Chapter 1: God in the Old Testament

Many scriptures throughout the Old Testament refer to God as a singular entity. In giving the 10 Commandments, God said, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), and God’s faithful people understood Him to be God alone.

King David prayed to God: “For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God” (Psalm 86:10). Similarly Isaiah wrote, “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth” (Isaiah 37:16; compare verse 20). The same prophet also referred to God as the “Mighty” or “Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 30:29; 47:4; 54:5).

King David and Isaiah were adhering to what Moses had told the ancient Israelites. Moses said, “Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:39).

The oneness of God is simply stated two chapters later in Deuteronomy 6:4, which says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” Jews have given this passage special prominence in their morning and evening prayers, calling it Shema Yisrael—“Hear Israel.”

Jesus affirmed the importance of this passage saying, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one’” (Mark 12:29). So the concept is indeed authentic. God is one.

But what does this mean? How is God one?

Jews have interpreted Deuteronomy 6:4 as meaning there is one being in the Godhead. Therefore, Judaism is described as a monotheistic religion—a religion that believes God is one in number and there are no other gods.

But what about other passages in the Old Testament that indicate that God is more than one being—that God is a plurality?

The plurality of God at the creation of the earth

The first time the word God is used in the Bible is in the first sentence of the very first book—the book of Genesis. The verse reads: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

It is not surprising that the Bible, a book inspired by God, begins with a reference to action God took at the creation of the earth. What is surprising and missed by people reading this verse in a language other than Hebrew is that the word for God in this passage is Elohim, a Hebrew word with a plural ending.

Elohim is used for God over 2,300 times in the Old Testament, yet most English speakers don’t know it is plural. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon defines this word: “pl. in number. a. Rulers, judges … divine representatives … b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels.” Though plural in its ending, Elohim is usually used in a singular sense. The same lexicon describes this concept as “plural intensive—singular meaning.”

Yet had God intended for the writers of the Old Testament to identify Him as a singular being, He could have inspired them to use the singular form of this word—Eloah—instead of Elohim.

So, what we find in our first introduction to God in the book of origins is that Elohim—which is translated “God”—presents us with a challenge. How are we to understand God from both a plural and a singular perspective?

The plurality of God at the creation of man

The concept of God being a plurality is clearly found again in Genesis 1 with the creation of man. “Then God [Elohim] said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (verse 26).

In this passage we find Elohim using the plural pronouns “Us” and “Our.” Why was God using these plural pronouns? Was God talking to Himself or using the concept of “plural of majesty” as some have suggested—a manner of speaking wherein a singular ruler speaks in the plural, i.e. “We are …”?

Commenting on “Let Us make” in Genesis 1:26, Albert Barnes states: “The plural form of the sentence raises the question, With whom took he counsel on this occasion? Was it with himself, and does he here simply use the plural of majesty? Such was not the usual style of monarchs in the ancient East.

“Pharaoh says, ‘I have dreamed a dream’ Genesis 41:15. Nebuchadnezzar, ‘I have dreamed’ Daniel 2:3. Darius the Mede, ‘I make a decree’ Daniel 6:26 … We have no ground, therefore, for transferring it to the style of the heavenly King.

“Was it with certain other intelligent beings in existence before man that he took counsel? This supposition cannot be admitted; because the expression ‘let us make’ is an invitation to create, which is an incommunicable attribute of the Eternal One, and because the phrases, ‘our image, our likeness,’ when transferred into the third person of narrative, become ‘his image, the image of God,’ and thus limit the pronouns to God himself … Only a plurality of persons can justify the phrase” (Notes on the Bible, Genesis 1:26-27).

To be honest with the text, we should also note the ease with which the presentation switches from the use of plural pronouns in Genesis 1:26 to the use of a singular pronoun in the verse that follows. “So God [Elohim] created man in His own image” (verse 27). Here we have an example of the singular pronoun His used in connection with the plural intensive word Elohim.

So how are we to make sense of this switching between plural and singular pronouns? Is God a plural or a singular being? The Bible answers this question, but in a way different from what most people have been taught. First, let’s note a few more examples of the plurality of God recorded for us in the Old Testament.

The plurality of God in the Garden of Eden

In Genesis 3 we read of Adam and Eve’s tragic decision to disobey God’s command not to eat the fruit of a particular tree in the Garden in Eden. We’ll come back to the ramifications of this decision, but for now let’s simply note the consequence of their choice.

“Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’—therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken” (verses 22-23). Here we again find the use of the plural pronoun Us in connection with God (Elohim).

And in the following verse we again see a switch back to a singular pronoun. “So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (verse 24).

The plurality of God in a messianic psalm

The Old Testament includes a number of prophecies regarding the coming of Jesus, the promised Messiah. One of these prophecies is found in Psalm 45:6-7, which reads, “Your throne, O God [Elohim], is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God [Elohim], your God [Elohim], has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

Here we clearly find two distinct beings both referred to as Elohim. The fact that this passage was indeed a prophecy of Jesus is confirmed in Hebrews 1:8-9, which connects it with Jesus, the Son of God.

