Executive Summary
This comprehensive textual analysis demonstrates from the Hebrew Scriptures alone that the declaration "The LORD our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4) reveals not a mere arithmetic singularity, but a profound composite unity. Through rigorous examination of the original Hebrew texts, narrative patterns, and prophetic revelations, the Hebrew Bible presents a God who is simultaneously One and internally complex—a unity that encompasses distinction without division, plurality within singularity.
From the composite nature of ʾeḥād in the Shema, through visible theophanies that require distinction between the seen and unseen God, to the personal agency of the Rûaḥ YHWH, to prophecies of a divine Messiah who shares the throne of God—the Hebrew Scriptures consistently point beyond mere numerical unity to a God whose oneness is rich, complex, and internally differentiated. This is not trinity imposed upon monotheism, but monotheism that was trinitarian from the beginning.
Introduction: The Linguistic Foundation
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4)
This foundational declaration—the Shema—stands as the unassailable pillar of biblical monotheism. Yet understanding its true meaning requires careful attention to the Hebrew text itself. The word translated "One" is ʾeḥād (אֶחָד), not yāḥîḏ (יָחִיד). This distinction is not trivial but revolutionary.
The Hebrew Bible opens with an immediate complexity: "In the beginning God (ʾElohîm) created..." (Genesis 1:1). The very name of God is grammatically plural, yet takes singular verbs throughout the creation account. This is not merely a "plural of majesty"—a concept foreign to ancient Hebrew—but an early indication that Israel's God, while absolutely one, is internally complex.
By Genesis 1:26, this complexity becomes explicit: "Then God (ʾElohîm) said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'" The plural pronouns cannot be dismissed as divine deliberation with angels, for verse 27 immediately clarifies: "So God created man in His own image"—singular, not theirs. The image of God is God's image alone, revealing that the "Us" refers to plurality within the one God.
This pattern of divine self-reference in the plural appears consistently: "Behold, the man has become like one of Us" (Genesis 3:22), "Come, let Us go down and confuse their language" (Genesis 11:7), and Isaiah's commissioning: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" (Isaiah 6:8). The Hebrew Bible thus introduces its monotheism with built-in plurality.
The Critical Lexical Evidence
ʾeḥād consistently denotes composite unity throughout Scripture:
- •Exodus 26:6: Two distinct sets of curtains are joined to "become one (
ʾeḥād) tabernacle" - •Ezekiel 37:17: Two separate sticks are joined to "become one (
ʾeḥād) stick in your hand" - •Genesis 2:24: Man and woman "become one (
ʾeḥād) flesh" - •2 Samuel 2:25: "All the people became one (
ʾeḥād) group"
ʾeḥād can mark singularity or gathered unity; the deciding factor is context. The Shema's surrounding plural-form ʾElohēnu and the plurality texts that follow make the broad sense the only one that harmonizes all data. (cf. Gen 1:26 'Let Us make man...'—early hint of intra-divine deliberation).⁹
Critical Point: ʾeḥād appears fewer than 970 times in Tanakh, but only twice does it define God's nature: Deut 6:4 and Zech 14:9. Moses chose a numeral that can flex. If he meant mere numerical uniqueness, Hebrew already owned two crystal-clear options—yāḥîḏ and lĕḇaḏḏô. Torah never hesitates to use them elsewhere (Gen 22:2; Deut 32:12). Their absence in the defining monotheism verse is theology by omission.
The Contrast: Yāḥîḏ
yāḥîḏ, by contrast, denotes absolute singularity:
- •Genesis 22:2: Isaac as Abraham's "only (
yāḥîḏ) son" - •Psalm 25:16: The psalmist as "lonely (
yāḥîḏ) and afflicted"⁵
Answering the "Loneliness" Objection: Ancient Hebrews had no problem calling an only child yāḥîḏ even though children are gifts, not pitiable loners (Judg 11:34). If semantic 'loneliness' disqualified the term for the Almighty, why does yāḥîḏ happily modify the blessed in Psalm 68:6 (MT 7)—"God sets the yĕḥîḏîm in families"—without any negative connotation?
