civic
Well-known member
2 plural nouns (Elohim for God & Adonai for Lord) are applied to God in the O.T. which in English are both God and Lord. Most often they are always plural when applied to God. These 2 plural nouns for God are the two most frequently used nouns of God in the O. T.
3 plural pronouns (We, Us, Our) see Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:22; Genesis 11:7; Isaiah 6:8.
Trinity: plural references to God in the Old Testament:
Plural nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs
Grammatical Plurality & Yahweh | ||
.Click here for a detailed discussion of plurals applied to God in the Old Testament | Nouns: God - elohim, Lord - adonai Pronouns: We, Us, Our Adjectives: holy Verbs: creates, makes, wanders, reveals, judges |
God is one in unity, but three persons:
"Let US make man in OUR image". (Gen 1:26)
Click here for detailed outline of Gen 1:26
"Let US make man in OUR image". (Gen 1:26)
Click here for detailed outline of Gen 1:26
Introduction:
A. 5 key pieces of evidence of the trinity because of plural references to God:
- Two plural nouns are applied to God: God and Lord, are almost always plural when applied to God. These two plural nouns (God - elohim, Lord - adonai) are the two most frequently used nouns of God in the Old Testament.
- Three plural pronouns, (We, Us, Our) used 6 different times in four different passages: Gen 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa 6:8.
- Five plural verbs are applied to God: creates, makes, wanders, reveals, judges. In English, these plural verse do not indicate a plural persons, "God creates". But the plurality of Hebrew verbs follow the noun. This is not the case in English. This plurality of verbs associated with God, is most striking and unusual to those who read Hebrew.
- Plural adjectives that describe God: "holy". Again, this is a function of Hebrew grammar that does not exist in English. The plurality of adjectives is tagged to the associated noun, which in this case is God. It is most unusual to have a plural adjective describing God.
- Single verses that contain both singular and plural references to the same person.
- Anti-Trinitarians and Unitarians alike, try to explain away the plural references to God in the Old Testament: "Let
- While Trinitarians expect to find such plural pronouns and verbs used in reference to God at face value, anti-Trinitarians fall all over themselves trying to find a way to avoid the obvious truth that there are three persons in the one God.
- As we will see, all of the Anti-Trinitarian arguments are invalid leaving us with no other conclusion then the fact that God is a plurality of persons, just as the Biblical trinity teaches.
- The trinity was hidden in the Old Testament until Christ came and the earliest Christians began to "search the (Old Testament) scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11) to see if Paul's claim that Jesus of Nazareth, was the direct subject of prophecy. We have no doubt that Paul would point out the six passages where God is refereed to with plural pronouns. (We, Us, Our)
- God’s oneness is conveyed by personal pronouns like He, Him, His, I, Myself, Me. The trinity is witnessed in the Old Testament by personal pronouns like We, Us, Ours.
- 74 AD Epistle of Barnabas: "For the Scripture says concerning us, while
- 150 AD Justin Martyr: Speaking of Jewish theologians Justin calls the Jewish teaching that God spoke to angels a hersey: "In saying, therefore, ‘as one of us, ’[Moses] has declared that [there is a certain] number of persons associated with one another, and that they are at least two. For I would not say that the
- 180 AD Irenaeus "
- 200 AD Tertullian: "
- 200 AD Tertullian: Tertullian rejects the idea that God was speaking to Angels because our head is the creator, not a creature: "Since then he is the image of the Creator (for He,
- 200 AD Tertullian: "In the first place, because all things were made by the Word of God, and without Him was nothing made. Now the flesh, too, had its existence from the Word of God, because of the principle, that here should be nothing without that Word. "Let us make man," said He, before He created him, and added, "with our hand," for the sake of his pre-eminence, that so he might not be compared with the rest of creation." (Tertullian: On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Elucidations, Chapter V.—Some Considerations in Reply Eulogistic of the Flesh. It Was Created by God.)
- Origen: "it was to Him that God said regarding the creation of man, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." (Origen Against Celsus, Book V, Chapter XXXVII)
- Novatian: "For who does not acknowledge that the person of the Son is second after the Father, when he reads that it was said by the Father, consequently to the Son, "Let us make man in our image and our likeness; " and that after this it was related, "And God made man, in the image of God made He him? "Or when he holds in his hands: "The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah fire and brimstone from the Lord from heaven? " (A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity, Chapter XXVI. Argument.—Moreover, Against the Sabellians He Proves that the Father is One, the Son Another.)
- Constitutions of the Holy Apostles: "the divine Scripture testifies that God said to Christ, His only-begotten, "Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness. And God made man: after the image of God made He him; male and female made He them."(Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, Book V., VII)
A. Anti-Trinitarians claim that when God said, "Let US make man in OUR image". (Gen 1:26) he was speaking to angels.
- Angels are not created in the image of God, only man.
- If angels are included in "Let US make", then angels AND God are equally our creator.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses actually get this one right: The US includes (at least) the Father and Jesus in this creation. Jesus, being God, is the creator of all things: "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. " John 1:3
- Hebrews 1:5 proves Jehovah’s Witnesses false teachers when they say Jesus is an angel: "
- The self contradictory doctrine of the Watchtower has Jesus the creature, functioning as our co-creator (Jn 1:3; Col 1:16). But this violates Rom 1:25: "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator". This passage teaches that if Jesus is the creator, as the Bible says he is, then he cannot be a creature. Jesus cannot be creator and creature at the same time!
