I'm sorry, where exactly is the Trinity in any of this?
Genesis 19:24-25,
24 Then the
LORD (
on earth) caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire
from the LORD out of heaven;
The Use of the 'Compound One' in Hebrew
The evidence for unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament is in Deuteronomy 6:4; a very famous verse for Jewish people. Deuteronomy 6:4 is called the shʾma, and it is considered the essence of all forms of Judaism. That verse reads: Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one (
echad) Jehovah.
This verse, more than any other, emphasizes the concept of a unity. Deuteronomy 6:4 is often used by Jewish people to teach against the plurality of the Godhead. But, if this verse is studied very carefully, it is evident that it is not teaching an absolute unity, but rather a compound unity. Rather than arguing against a plurality of the Godhead, Deuteronomy 6:4 actually supports the concept of plurality in the Godhead. To begin with, it should be pointed out that where it reads Jehovah our God the Hebrew word for God is plural, and literally reads, “our Gods.” But, the key word to focus attention on is the word
one (
echad).
Echad
The Hebrew word for one is echad. By comparing the usage of echad elsewhere in the Old Testament, it is clear that this word refers to a compound one, not an absolute one. For example, Genesis 1:5 states: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
The combination of evening and morning comprised the unity of echad, or one day.
Another key passage is Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
A man and a woman who come together in marriage are said to become one, echad, flesh. There are two personalities, a man and a woman, coming together in marriage, and the two become one. Obviously, they do not become an absolute one, for they retain their separate personalities; however, there is definitely a unity there.
Another example is Ezra 3:1, where the whole assembly of Israel was as one, echad. Although it was comprised of numerous individuals, they were all looked upon as one; obviously a united one.
Another example is Ezekiel 37:17, where Ezekiel is told to put two sticks together, and they are combined to become one, echad, stick. These examples of the usage of the word echad in the Hebrew text, which is the very same word used in Deuteronomy 6:4, show that it speaks of a compound unity, not an absolute unity.
Yachid
There is another Hebrew word, which does mean an absolute one: yachid. It is used in Genesis 22:2, where it emphasizes Isaac as Abraham’s only, unique son. So, if Moses had wanted to emphasize absolute oneness of God, he would have used the term yachid. But he did not use that term for the oneness of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 is, therefore, an argument in favor of the plurality of the Godhead and, at the same time, it teaches the unity of this plurality of the one God.
RCM