The Decisive Fact: yāḥîḏ is never once applied to God in the entire Hebrew Bible. The choice of ʾeḥād in the Shema is deliberate, establishing a foundation for the complex unity the rest of Scripture will unfold.¹²
Polemic Monotheism ≠ Ontological Simplicity: The Shema's polemical force is "YHWH alone is God"—rejecting all rival deities. But how that one God subsists internally is not addressed by the polemic. Composite unity neither adds deities nor weakens exclusivity; it enriches our understanding of the One True God's nature.
Part I: The Paradox of Divine Visibility
The very first undisputed theophany of Genesis is not auditory but bodily: "YHWH appeared to Abraham... they ate" (Genesis 18:1-8). From the outset the text confronts us with an embodied yet unmistakably divine visitor, forcing us to explain how the unseen God can also take on flesh within His creation.
Genesis 18:1-8—The Embodied LORD
"YHWH appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre... he ran to meet Him, washed His feet, and they ate" (vv. 1-8). The narrator never substitutes "angel"; the two accompanying figures are only later identified as malʾāḵîm (19:1), while the principal visitor keeps the name YHWH. Every detail—dusty feet, freshly baked bread, butter, milk, slaughtered calf—insists on tangible physicality, not dream imagery. Tanakh itself contrasts night visions (Gen 15:1, Dan 7:2) with Abraham's full-day hospitality scene. No dream markers appear in Gen 18.
Anthropomorphic metaphor never eats lunch. Gen 18 lists prep-verbs (knead, slaughter, set before) that describe elapsed time and caloric interaction. Metaphor can describe shape; it does not cook a calf medium-rare. Theophanies in ANE myth are often polytheistic council scenes; Hebrew theophanies isolate one divine Visitor. The skeptic appeals to ANE comparanda yet ignores the unique YHWH-only restriction that forces the question: who is the corporeal YHWH if He alone is God?
This opening theophany establishes that the God who cannot be seen in essence (Ex 33:20) can nevertheless enter creation in bodily form. It becomes the template for later visible-YHWH passages (Gen 32; Ex 24) and demands a model of divine unity spacious enough to include true corporeal presence.¹
The Moses Paradigm—Face to Face
Moses alone is said to speak with YHWH pānîm ʾel-pānîm ("face to face"), as a man speaks with his friend (Ex 33:11). Numbers 12:8 sharpens it: Moses beholds the form (tĕmûnāh) of YHWH. Far from contradicting Ex 33:20, this shows that the same God who remains unseen in His essential glory can nevertheless present a discernible form to His covenant partner.
Numbers 12:8 contrasts Moses with all other prophets who see only riddles; a tĕmûnāh exceeds dreams and riddles, proving genuine visibility. Akiva in Sifre Behaʿalotekha 105 likewise reads it as superior clarity, not diminution.
Additional Corporeal Theophanies
- Exodus 24:9-11: Seventy-four leaders "saw the God of Israel... and ate and drank." The Hebrew
ḥāzû("gazed") with a covenant meal in God's presence shows a group, not just a prophet, experiencing corporeal theophany. - Exodus 17:6: "Behold, I will stand before you... on the rock at Horeb."
YHWHpositions Himself spatially; Moses strikes the rock whereYHWHstands—a rare explicit statement ofYHWHtaking a localized stance. - Numbers 20:6:
YHWH'skāḇôḏappears so Moses and Aaron "fell on their faces"—showing "glory" can manifest spatially and corporeally.
