(Continued-Chapter III-The Unity Of The Divine Personalities)

Another group of facts supports the conclusions to which one comes concerning the proposition that an erroneous interpretation has been forced upon this Great Confession. One of these facts is that יָחִיד, yachid, is used which primarily, as an adverb, means "only, altogether, surely" in numerous passages where everything is excluded, except the point at issue. Likewise, רַק, rak, is a synonym of יָחִיד. Another word which commonly was used to emphasize the idea of one to the exclusion of all others is that of בִּלְתִּי, bilti. An excellent illustration of this usage is found in Ex. 22:20 (19) "He that sacrificeth unto זֹבֵחַ לָאֱלֹהִים יָחֳרָם בִּלְתִּי לַיהוָה לְבַדּוֹ׃ any gods save unto יְהוָה only shall be utterly destroyed." אַךְ, 'ak, also is used with this same significance. These words, just mentioned, are the usual ones to emphasize the idea that there is but one of the persons or things mentioned; hence one arrives at the conclusion that had Moses meant to teach by the Great Confession the doctrine that there is but one Divine Personality, he would have expressed himself differently and would have used one of the regular words, in its proper construction, that excludes from consideration all others except the true God whose existence and nature he proclaimed. Since he did not choose such a restrictive word, evidently he was not affirming God's oneness in the absolute sense.

This unity is again seen in the quotation, already used, from Gen. 1:26 where it is said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." In the words "image" and "likeness" is reflected the same unity, which words are in the singular number, since the speaker and the one spoken to are of the same image and likeness. These words could not truthfully be spoken to a being inferior to or less than God, the speaker.

From another angle the unity of the plurality of divine personalities may be seen in Gen. 33:20. Here appears a record of Jacob's erecting an altar at Bethel after his sojourn in Syria, which is stated in the following words: וַיַּצֶּב־שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ וַיִּקְרָא־לוֹ אֵל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ "And he erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel." אֵל is in the singular number and means God, the Mighty One; אֱלֹהֵי 'elohē, is in the plural number, as noted above; hence the combination of the words, אֵל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל affirms the unity and the plurality of God at the same time. Again, the unity of the plurality of God is seen in the Second Commandment (Ex. 20:5) כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל־בָּנִים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִים לְשׂנְאָי׃ "For I am יְהוָה thy Gods, אֵל קַנָּא a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon sons, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me" (Author's Tr.).

In one word אֱלֹהֶיךָ, 'elohĕka, thy Gods, the Lord speaks of His plurality and at the same time of His unity in His use of the word אֵל, 'el. The plurality and the unity of God's nature again is seen in a wonderful statement made by the Israelites who settled on the East side of the Jordan and who were upbraided by their kinsmen on the West side for having set up a memorial altar, in the following quotation (Josh. 22:22): אֵל אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה אֵל אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה הוּא יֹדֵעַ וְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא יֵדָע אִם־בְּמֶרֶד וְאִם־בְּמַעַל בַּיהוָה "God, Gods, Jehovah, God, Gods, Jehovah, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or in treachery against the Lord" (Author's Lit. Tr.). אֵל, 'el declares God's unity, but אֱלֹהִים, 'elohim, which is in apposition with it, affirms the plurality of the Divine Being, while יְהוָה, Jehovah, identifies this unity of personalities as the Covenant God of Israel (Ex. 6:2,3). In the "Ten Commandments" God says כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא "For I am Jehovah thy Gods, a jealous God." Here the plural and singular forms appear, the former emphasizing the plurality of divine personalities while the latter predicates their unity.

Another fact corroborating the unity of Divine Personalities is the use in the Hebrew of the singular verb with the plural noun אֱלֹהִים. Examples of this usage are seen throughout the entire Tenach. For many illustrations, however, see Gen. 1. בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים "In the beginning created Gods." The verb is in the singular number although the noun is plural. This peculiar combination is equivalent to an affirmation of the divine unity while admitting the plurality of the Godhead. This quotation serves sufficiently to make the point clear.

The question doubtless has arisen in the mind of the reader: Why, if Israel's confession is to be correctly translated, "Hear, 0 Israel, Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah a unity," has Israel throughout the centuries understood it to mean that God is one in the absolute sense instead of a compound unity?

Prior to the days of Moses Maimonides, the unity of God was expressed by אֶחָד which, as has been proved beyond a doubt, has as its primary meaning that of a compound unity. Maimonides, who drafted the thirteen articles of faith, in the second one sets forth the unity of God, using the word יָחִיד, which in the Tenach is never used to express God's unity. This word occurs in twelve passages which the reader may examine for himself, which investigation will prove conclusively that it carries the idea of absolute oneness. (Gen. 22:2,12,16; Amos 8:10; Jer. 6:26; Zech. 12:10; Prov. 4:3; Judg. 11:34; Psa. 22:20(21), 35:17; 25:16; and 68:6(7). From these facts it is evident that a new idea was injected into this confession by substituting יָחִיד which in every passage carries the primary idea of oneness in the absolute sense for אֶחָד which primarily means a compound unity. Hence from the days of Maimonides on, an interpretation different from the ancient one was placed upon this most important passage. In the language of Jeremiah let the writer plead with every Hebrew reader, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls" (Jer. 6:16). כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עִמְדוּ עַל־דְּרָכִים וּרְאוּ וְשַׁאֲלוּ לִנְתִבוֹת עוֹלָם אֵי־זֶה דֶרֶךְ הַטּוֹב וּלְכוּ־בָהּ וּמִצְאוּ מַרְגּוֹעַ לְנַפְשְׁכֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא נֵלֵך׃ Therefore let Israel now return to the original meaning of her Great Confession: "Hear, 0 Israel! Jehovah Our Gods, is Jehovah a Unity."

Some people have had difficulty concerning the doctrine of the plurality and unity of the divine Personalities. The great theologian, Dr. Theodore Christlieb, stated the problem tersely in the following words:

"The objections stirred by these might have been avoided by anticipation, had a firm hold been taken from the first of the truth indicated by the Hebrew form of the divine name ELOHIM (as will be more fully shown presently), that in God unity and plurality consist as correlatives which mutually require one another; that, as we have already indicated, it is the essential characteristic of the true doctrine of the divine nature, in contradistinction to Polytheism on the one hand, and an abstract Monotheism on the other, that both elements of true Being, unicity and multiplicity, do in God meet and interpenetrate one another in a perfectly unique and transcendental way."