- The very best example is in Gen 18 where Yahweh and two angels visit Abraham. Here is a case where God is consulting with two angels and DOES NOT USE US. Three went down to do joint work, but God uses the singular "I" over and over again when actually talking to the two angels! If ever there should be a precedent for US/WE/OUR including God and angels, this would be it. But Anti-Trinitarians are most disappointed that the singular "I" is used. The power of this example proves the other US/WE/OUR do not include angels: "Then the [three] men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. Yahweh said, "Shall I [not we] hide from Abraham what I am about to do, " Genesis 18:16-17 click for more on Gen 18 & 19
- "Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw
- "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will." Psalm 103:20-21
- ""A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened. " Daniel 7:10
- The only example of a plural pronoun is one that includes God and men, never angels: ""Come now, and
II. Plural and singular nouns applied to God: "God, Lord"
Singular | Plural | |
God: El, Elohim | "El" Gen. 33:20, Num 23:19 | Elohim: (used 4000 times) |
Lord: Adonai | Examples? (Almost always plural) | Adonai: Gen 18:30; Ex 34:23; Deut 10:17; Joshua 3:11,13; Ps 45:11; 114:7; 135:5; Mal 1:6 |
- The two most frequently used words (God and Lord) that refer to God in the Old Testament are almost always plural!
- Singular nouns are quite rarely used: El:
a. God (el - singular) is not a man, that He should lie (Numbers 23:19)
b. Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel [God, the God of Israel]. (Gen. 33:20) - We don't know of any examples of "Lord" applied to God in the singular.
- "And if I am a master [plural adonai], where is My respect? says the Lord of hosts" Mal 1:6
Singular pronouns | Plural pronouns | |
I, we | "I" Isa 6:8 | "We" Isa 6:8 |
Myself, Us | "Myself" Gen 9:9 | "Us" Gen 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa 6:8 |
Me, Our | "Me" Zech 12:10 | "Our" Gen 1:26 |
- "Then God [
- "Then Yahweh God [
- "Come, let Us [
- "Then I heard the voice of the Lord [
IV. Plural and singular verbs applied to God: "create, make, wander, revealed, judges"
Singular | Plural | |
Creator: Bara | Isaiah 40:28 | Ecclesiastes 12:1 |
Maker: Asah | Genesis 1:7 | Gen 1:26; Ps 149:2; Job 35:10; Isa 54:5 |
Husband: Baal | ? | Isa 54:5 |
wander | ? | Genesis 20:13 |
revealed | ? | Genesis 35:7 |
judges | ? | Psalm 58:11 |
- Creator: Bara
a. God is called Creator (singular of bara) Isaiah 40:28
b. "Remember also your Creator [
- Maker: Asah
a. "Let Us [
b. "Let Israel be glad in his Maker [plural form of asah]" Psalm 149:2
c. "Where is God [plural, elohim] my Maker [plural form of asah]" Job 35:10
d. "For your husband [plural, baal] is your Maker [plural form of asah]" Isaiah 54:5
- "God [
- "He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God [
- "Surely there is a God [
V. Plural adjectives that describe God: "holy"
- "You will not be able to serve Yahweh, for He is a holy [
- "And the knowledge of the Holy [
- "Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy [
VI. Single verses that contain both singular and plural references to the same being.
text | who | Singular refers to class of being | Plural refers to individuals within that class |
Isaiah 6:8 | God | Whom shall I send (Divine spokesman representing all) | for Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) |
Gen 1:27 | Man | "created him" (mankind) | "created them" (male and female) |
Mark 5:9 | Demon | "My name is Legion" (demonic spokesman representing all) | "we are many" (A full Roman legion had 6,826 men. They were cast into 2000 swine. Perhaps multiple demons can inhabit both man and pig.) |
Conclusion:
A. The evidence that "Let US make man in OUR image". (Gen 1:26) refers to the Trinity is irrefutable.
- The unanimous interpretation of all the apostolic fathers from 100 - 300 AD was that the US of Gen 1:26 referred to the trinity. They all viewed the Father talking to the Son and the Holy Spirit. They specifically rejected the notion of God talking to the angels. Of course they never discuss the concept of plural of majesty, for it did not exist at this time.
- The Unitarians and Christadelphians are wrong because they say Us refers to God and the Angels. But man is not created in the image of angels, but of God. Jesus is not included in their view of US.
- The Jehovah’s Witnesses do include Jesus and the Father in the US of Gen 1:26, but make Jesus the created arch-angel Michael. But Heb 1:5 proves Jesus cannot be, nor ever has been an angel. Further, in their self contradictory doctrine, they have Jesus the creature, as our co-creator (Jn 1:3). But this violates Rom 1:25: "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator". This passage teaches that if Jesus is the creator, as the Bible says he is, then he cannot be a creature. Jesus cannot be creator and creature at the same time!
C. The plural nouns and pro-nouns applied to God, like WE, US, OUR, Elohim, Adonai are powerful evidence of the Trinity hidden in the Old Testament, to be discovered after the coming of Christ. The almost exclusive use of the plural elohim for God and adonai for Lord, make a strong case that any honest seeker could see. This extensive pattern is irrefutable. By Steve Rudd
hope this helps !!!