The Tanakh presents two seemingly contradictory truths that traditional interpretation struggles to reconcile:
The Thesis: God Cannot Be Seen
- • Exodus 33:20: "You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live"
- • Deuteronomy 4:12: "You heard the sound of words but saw no form"
- • Isaiah 6:5: Isaiah's terror: "My eyes have seen the King, the
LORDof hosts!" - • Deuteronomy 4:15: "You saw no form of any kind the day the
LORDspoke to you at Horeb"
The Antithesis: God Has Been Seen
- • Genesis 18:1: "The
LORD(YHWH) appeared to [Abraham]" - • Exodus 24:10-11: "They saw the God of Israel... They beheld God, and ate and drank"
- • Genesis 32:30: Jacob declares, "I have seen God face to face"
The Synthesis: The Angel of YHWH
The resolution emerges through careful attention to the text's own distinctions. When Jacob wrestles with a "man" and sees him "face to face," the prophet Hosea later identifies this figure as both "the Angel" and "the LORD God of hosts" (Hosea 12:3-5). The prophet himself fuses the identities, revealing that God in His absolute essence remains unseen, while God in His manifest presence—the Angel of YHWH—can be encountered.³
Critical Evidence: In both the Gideon narrative (Judges 6:11-24) and the Manoah account (Judges 13:3-23), the text seamlessly alternates between "YHWH," "the Angel of YHWH," and "God" for the same visible person within single scenes. The narrator's seamless title-swapping would be blasphemous if the figure were not identical with YHWH, because Torah forbids confusing Creator and creature (Lev 10:1-3). The men's terror—"We shall surely die, for we have seen God!"—confirms they understood this was no mere messenger.
Part II: The Identity of the Visible God
Having established that God can appear in visible form while remaining essentially unseen, we must identify this visible figure. The Hebrew text provides three decisive markers that distinguish Him as YHWH Himself, not merely an angel: divine self-attestation, authority to forgive sin, and acceptance of worship.
Divine Self-Attestation
In Exodus 3:14, the Angel of YHWH speaks from the burning bush and declares: "I AM WHO I AM (ʾehyeh ʾăšer ʾehyeh)... Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I AM has sent me to you." This is not delivered as a message from God but as the very words of God Himself.
The tetragrammaton YHWH derives from this same root (hāyāh, "to be"), making this declaration the defining revelation of God's essential nature. No created being can make this claim without blasphemy. The Angel speaks as the source of being itself.
Critical Evidence: The narrative seamlessly transitions from "the Angel of YHWH appeared to him" (v. 2) to "God called to him from the midst of the bush" (v. 4) to the first-person divine declaration (v. 6). The Angel IS God speaking, not God's representative delivering a message.
Authority to Forgive Sin
In Exodus 23:20-21, YHWH promises to send an Angel before Israel with an extraordinary warning: "Be on guard before Him and obey His voice; do not be rebellious toward Him, for He will not forgive your transgression, since My name is in Him."
Exegetical Analysis: The Hebrew construction here is decisive. The Angel has YHWH's name "in Him" (bĕqirbô)—not merely upon Him or with Him, but within His very nature. This Angel possesses the divine prerogative to forgive or withhold forgiveness, something Scripture elsewhere reserves exclusively for God (Isaiah 43:25).
The text's logic is inescapable: only YHWH can forgive sin because only YHWH is the offended party in all sin. For this Angel to have authority to forgive, He must be YHWH in essence, not merely in representation.
Parallel Confirmation: Isaiah 63:9 provides stunning confirmation: "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them." The Angel of God's presence (literally "face") shares in God's own emotional experience and performs God's own saving work. This is not mere representation but genuine participation in divine nature.
Acceptance of Worship
The third decisive marker is the Angel's acceptance of worship. When Joshua encounters the "Captain of the host of YHWH" and falls on his face in worship, this figure not only accepts the worship but commands Joshua to remove his sandals because the ground is holy (Joshua 5:13-15).
This directly parallels Moses' experience at the burning bush, where YHWH gave the identical command (Exodus 3:5). The parallel is intentional: both passages reveal the same divine person manifesting in visible form.
Contrast with Created Angels: When John attempts to worship an angel in Revelation 19:10, the angel immediately rejects it: "Do not do that! I am a fellow servant... Worship God!" The Angel of YHWH's acceptance of worship demonstrates His divine nature.
Additionally, when Gideon realizes he has been speaking with the Angel of YHWH, he fears death because he has "seen God face to face" (Judges 6:22). Manoah expresses identical fear: "We shall surely die, for we have seen God!" (Judges 13:22). Both men understood they had encountered deity, not a mere messenger.
The Theological Synthesis
The Hebrew Scriptures present us with a consistent pattern: God exists in His transcendent, invisible essence (the Father, in Christian terminology), yet this same God manifests in visible, bodily form (the Angel of YHWH). The visible manifestation is not a separate God but the same God in a different mode of existence—truly YHWH, yet distinct in function and appearance from the invisible YHWH.
