The Doctrine Of The Trinity : Genesis 1:26, the Shema, and Trinitarian Plurality
By Bro. Nathan
"Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”" (Gen. 1:26) NET
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוְּ כִּדְמוְּתֵנוְּ וְיִרְדּוְּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וְּבְעֹוף הַשָּׁמַיִם וְּבַבְּהֵמָה וְּבְכָל־הָאָרֶץ וְּבְכָל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ(BHS)
As for many Trinitarian apologist will use Gen. 1:26 as a proof for the Trinity dahil daw may "plural" na "we" sa text when it tells na "us", there is no such thing as a "royal we"/"plural of majesty" in the Hebrew as some biblical scholars and grammarians will say (e.g P. Joüon, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew [Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 2006], p. 347 n. 7). this does not give any hint ng Trinitarian concepts of Divinity kagaya ng "three persons" in "one being". "Plural of majesty" is not used with verbs! scholars also suggest kagaya ni Dr. J. Levenson, who is a professor of Jewish Studies ng Harvard Divinity School—notes that Gen. 1:26 "......most likely reflects a setting in the divine council: God the King announces the proposed course of action to His cabinet of subordinate deities, though He alone retains the power of decision." (The Oxford Jewish Study Bible [Oxford University Press 2014]). the translator notes ng New English Translation (NET) also notes that this suggest that God is speaking with the divine council with an "us"/"let us" and not plurality in the one being of God and such is a later Trinitarian implication sa text ng Gen. 1:26. it reads :
" 1:26 [47] sn The plural form of the verb has been the subject of much discussion through the years, and not surprisingly several suggestions have been put forward. Many Christian theologians interpret it as an early hint of plurality within the Godhead, but this view imposes later trinitarian concepts on the ancient text. Some have suggested the plural verb indicates majesty, but the plural of majesty is not used with verbs. C. Westermann (Genesis, 1:145) argues for a plural of “deliberation” here, but his proposed examples of this use (2 Sam 24:14; Isa 6:8) do not actually support his theory. In 2 Sam 24:14 David uses the plural as representative of all Israel, and in Isa 6:8 the Lord speaks on behalf of his heavenly court. In its ancient Israelite context the plural is most naturally understood as referring to God and his heavenly court (see 1 Kgs 22:19–22; Job 1:6–12; 2:1–6; Isa 6:1–8). (The most well-known members of this court are God’s messengers, or angels. In Gen 3:5 the serpent may refer to this group as “gods/divine beings.” See the note on the word “evil” in 3:5.) If this is the case, God invites the heavenly court to participate in the creation of humankind (perhaps in the role of offering praise, see Job 38:7), but he himself is the one who does the actual creative work (v. 27). Of course, this view does assume that the members of the heavenly court possess the divine “image” in some way. Since the image is closely associated with rulership, perhaps they share the divine image in that they, together with God and under his royal authority, are the executive authority over the world. (New English Translation Translator Notes [Biblical Studies Press, 2005]).
"Listen, Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Dt. 6:4) NET
וְהָיוְּהַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְְּךָ הַיֹּום עַל־לְבָבֶךָ (BHS)
As for the Shema na kung saan ay ineinterpret ng mga Trinitarians as "compound unity", ang אחד (echad) sa 950 times na ginamit ang numeral na ito sa Old Testament, ni isa ay walang reference sa one in a plural sense. ang word na ito is used as simply One—e.g ang language sa pre-Babel ay "one" אחד (Gen. 11:1), "one" אחד of the bushes (Gen. 21:15). "one" אחד stalk (Gen. 41:5). "one" אחד cow (Ex. 9:6). "one" אחד law (Ex. 12:49). ang sense ng plurality only is when the Hebrew numeral is coupled with a compound noun. ang sense ng plurality is nasa compound noun and not sa Hebrew numeral itself! the Shema is not a proof for the doctrine of the Trinity! Koehler and Baumgartner in their Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of The Old Testament defines the Hebrew numeral as the following :