King David acknowledges the plurality of God

Similar to the preceding psalm, another psalm likewise indicates two beings in the Godhead. King David wrote: “The LORD [YHWH] said to my Lord [Adon], ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1).

Here we are introduced to two more names of God. The first, YHWH, Yahweh or Jehovah, “is [according to Jews] the incommunicable name of God. It is never given to a created being. The other word translated ‘Lord’ … Adonay—means one who has rule or authority; one of high rank; one who has dominion” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Psalm 110:1). Since “my Lord” refers to someone of higher rank than King David, it seems obvious that this was a reference to the coming Messiah.

Judaism denies or ignores this explanation of Psalm 110:1. One rabbi says that Adon must be a reference to another human and that this was likely King David writing a psalm to be sung about himself after he had died (outreachjudaism.org). But this explanation doesn’t harmonize with King David’s statement that this “Lord [Adon]” was to sit at God’s right hand (verse 1) and that He was “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (verse 4). King David died and is no longer alive.

Interestingly, Psalm 110:1 is one of the Old Testament verses most often quoted in the New Testament. In addressing the Pharisees, Jesus used this passage in reference to Himself saying, “‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The Son of David.’ He said to them … ‘If David then calls Him “Lord,” how is He his Son?’” (Matthew 22:42-45). Peter referred to this same psalm in connection with Christ on the Day of Pentecost after Christ’s death and resurrection (Acts 2:34-36).

When we couple the New Testament scriptures referencing Psalm 110 with this Old Testament passage, we understand that the One who would come as the descendant of David already existed as David’s Lord and was subject to God the Father. Jesus was indeed Lord and Christ—God and the anointed One.

Indications of the plurality of God in the book of Daniel

The book of Daniel is, without doubt, one of the most prophetic books of the Old Testament. With its symbolic beasts, style of writing and extensive mention of angels, it foreshadows and complements the New Testament book of Revelation.

Daniel 7 records one of Daniel’s prophetic dreams that details a series of major empires that would exist until “the Ancient of Days [God the Father]” was seated (verse 9). Daniel’s vision of the Father seated on His throne with thousands of angels ministering to Him as He rules over His creation (verse 10) is similar to the vision John saw and recorded in Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

Then Daniel comes to the time the beasts—which represented human kingdoms—“had their dominion taken away” because “One like the Son of Man” was “coming with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:12-13).

Daniel then explains that the “One like the Son of Man … came to the Ancient of Days” and that He—the One like the Son of Man—was then “given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (verses 13-14).

This “One like the Son of Man” is clearly Jesus Christ returning from heaven to rule the earth. Commenting on the significance of this name, Albert Barnes states: “The phrase ‘The Son of Man’ … does not occur elsewhere in the Old Testament in such a connection, and with such a reference as it has here, though it is often found in the New, and is, in fact, the favorite term by which the Saviour designates himself” (Notes on the Bible, Daniel 7:13).

(Note that in the book of Ezekiel the phrase son of man occurs more than 90 times in reference to Ezekiel. But the phrase Son of Man in Daniel 7:13 is clearly a reference to the Messiah.)

It is also interesting to notice in Daniel 3:25 the phrase the Son of God is also found as the description of the being who appeared with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.

Since we have now seen multiple references to the plurality of God in the Old Testament, let’s revisit the concept of how God is one.

The oneness of God

As we previously saw, Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” We noted that the Jews have understood this to mean that God is one being. Let’s now examine the oneness of God in greater detail.

As we consider this, we should recognize that in the New Testament Paul also wrote that there is one God. Writing to the church at Corinth, Paul said, “There is no other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4), and to Timothy, he wrote, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

What Paul was relaying was precisely what Jesus had likewise said. John records Jesus saying, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). So both the Old Testament and the New Testament concur that God is one.

But what does the Bible mean when it says that God is one? Not understanding how the word one is used in the Bible has led to much confusion. Since we have already seen that the Bible speaks of the plurality of God, we need to find a biblical explanation of the oneness of God that harmonizes with the plurality of God.

The Hebrew word for “one” in Deuteronomy 6:4 (and in over 800 other places in the Old Testament) is echad, which has a variety of meanings. Definitions in addition to the number one include “one and the same,” “as one man, together,” “each, every,” “one after another” and “first [in sequence or importance]” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1951, p. 25). It is translated “alone” in the New Revised Standard Version’s translation of Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” Similarly, the Moffatt translation puts it: “Listen, Israel: the Eternal, the Eternal alone, is our God.”

