, and shall

be 2Y PE&PE and - will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall 0now that the &*+ of

hosts <$S SE4T 2E to you!= Nechariah &14%% 9S

Interestin$ly, towards the end of the boo0 the inspired prophet reiterates his point that

ahweh is comin$ to dwell with his people1

=Behold, a day is comin$ for the A+9/, when the spoil ta0en from you will be divided in

your midst! or I will $ather all the nations a$ainst 8erusalem to battle, and the city shall be

ta0en and the houses plundered and the women raped! Half of the city shall $o out into e-ile,

but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city! Then the #O)* will go out and

fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle' On that day H%$ /EET

$HA## $TA"* O" THE ,OU"T O/ O#%5E$ that lies before 0erusalem on the east ,

and the 7ount of +lives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that

one half of the 7ount shall move northward, and the other half southward! #nd you shall flee

to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to #<al! #nd you

shall flee as you fled from the earthFua0e in the days of C<<iah 0in$ of 8udah! Then the

#O)* my God (%## 6O,E and all the holy ones with him!= Nechariah %1%

The JT identifies 8esus as the A+9/ who is comin$ with his holy ones and whose feet will

touch and split the 7ount of +lives in half1

=#nd when he had said these thin$s, as they were loo0in$ on, he was lifted up, and a cloud

too0 him out of their si$ht! #nd while they were $a<in$ into heaven as he went, behold, two

men stood by them in white robes, and said, E7en of Galilee, why do you stand loo0in$ into

heaven This 8esus, who was ta0en up from you into heaven, will &ome in the same way as

you saw him go into hea!en!’ Then they returned to 0erusalem /)O, THE ,OU"T6A##E* O#%5ET whi&h is near 0erusalem, a Sabbath day"s *ourney away!= #cts %12%&

#ccordin$ to the above te-t 8esus is to return to the place from where he ascended into

heaven, with that place bein$ the 7ount of +lives ;e are even told that he will return with

all of his holy ones1

=so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and ather, at the

comin$ of our Aord 8esus with all his holy ones!= % Thessalonians '1%'

Thus, Nechariah by revelation saw the Aord 8esus descendin$ upon the 7ount of +lives in his

physical, $lorified body whose feet he literally beheld touchin$ and splittin$ it in half



This basically means that 8esus was the +ne who spo0e to Nechariah by revelation and he

was the +ne who told him that ahweh was sendin$ him to live in the midst if the people! If

anyone doubts that 8esus was the ahweh who spo0e by inspiration to Nechariah then this

ne-t te-t should help cure that doubt1

=The A+9/ also will save the tents of 8udah first, so that the $lory of the house of /avid andthe $lory of the inhabitants of 8erusalem will not be ma$nified above 8udah! In that day the

A+9/ will defend the inhabitants of 8erusalem, and the one who is feeble amon$ them in

that day will be li0e /avid, and the house of /avid will be li0e God, li0e the an$el of the

A+9/ before them! #nd in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come

a$ainst 8erusalem! I will pour out on the house of /avid and on the inhabitants of 8erusalem,

the Spirit of $race and of supplication, so that they will loo+ on ,E (HO, THE- HA5E

P%E)6E* 3 and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep

bitterly over Him li0e the bitter weepin$ o"er a firstborn! In that day there will be $reat

mournin$ in 8erusalem, li0e the mournin$ of Hadadrimmon in the plain of 7e$iddo! The land

will mourn, every family by itself3 the family of the house of /avid by itself and their wives

by themselves3 the family of the house of Jathan by itself and their wives by themselves3 thefamily of the house of Aevi by itself and their wives by themselves3 the family of the

Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves3 all the families that remain, every family

by itself and their wives by themselves!= Nechariah %&14% J#SB

=In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of /avid and for the inhabitants of

8erusalem, for sin and for impurity!= Nechariah %'1% J#SB

The +ne who is comin$ to fi$ht for 8erusalem is the +ne whom the inhabitants had pierced!