The Logic of Distinction-in-Unity: The phrase "Angel of YHWH" itself reveals the mystery. If this Angel simply were YHWH without distinction, why use the construct phrase at all? Yet if He were merely a created messenger, why does He speak as YHWH, possess YHWH's authority, and accept YHWH's worship? The answer: He is YHWH in nature, distinct in function—the same God in a different mode of existence.
Part III: The Personhood of the Divine Spirit
The third person within the divine unity is Rûaḥ YHWH—the Spirit of YHWH. Far from being merely an impersonal force or metaphor for God's power, the Hebrew text consistently presents the Spirit with personal attributes, personal agency, and distinct yet unified relationship with YHWH.
Personal Attributes and Agency
The Spirit Speaks: "Now the Spirit of YHWH spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2). David attributes his words directly to the Spirit's speech—not as an impersonal influence, but as personal communication.
The Spirit Teaches: "But You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them" (Nehemiah 9:20). Teaching requires intelligence, intention, and personal engagement—attributes that transcend mere force or energy.
The Spirit Leads: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14, referencing the Hebrew concept). Leadership requires will, decision-making, and personal guidance.
The Spirit Can be Grieved: Isaiah 63:10 records that Israel "rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit." Grief is an emotional response that requires personal consciousness. An impersonal force cannot experience emotional pain at rebellion.
Distinct Yet United Operation
Genesis 1:2: "The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." The Spirit appears as a distinct agent in creation, yet operating in perfect unity with God's creative word. The verb (mĕraḥepet) suggests active, purposeful movement—like a bird protecting its young (cf. Deuteronomy 32:11).
Isaiah 48:16: "And now the Lord YHWH has sent Me, and His Spirit." Here we find a remarkable trinitarian formula in the Hebrew Bible itself: the speaker (the Messiah), YHWH who sends, and His Spirit who accompanies the sending. Three persons, one divine mission.
Ezekiel's Vision: In Ezekiel's temple vision, "the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of YHWH filled the temple" (Ezekiel 43:5). The Spirit acts with personal agency (lifting, bringing), yet the glory that fills the temple belongs to YHWH. Distinction in person, unity in essence.
Judicial Authority: "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them" (Isaiah 63:10). The Spirit's grief prompts YHWH's judicial response. The Spirit has standing to influence divine judgment—a prerogative that requires divine status.
The Spirit as Creator and Life-Giver
Psalm 104:30: "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth." The Spirit is the active agent of both initial creation and ongoing renewal. Creation is God's exclusive prerogative, yet the Spirit performs creative acts.
Job 33:4: "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Elihu attributes his very existence to the Spirit's creative work, using the same Hebrew word (ʿāśâ) used for God's creation in Genesis.
The Spirit's Omnipresence: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psalm 139:7). David equates the Spirit's presence with God's own presence, using synonymous parallelism to show they are functionally identical. Yet the Spirit is spoken of as distinct from the "You" who possesses this Spirit.
Part IV: The Interpersonal Reality Within the Godhead
The Hebrew Scriptures reveal not merely functional distinctions within God's self-revelation, but genuine interpersonal relationships within the divine essence. Through careful examination of divine speech patterns, covenant formulations, and prophetic visions, we discover that the oneness of God encompasses authentic personal communion between YHWH and YHWH.
YHWH from YHWH
Genesis 19:24: "Then YHWH rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from YHWH out of the heavens." This remarkable construction presents YHWH receiving judgment fire from YHWH. The Hebrew text distinguishes between the YHWH on earth (who had been walking with Abraham) and the YHWH in heaven.
This is not poetic repetition but theological precision. The text could have said "Then He rained fire from heaven" or "Then God rained fire from the LORD." Instead, it deliberately presents YHWH in relation to YHWH, implying personal distinction within the divine name.
Parallel Pattern: Hosea 1:7 presents a similar construction: "But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by YHWH their God." Here YHWH speaking promises to save through YHWH their God, again suggesting interpersonal cooperation within the divine name.