When there are multiple meanings for a word, we must consider context and harmony with other scriptures to determine how the word should be understood. The setting of Deuteronomy 6:4 is in a section of Scripture in which Moses explained the importance of faithfully following God and avoiding the worship of the gods of surrounding nations. Note also the verse that follows Deuteronomy 6:4: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (verse 5).

Based upon the context, it seems most likely that Moses was telling the Israelites that God was their God, that He was to be their highest priority, and that He alone was God (i.e., there are no other gods).

If we want to consider echad from the perspective of how many beings are in the Godhead, something that does not seem to be the context of Deuteronomy 6:4, we need to broaden our perspective to see how the Bible explains oneness in addition to the number one.

In Genesis 2:24 we find God speaking of marriage saying, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one [echad] flesh.” Here, two humans are united as one family unit. And in procreation a male and a female—two beings—are joined together as one to produce a new life.

Similar usage of echad to mean the unity of more than one person is found in several additional Old Testament scriptures. At the Tower of Babel God observed that “the people are one [echad],” meaning they were united in their plan (Genesis 11:6).

In Exodus 24:3 we find the Israelites responding to Moses “with one [echad] voice.” During the time of the judges, the people of Israel gathered together “as one [echad] man” in their actions against the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 20:1, 8, 11), and later during a time of reform under Nehemiah, “all the people gathered together as one [echad] man in the open square” (Nehemiah 8:1).

Since multiple scriptures in the Old Testament show the plurality of God, the way to remain biblically consistent with these passages is to understand echad in relation to the Godhead as meaning that God is first in importance, the only true God, and a unified family.

The word family is a collective noun. There may be multiple members of a human family—father, mother and children—but the family is one family. Family members may say, “We are going to do something,” but when we refer to this family, we say, “This family is [not are] going to do something.”

As we will see, the Bible talks about God’s family. It makes sense for members within this group to use plural pronouns when communicating with each other. It also makes sense to speak of this group in a singular sense, as a single group.

Before concluding this section, we should also realize that if Moses had wanted to convey a numerical count regarding God in Deuteronomy 6:4, he could have used the Hebrew word yachid, which means “only, only one, solitary, one” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon). This word is translated “your only son” in Genesis 22:2, 12, 16.

Thus far, we have seen that the Old Testament speaks of the plurality and oneness of God. Let’s now turn to the New Testament for further clarification regarding the members within the Godhead.

For additional explanation of this subject, see our LifeHopeandTruth.com article “God Is One.”

When searching for information on God, there are many sources. Opinions abound, but there is one source that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is the book that is the foundation of

Christianity.

When we consider the Bible, we find there is no other book like it. Written by approximately 40 different authors over about 1,500 years, it is consistent in thought, reflecting a single perspective—something that would have been impossible for humans of and by themselves to fulfill.

In advance, it accurately predicted major empires, the results of wars that were yet to come, spoke of specific captivities and their exact length for certain peoples, called people by name and said what they would do before they were even born, and gave scores of detailed prophecies about Jesus that were all fulfilled in exact detail.

Although people have doubted the Bible’s authenticity, archaeological evidence continues to document the unerring accuracy of this amazing book as it was originally written. There simply is no other book with similar credentials. Fulfilled prophecy, archaeology and the blessings that come when we live by its instructions all verify that the Bible is indeed a supernatural work. Other writings have imitated the Bible and claimed to be additions to the Bible, but they simply don’t have the credentials or standing of the Bible.

The Bible alone has the extensive markings of authenticity as the source we can trust for learning about God. When we accept this premise, we can then begin to understand who God is. Here are a few key reasons we should look to the Bible for the explanation of God:

• God inspired all that is in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).

• God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

• Christ affirmed that God’s Word (the Bible) is truth (John 17:17).

• The entirety of the Bible is true (Psalm 119:160).

For further study on the veracity of the Bible, see the articles in the “Is the Bible True?” section of our website.

The New Testament uses the same sense of one, meaning unity, as the Old Testament does. These references in the New Testament often refer to the Church and to God.

Writing to Church members in Galatia, Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Even though composed of many individuals, the Church is one in Christ Jesus. Members gather as one body—the Body of Christ—to observe the Passover, the weekly Sabbath and the other festivals of God.

Writing to members in the city of Corinth, Paul said, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ … For in fact the body is not one member but many” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 14). Paul goes on to explain that while members of the Church are individuals with differing gifts, they are one in similar fashion to a human body having many members that are all part of the same human

body (verses 12-27).

The Godhead is similar in that there is only one God, with two spirit members currently in this unit. Though two beings, They are unified in thought and approach. This is what Christ meant when He said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).

The unity that Jesus and the Father have is the same type of unity Jesus desires for those who become members of His Church. Just hours before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to the Father for those who would be called through His disciples. Specifically, Jesus prayed “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent Me” (John 17:21).

This profound verse teaches us that just as the Church is a single unit made up of individuals, so is God. The Bible shows that God is a single unit currently composed of two spirit beings.