#nd the +ne who was pierced is none other than the Aord 8esus .hrist

=But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and

waterD #nd a$ain another Scripture says, EThey will loo0 on him whom they ha"e pierced."=

8ohn %21', '4

=Behold, he is comin$ with the clouds, and every eye will see him, e"en those who pierced

him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him! @ven so! #men!= 9evelation %14

The prophet Isaiah is another one who mentions more than one /ivine Person1

= 6or to us a child is #orn , to us a son is !i"en3 and the $overnment shall be upon his

shoulder, and his name shall be called ;onderful .ounselor, 2i!hty God (El Gibbor),@verlastin$ ather, Prince of Peace! +f the increase of his $overnment and of peace there will

be no end, on the throne of /avid and over his 0in$dom, to establish it and to uphold it with

*ustice and with ri$hteousness from this time forth and forevermore! The <eal of the A+9/ of

hosts will do this!= Isaiah 2154

=In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of 8acob will no more lean

on him who struc0 them, but will lean on the &*+, the Holy +ne of Israel, in truth! #

remnant will return, the remnant of 8acob, to the mi!hty God (El Gibbor)!= Isaiah %61&6&%

# child is born who is the 7i$hty God and yet ahweh is the 7i$hty God as well Isaiah

continues1



=Thus says the A+9/, the Kin$ of Israel #J/ HIS 9@/@@7@9, the A+9/ of hosts1 EI am

the first and I am the last3 besides me there is no $od!"= Isaiah 15

Here is the Hebrew transliteration of the underline portion of the te-t1

Y<3< 2elech Yisrael E Goalo Y<3< Tse"aot

The prefi- E is the word =and=, and a more literal renderin$ would be1

ahweh the Kin$ of Israel $4+ His 9edeemer ahweh of Hosts!

The HIS in the te-t can be referrin$ to either Israel, that ahweh is Israel"s 9edeemer, or to

ahweh himself meanin$ that this is a reference to the +ne whom ahweh has appointed to

be Israel"s redeemer, who happens to also be ahweh! If the latter interpretation is correct

then this is how the te-t would be rendered1

=Thus says the A+9/, the Kin$ of Israel and the A+9/"s 9edeemer, the A+9/ of hosts1 EIam the first and I am the last3 besides me there is no $od!=

Basically this would mean that there are two distinct /ivine Persons here, ahweh and the

9edeemer he has raised, namely ahweh

There is evidence for viewin$ this te-t as a reference to ahweh and the Savior whom he

would send1

=In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the $n!el of his Presence sa"ed them3 in his love

and in his pity he redeemed them3 he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old!=Isaiah 5'12

God and the #n$el of his Presence saved Israel, indicatin$ that God does have a 9edeemer

whom he sends to save his covenant people!

@lsewhere, Isaiah refers to ahweh"s Servant as the +ne who saves the entire world1

=Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I deli$ht3 I will put my Spirit

on him and he will bring 1usti&e to the nations! He will not shout or cry out, or raise his

voice in the streets! # bruised reed he will not brea0, and a smolderin$ wic0 he will not snuff

out! In faithfulness he will brin$ forth *ustice3 he will not falter or be discoura$ed till heestablishes 1usti&e on earth! In his law the islands will put their hope! This is what God the

A+9/ says he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth

and all that comes out of it, who $ives breath to its people, and life to those who wal0 on it1

EI, the A+9/, have called you in ri$hteousness3 I will ta0e hold of your hand! - will 0eep you

and will ma0e you to be a co"enant for the people and a li!ht for the Gentiles, to open eyes

that are blind, to free capti"es from prison and to release from the dun!eon those who sit in

dar0ness!"= Isaiah &1%4

=Aisten to me, you islands3 hear this, you distant nations1 Before I was born the A+9/ called

me3 from my birth he has made mention of my name! He made my mouth li0e a sharpened

sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me3 he made me into a polished arrow and concealedme in his Fuiver! He said to me, Eou are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my



splendor!" But I said, EI have labored to no purpose3 I have spent my stren$th in vain and for