) אֶחָד960 x(, Sam.M18 ÁaÒd: < *ÀahÌhÌaÒd < *ÀahÌad )Arb., BL 219g, Beer-M. §59:1(, ï יָחִיד; MHb., Ug. ahÌd, f. ahÌt, Ph. אחד, f. אחת, Arm. ) חַדï BArm. MdD 116a(, Eth. ÀahÌaduÒ, Akk. )w(eÒdu: abs. אֶחָד, and אַחַד Gn 4822 + 5 x )BL 622b(, cs. אַחַד, חַד Ezk 3330 )Aramaism or text error ? Nöldeke Syr. Gr. §242(, pl. אֲחָדִים; fem. ) אַחַת< *ÀahÌadt( abs. and cs., אֶחָֽת Gn 111, 2S 238 Q:
—1. numeral one a( מָקוֹם אֶ׳ one )single( place Gn 19, בְּשָׁנָה אֶחָת Ex 2329, בְּרָכָה אַ׳ Gn 2738, נֶפֶשׁ אַ׳ one soul = one single person Lv 427, אֶ׳ :: שְׁנֵי two :: one Lv 1410; מִשְׁפָּט אֶ׳ the same law Nu 1516, דָּתוֹ אַ׳ the same law is in force Est 411 מִדָּה אַ׳ the same measure Ex 262; אֶחָד י׳ Dt 64 Y is one )Sept., Pesh., Stade Theologie 1:84(; alt.: the one Y, Y alone, Y only; אֶ׳ one and only Zech 149 , the same )?( Jb 3115 alt. one; ï TWNT 3:1079f; vRad Theologie 2:226; Eichrodt Theologie 1:145, Labuschagne 137f; b( part. )VG 2:273aאַחַד הָעָם ( one of the people 1S 2615, הַנְּבָלִים אַ׳ 2S 1313, אַחַת הַנְּבָלוֹת Jb 210 אֲחִיכֶם אֶ׳ one of you brothers Gn 4219, מִכֶּם אִישׁ אֶ׳ a single one of you Jos 2310, מִמֶּנּוּ ) אַ׳GK §130a( one of us Gn 322; c( negative form: אֶ׳ … לֹא Ex 827 and לֹא אַחַד) עַד־אַ׳ abs., BL 622b( 2S 1722 not one, גַּם אֶ׳ ˆyae not even one Ps 143 עַד אֶ׳ … לֹא not even one Ex 1428; d( קוֹל אֶ׳ with one voice Ex 243, לֵב אֶ׳ 1C 1239 cj. Ps 836 )rd. וְ (אֶחָד unanimous, שְׁכֶם אֶ׳ shoulder to shoulder Zeph 39; לְיוֹם אֶ׳ for a single day, daily 1K 52, cj. Neh 515 for אַחַר; אֶ׳ יוֹם never-ending day Zech 147; ) אַחַתsc. (פַּעַם אַ׳ once: בַּשָּׁנָה אַ׳ Ex 3010 Lv 1634; אַ׳ :: שְׁתַּיִם once … twice 2K 610 Ps 6212 )?, ï שְׁתַּיִם( Jb 405; בְּאַחַת Jr 108 and כְּאֶחָד Qoh 116 in one and the same time; )ï BArm. כַּחֲדָה, Aramaism Arm.lw. Wagner 124; Akk. kiÒma isëteÒn(, אַחַת Ps 8936 and בְּאַחַת Jb 3314 once and for all; הוּא אֶ׳ only one Gn 4125, אֶחָד … וַיְהִי became one, a unit Ex 3613; וְהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶחָד a single whole Ex 266; in statistical records repeated after each name Jos 129-24 cj. 1K 48-18 )Sept.(, Montgomery-G. 124; e( pl. אֲחָדִים: יָמִים אֲ׳ a few days Gn 2744 2920 Da 1120 אֲ׳ µyrIb;D“ the same )kind of( words Gn 111 Ezk 2917 ):: Gordon UTGl. 126: like Ug. ahÌdm du. “a pair”( וְהָיוּ לַאֲ׳ to become one Ezk 3717;
—2. אֶ׳ one another )VG 2:328f(: וּמִזֶּה אֶ׳ מִזֶּה אֶ׳ one here and one there Ex 1712, בְּאֶ׳ אֶ׳ one to another Jb 418, cj. אֶחָד אֶת־אֶחָד vs. Ezk 3330 one to another, with gloss אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו; וְאֶ׳ … וְאֶ׳ … אֶ׳ one … another … a third 1S 103 1317f, וְהָאֶ׳ … òa,h; one … and the other 1K 1229, הֵנָּה אַחַת הֵנָּה וְאַ׳ once here and once there = to and fro 2K 435 לְאַ׳ אַחַת one after the other Qoh 727, וְהַדּוּד אֶ׳ … dj;a, הַדּוּד Jr 242 the one basket … and the other )Brockelmann Heb. Syn. §60b, 1S 1317 (הָרֹאשׁ אֶ׳;
—3. אֶ׳ indefinite article )GK §125b( אִישׁ אֶ׳ 1S 11, נָבִיא אֶ׳ 1K 1311, אַיִל אֶ׳ Da 83, יוֹם אֶ׳ one day 1S 271, יִשְׂ׳ אַחַד שִׁבְטֵי anyone of the tribes 2S 152, ) מֵאַחַת מֵהֵנָּהGK §119w1( any one of them Lv 42; put in front קָדוֹשׁ אֶ׳ a holy one Da 813, אַחַת מְעַט הִיא for a little while Hg 26 מְעַט הִיא) > Sept.(;
—4. ordinal, first: אַחַת :: הַשֵּׁנִית 1S 12, יוֹם אֶ׳ the first day Gn 15 ):: יוֹם שֵׁנִי 18 etc.(; in dates לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּיוֹם אֶ׳ on the first day of the month Ezr 1016 > לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּאֶ׳ Gn 85, בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְ in the first year of Da 91, וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה בְּאַחַת in the 601st year Gn 813;
—5. distributive: לַשֶּׁבֶט אֶ׳ one in each tribe Dt 123, לְאִישׁ אֶ׳ from each man 2K 1520, לְאַחַד אֶחָד one after the other Is 2712, לְאֶחָֽת each single one Ezk 16, הָאַחַת each 1C 271;
—Gn 329 rd. הָָאֶחָד; 2S 225b dl.; 723 and Ezk 177 ):: Zimmerli 374( rd. אַחֵר, Ezk 1119 rd. אַחֵר or חָָדָשׁ; Jb 2313 rd. בָּחַר for ) בְּאֶחָד:: Dahood Fschr. Gruenthauer 67(, Pr 2818 rd. בְּשָֽׁחַת; Qoh 1211 cj. ) אָחוֹרGalling BASOR 119:18(; Da 89 rd. אַחֶרֶת. (Koehler, Baumgartner, HALOT, A Hebrew-Aramaic Lexicon Of The Old Testament [Brill Academic Publications 2001]).
These two text from the Old Testament does not give us hint of pluralities in the sense that Trinitarians want to. such is eisegetical and does not respresent the true nature of God.
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