nothin$! et what is due me is in the A+9/Ls hand, and my reward is with my God!" #nd

now the A+9/ says he who formed me in the womb to be his ser"ant to brin! %acob bac0

to him and !ather -srael to himself , for I am honored in the eyes of the A+9/ and my God

has been my stren$th he says1 EIt is too small a thin$ for you to be my servant to restore the

tribes of 8acob and brin$ bac0 those of Israel I have 0ept! I will also ma0e you a li!ht for theGentiles, that you may brin! my sal*ation to the ends of the earth!" This is what the A+9/

says the 9edeemer and Holy +ne of Israel to him who was despised and abhorred by the

nation, to the servant of rulers1 EKin$s will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow

down, because of the A+9/, who is faithful, the Holy +ne of Israel, who has chosen you!"

This is what the A+9/ says1 EIn the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of

salvation I will help you3 I will 0eep you and will ma0e you to be a covenant for the people,

to restore the land and to reassi$n its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, E.ome out,"

and to those in dar0ness, EBe free" They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every

barren hill! They will neither hun$er nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon

them! He who has compassion on them will $uide them and lead them beside sprin$s of

water!= Isaiah 21%%6

The Servant is a li$ht and means of salvation for both the Israelites and the Gentiles, showin$

that he is indeed ahweh"s 9edeemer!

The JT provides further attestation for this e-e$esis, that ahweh does have a 9edeemer who

is sent forth to save the nations1

=or God so loved the world, that he !a"e his only Son, that whoever believes in him should

not perish but have eternal life! or God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the

world, but in order that the world mi!ht be sa"ed throu!h him! ;hoever believes in him is

not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not

believed in the name of the only Son of God!= 8ohn '1%5%:

=In this the love of God was made manifest amon$ us, that God sent his only Son into the

world, so that we mi!ht li"e throu!h him! In this is love, not that we have loved God but that

he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sinsD #nd we have seen and

testify that the 6ather has sent his Son to be the Sa"ior of the world != % 8ohn 12%6, %

#ma<in$ly, the Aord 8esus even identifies himself as the irst and the Aast which is the same

title used by the 9edeemer in Isaiah 151

=;hen I saw him, I fell at his feet as thou$h dead! But he laid his ri$ht hand on me, sayin$,

Eear not, % am the /irst and the #ast, and the livin$ one! % *%E*, and behold I am alive

forevermore, and I have the 0eys of /eath and Hades!"= 9evelation %1%4%:

=#nd to the an$el of the church in Smyrna write1 EThe words of the first and the last who

died and &ame to life!"= 9evelation &1:

Hence, 8esus is the 9edeemer sent forth by God who is the very irst and the Aast

The Boo0 of Psalms is another place where references to multiple /ivine Persons can be

found1



=The A+9/ says to my ord ($doni)1 ESit at 2Y ri!ht hand , until I ma0e your enemies your

footstool!" The A+9/ sends forth from Nion your mi!hty scepter. *ule in the midst of your

enemiesF our people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy

$arments3 from the womb of the mornin$, the dew of your youth will be yours! The A+9/

has sworn and will not chan$e his mind, EYou are a priest fore"er after the order of

2elchi:ede0 !" The ord ($donai) is at Y&U* ri!ht hand 3 he will shatter 0in$s on the day ofhis wrath! He will e-ecute *ud$ment amon$ the nations, fillin$ them with corpses3 he will

shatter chiefs over the wide earth! <e will drin0 from the broo0 by the way3 therefore he will

lift up his head!= Psalm %%61%4

ahweh addresses /avid"s Soverei$n and tells him to sit on his ri$ht, and /avid"s 7aster is

called #donai, a /ivine title, in verse ! ;e definitely 0now that #donai refers to /avid"s

Aord since he is the +ne who sits at the ri$ht hand of God, which means that we a$ain have

two different Personalities referred to as God!

or more on Psalm %%6 please consult the followin$ article1 http1MManswerin$

islam!or$MShamounMpsalm%%6Q%!htm

;e now move on to our si-th te-t1

=our throne, & God (Elohim), is forever and ever! The scepter of your 0in$dom is a scepter

of upri$htness3 you have loved ri$hteousness and hated wic0edness! Therefore God (Elohim),

your God (Elohim), has anointed you with the oil of $ladness beyond your companions3=

Psalm 154

The Psalm is addressed to the 0in$, the one whom God anoints to sit on his throne as his

representative! ;hat ma0es this Fuite shoc0in$ is that the 0in$ is bein$ called God or @lohim,

while also havin$ a God or @lohim over him Thus, we have two distinct entities bein$

identified as @lohim! #s noted 7essianic 8ewish scholar /r! 7ichael A! Brown puts it1

=So this royal descendant of /avid is called elohim1 Eour throne, + God elohimH, will last

for ever and ever" To attempt to translate the 0ey verse with =your divine throne= or =your

throne is God= is forced, to say the least! The most natural and obvious meanin$ is, Eour

throne, + God," spo0en to the /avidic 0in$

;hen I first started Hebrew in colle$e, I as0ed my professor, a very friendly Israeli rabbi, to

translate for me the words 0isa0a elohim ‘olam wa‘ed ! He replied immediately, Eour

throne, + God, is for ever and ever," e-plainin$, EThese are praises to the #lmi$hty!" I thenas0ed him to read the rest of the psalm, clearly addressed to the 0in$, and his face dropped!

How could this earthly 0in$ be called elohim To repeat1 This is the most natural and

obvious meanin$ of the Hebrew, and no one would have Fuestioned such a renderin$ had the

entire psalm been addressed to God! How then can the earthly 0in$ be called elohim D

8ewish scholars have sometimes forced the translation of the 0ey words in order to avoid the

powerful implications of the te-t! This is seen clearly in the %2%4 8ewish Publication Society

ersion, which rendered Psalm 15>4? as, Eour throne, !i"en of God ," even thou$h the

translators created the words E$iven of God" out of thin airD= (Brown, $nswerin! %ewish

&b'ections to %esus Theolo!ical &b'ections >Ba0er Boo0s, Grand 9apids, 7I &666?, olume

Two, p! ')

http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/psalm110_1.htm






sense to the earthly, /avidic 0in$, and it applies in its full sense to 8esus, the /avidic

7essiah!

This may seem a little comple-, but it really is very simple! @very time a new /avidic 0in$

was installed, there was an elaborate ceremony, and it appears that psalms such as Psalm &

were read, proclaimin$ the 0in$ to be God"s son, the anointed (mashiach) of the Aord (cf! Ps!&1&), and promisin$ him rulership over the entire world (see Ps! &1:2)! @ventually, these

psalms became part of the Hebrew Bible, and as each new 0in$ failed to live up to the hi$h

prophetic e-pectations, disappointment set in! But these were God"s words and God"s

promises! How could they fail to reach their fulfillment It was this 0ind of tension that

caused people of Israel to be$in to loo0 for a $reater son of /avid, the anointed one

(mashiach) par e-cellence!

;hen 8esus the 7essiah finally came into the world, these royal psalms reached their $oal!

Here was one who truly was God"s Son, who in a uniFue way was elohim amon$ us, and

who was /avid"s lord, to be worshiped and served by all man0ind! Thus, the royal psalms

had their partial application to the earthly sons of /avid, but they were only fulfilled throu$heshua, the $reater son of /avid! This understandin$ alone does *ustice to the truth of the

Hebrew Bible and the truth of history! (Ibid!, pp! ', )

The Hebrew Bible itself establishes the basis for viewin$ certain historical fi$ures and events

as precursors or as foreshadowin$ the future, specifically in relation to the comin$ 7essiah1

=Hear now, + 8oshua the hi$h priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are

men who are a si!n behold, - will brin! my ser"ant the #ranch! or behold, on the stone that

I have set before 8oshua, on a sin$le stone with seven eyes, I will en$rave its inscription,

declares the A+9/ of hosts, and I will remove the iniFuity of this land in a sin$le day!=

Nechariah '1:2

=#nd the word of the A+9/ came to me1 ETa0e from the e-iles Heldai, Tobi*ah, and 8edaiah,

who have arrived from Babylon, and $o the same day to the house of 8osiah, the son of

Nephaniah! Ta0e from them sil"er and !old, and ma0e a crown, and set it on the head of

%oshua, the son of %eho:ada0, the hi!h priest ! #nd say to him, =Thus says the A+9/ of hosts,

E #ehold, the man whose name is the #ranch1 for he shall branch out from his place, and he

shall build the temple of the A+9/! It is he who shall build the temple of the A+9/ and shall

bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne! #nd there shall be a priest on his throne,

and the counsel of peace shall be between them both! #nd the crown shall be in the temple of

the A+9/ as a reminder to Helem, Tobi*ah, 8edaiah, and Hen the son of Nephaniah!"="=Nechariah 512%

8oshua the Hi$h Priest and his friends are symbols or si$ns pointin$ to ahweh"s Servant the

Branch, a title of the 7essianic Kin$1

=Behold, the days are comin$, declares the A+9/, when - will raise up for +a"id a righteous

Branch, and he shall rei$n as 0in$ and deal wisely, and shall e-ecute *ustice and

ri$hteousness in the land! In his days 8udah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely! #nd

this is the name by which he will be called1 EThe &*+ is our ri!hteousness!"= 8eremiah

&'15



Interestin$ly, this te-t identifies the 7essianic Branch of /avid as ahweh who is our

ri$hteousness

Basically, this establishes the position that the 0in$s of Israel were typical of the $reater Kin$,

the $reater /avid, the 7essiah whom the JT documents identify as 8esus! Hence, if the 0in$s

of Israel could be called God in a purely functional sense, since they were God"srepresentatives on earth, and could receive reverenceMobeisanceMhonor because of their royal

status then this would apply even more so to the 7essiah who is $reater than all the 0in$s

combined! It is little wonder, then, that the JT writers applied specific royal passa$es to the

Aord 8esus, especially Psalm 154, since they reali<ed that he is the antitype, the archetype

which all the others pointed to1

=But of the Son he >ather? says, Eour throne, & God , is forever and ever, the scepter of

upri$htness is the scepter of your 0in$dom! ou have loved ri$hteousness and hated

wic0edness3 therefore God, your God , has anointed you with the oil of $ladness beyond your

companions!"= Hebrews %15, :2

In li$ht of Hebrews" application of Psalm to 8esus we are left to conclude that @lohim is

not bein$ used collectively for the entire Godhead! 9ather, the first reference to @lohim refers

to the 0in$ as God"s representative, with the second bein$ a reference to God the ather! Aest

the reader assume that we are stretchin$ thin$s Fuite a bit at this point notice what the

followin$ te-ts say of the 0in$"s relationship to God1

=#nd I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in

their own place and be disturbed no more! #nd violent men shall waste them no more, as

formerly, from the time that I appointed *ud$es over my people Israel! #nd I will subdue all

your enemies! 7oreover, I declare to you that the A+9/ will build you a house! ;hen your

days are fulfilled to wal0 with your fathers, I will raise up your offsprin$ after you, one of

your own sons, and I will establish his 0in$dom! He shall build a house for me, and I will

establish his throne forever . - will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son! I will not

ta0e my steadfast love from him, as I too0 it from him who was before you, but I will confirm

him in my house and in my 0in$dom forever, and his throne shall be established forever!= %

.hronicles %412%

=The 0in$s of the earth set themselves, and the rulers ta0e counsel to$ether, a$ainst the

A+9/ and a!ainst his anointed (2essiah), sayin$, EAet us burst their bonds apart and cast

away their cords from usD #s for me, - ha"e set my >in! on Iion, my holy hill! I will tell of

the decree1 The A+9/ said to me, EYou are my Son today - ha"e be!otten you! #s0 of me,and I will ma0e the nations your herita$e, and the ends of the earth your possession! ou shall

brea0 them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces li0e a potterLs vessel!"= Psalm &1&, 52

=+f old you spo0e in a vision to your $odly one, and said1 EI have $ranted help to one who is

mi$hty3 I have e-alted one chosen from the people. - ha"e found +a"id, my ser"ant with my

holy oil - ha"e anointed him, D He shall cry to me, Eou are my 6ather , my God, and the

9oc0 of my salvation!" $nd - will ma0e him the firstborn, the hi$hest of the 0in$s of the

earth!= Psalm :21%2&6, &5&4

The 0in$ is God"s royal son which means that ahweh is a ather! Thus, Psalm 154 in its

ultimate fulfilment is a reference to God the Son bein$ anointed by God the ather



The final passa$e we will loo0 at comes from the boo0 of Proverbs1

=The words of #$ur son of 8a0eh! The oracle! The man declares, I am weary, + God3 I am

weary, + God, and worn out! Surely I am too stupid to be a man! I have not the understandin$

of a man! I have not learned wisdom, nor ha"e - 0nowled!e of the <oly &nes (;adoshim)!

(ho has as&ended to hea!en and &ome down2 ;ho has $athered the wind in his fists;ho has wrapped up the waters in a $arment ;ho has established all the ends of the earth

;hat is his name, and what is <-S S&47S 4$2E Surely you 0now= Proverbs '61%

The word ;adoshim in verse ' is a masculine plural ad*ective and is the reason why we have

translated it as Holy +nes, which a$rees with the J9S renderin$1

=I have not learned wisdom, nor have I 0nowled$e of the holy ones!=

#$ur spea0s of how terribly i$norant he is of the Holy +nes, and proceeds to recount some of

the incomprehensible ways of God and his Son! @ssentially what this means is that #$ur used

the plural form of ;adosh (=Holy +ne=) because he had two distinct @ntities in mind,ahweh and his Son who shares in his ather"s soverei$nty and who happens to be *ust as

mysterious and incomprehensible! #s noted .hristian apolo$ist and author /r! 9obert #!

7orey says in his classic volume on the blessed Trinity1

irst of all, it is clear that God is described not only as the Soverei$n of the universe, but also

as havin$ a Son! This is so clear that no commentator, 8ew or .hristian, Trinitarian or

Cnitarian, denies this to be the case! ;here they disa$ree is the identity of the =Son= of God!

Second, the Son is clearly a Person and not *ust a metaphor or an impersonal force or power!

Third, the parallelism in the Hebrew te-t reveals that what is true of the ather is eFually true

of His Son! #$ur first as0s D =;hat His name >i!e!, the ather"s?= Then he as0s D =#nd

what is the name of His Son=

Jotice that #$ur as0s the same Fuestion twiceD =;hat is the name ofD= To lead his reader

to the ri$ht answer, #$ur then issues a rhetorical FuestionD =Surely you 0now, don"t you=

The obvious answer is, =Jo, I do not comprehend the nature of the ather or His Son!=

The ather and the Son are both described as incomprehensible in their natures because in

Hebrew idiom, to 0now the name of someone is to 0now their nature! But #$ur declares that

we cannot 0now the divine, inscrutable name of God or <is Son! Thus, the deity of the Sonof God is established in this te-t! He is *ust as incomprehensible as His divine ather!

ourth, the Hebrew parallelism in the te-t also refutes the attempt to understand the Son as

the nation of Israel or one of its earthly 0in$s, which are never said to be incomprehensible!

To deny the deity of the Son, in this te-t, would reFuire one to deny the deity of the ather!

ifth, #$ur could not have uttered these words unless he understood the multipersonal nature

of God! 9! Payne Smith comments on this verse1

The concludin$ clauses of this ener$etic passa$e are rationally and easily interpreted, if we

admit that the ancient 8ews had some obscure ideas of plurality in the divine nature!



Keil a$rees that this is the underlyin$ assumption of #$ur1

But he would not have ventured this Fuestion if he had not supposed that God was not a

monas >unity? who was without manifoldness in Himself!

(7orey, Trinity E"idence and -ssues >;orld Bible Publishers, Inc!, Iowa alls, I# %225?, PartII1 The +ld Testament @vidence, .hapter @leven, =God the Son,= pp! %4%45)

The online J@T Bible commentary to verse states1

%5sn The reference to =son= in this passa$e has prompted many su$$estions down throu$h

the years1 It was identified as Israel in the 8ewish 7idrashim, the Ao$os or demiur$e by some

of the philosophers and alle$orical writers, as simple poetic parallelism without a separate

identity by some critical scholars, and as 8esus by .hristian commentators! Parallels with

C$aritic are interestin$, because Baal is referred to as a son3 but that is bound up within the

pantheon where there was a father $od! Some of the 8ewish commentators e-hibit a stran$e

lo$ic in e-pressin$ what .hristians would say is only their blindness to the full revelation1There is little co$ency in this bein$ a reference to 8esus because if there had been such a

person at any time in the past he would have left some tradition about it throu$h his

descendants (8! H! Greenstone, Pro"erbs, '%4)! But 8udaism has tau$ht from the earliest times

that 7essiah was pree-istent (especially in view of 7icah and /aniel 4)3 and the claims of

8esus in the Gospels bear this out! It seems best to say that there is a hint here of the nature of

the 7essiah as Son, a hint that will later be revealed in full throu$h the incarnation! ( Source3

underline emphasis ours)

The JT documents identify this Holy Son for us, and even $ive us his name1

=;hat have you to do with us, 0esus of "a7areth2 Have you come to destroy us I 0now

who you arethe Holy One of God!= 7ar0 %1&

=#ll thin$s have been handed over to me by my ather, and no one 0nows the Son eJcept the

6ather, and no one 0nows the 6ather eJcept the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to

reveal him!= 7atthew %%1&4

= 4o one has ascended into hea"en eJcept he who descended from hea"en, the Son of 7an!

#nd as 7oses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of 7an be lifted up,

that whoever believes in him may have eternal life! or God so loved the world, that he !a"e

his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life! 6or Goddid not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world mi$ht

be saved throu$h him! ;hoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not

believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of

God != 8ohn '1%'%:

= 6or - ha"e come down from hea"en, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent

meD Then what if you were to see the Son of 2an ascendin! to where he was before/= 8ohn

51':, 5&

=The God of #braham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 8acob, the God of our fathers,

glorified his ser!ant 0esus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate,when he had decided to release him! But you denied the Holy and )ighteous One, and

http://www.bible.org/netbible/pro30_notes.htm#3016

http://www.bible.org/netbible/pro30_notes.htm#3016



as0ed for a murderer to be $ranted to you, and you 0illed the #uthor of life, whom God raised

from the dead! To this we are witnesses!= #cts '1%'%

=But the ri$hteousness based on faith says, E/o not say in your heart, =;ho will ascend into

heaven=" (that is, to brin$ .hrist down) or E=;ho will descend into the abyss=" (that is, to

brin$ .hrist up from the dead)!= 9omans %6154

=Therefore it says, E;hen he ascended on hi$h he led a host of captives, and he $ave $ifts to

men!" (In sayin$, EHe ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the

lower parts of the earth <e who descended is the one who also ascended far abo"e all the

hea"ens, that he mi$ht fill all thin$s!)= @phesians 14%6

The Son who ascended and descended, the Son who no one 0nows e-cept God, is the Aord

8esus .hrist, God"s Holy +ne Thus, Proverbs '61' is another passa$e which uses a plural

ad*ective, ;adoshim, because it has two distinct and coeFual /ivine Persons in view!

)e&ommended )eading

http1MMwww!christianthin0tan0!comMtrin6&!html

http1MMwww!studytoanswer!netM*udaismMuniplurality!html

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/trin02.html

http://www.studytoanswer.net/judaism/uniplurality.html

http://www.christian-thinktank.com/trin02.html

http://www.studytoanswer.net/judaism/uniplurality.html

plurality in the old testament

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