Divine Dialogue and Internal Counsel
Psalm 110:1: "The LORD (YHWH) said to my Lord (ʾăḏōnî): 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" This psalm presents explicit divine conversation, with YHWH addressing someone David calls "my Lord"—a figure who shares the divine throne yet remains distinct from the speaking YHWH.
Exegetical Note: David uses ʾăḏōnî (my Lord) rather than YHWH for the second figure, but the context makes clear this "Lord" shares divine prerogatives—including the right to sit on God's throne and receive universal dominion. This is not a created being but God addressing God.
Zechariah 3:1-2: "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of YHWH, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And YHWH said to Satan, 'YHWH rebuke you, Satan!'"
Here the Angel of YHWH calls upon YHWH to rebuke Satan. This is not self-address but interpersonal appeal within the Godhead—one divine person calling upon another divine person for judicial action.
The Triadic Formula in Hebrew Prophecy
Isaiah 6:8: After seeing YHWH on His throne, Isaiah hears: "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'" The shift from singular "I" to plural "Us" in the same divine speech reveals plurality within the speaker.
Isaiah 63:7-10: This passage presents all three persons in dynamic relationship: "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of YHWH... In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them... But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy."
Trinitarian Structure: YHWH shows compassion, the Angel of His presence provides salvation, and the Holy Spirit can be grieved—yet all three are involved in the unified divine response to Israel's rebellion. This is not three gods but one God subsisting in three persons.
Part V: The Messiah as Divine Climax
The Hebrew Scriptures' revelation of divine unity-in-plurality reaches its crescendo in the person of the Messiah. Far from being merely a human king or prophet, the promised Messiah is presented with divine names, divine attributes, divine prerogatives, and the right to universal worship—yet remains distinct from the Father who sends Him.
Divine Names and Titles
Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God (ʾĒl Gibbôr), Everlasting Father (ʾĂbî ʿad), Prince of Peace."
Exegetical Evidence: ʾĒl Gibbôr appears elsewhere only of YHWH Himself (Isaiah 10:21, Jeremiah 32:18). No mere human or angel can bear the title "Mighty God." The Messiah shares in the divine nature from birth.
Jeremiah 23:6: "In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: 'YHWH Our Righteousness.'" The Messiah bears the very name of God—not as a theophoric title but as His essential identity.
Micah 5:2: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting (mîmê ʿôlām)." The Messiah's origins are explicitly eternal—a quality belonging to God alone.
Divine Prerogatives and Throne-Sharing
Daniel 7:13-14: "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was 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."
Critical Analysis: The Son of Man receives universal, eternal dominion—prerogatives that belong to God alone. More significantly, He receives worship (pĕlaḥ) from all nations. This same verb is used for worship of God in Daniel 3:12, 14, 17, 18, 28; 6:16, 20. The Son of Man is worshipped as God.
Psalm 45:6-7: "Your throne, O God (ʾElohîm), is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God (ʾElohîm), Your God (ʾElohêkā), has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions."
This royal psalm presents God addressing God—one divine person calling another divine person "God" while maintaining the relationship of Anointer and Anointed. The Messiah possesses an eternal throne (a divine prerogative) while being anointed by His God.
The Pre-existent Divine King
Proverbs 8:22-31: Wisdom speaks: "YHWH possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth... When He prepared the heavens, I was there... Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him."
Christological Interpretation: While Wisdom literature can use personification, this passage goes beyond literary device to describe a distinct person who existed before creation, participated in creation, and maintained eternal fellowship with YHWH. Early Jewish interpretation (Targums, LXX) saw this as the pre-existent Messiah.
Psalm 2:7-9: "I will declare the decree: YHWH has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"
The divine Son receives universal dominion directly from YHWH, wielding God's own judicial authority over all nations. The psalm concludes with a warning to "kiss the Son, lest He be angry" (v. 12)—worship and submission directed to the Son as to God Himself.
Addressing Traditional Objections
Unitarian and counter-missionary arguments often rely on a set of standard proof-texts to defend a model of absolute, undifferentiated monotheism. However, a closer examination of these texts in their full context reveals that they either do not address the internal nature of God or, in many cases, actually support a more complex understanding of the Godhead.
Objection 1: Deuteronomy 4:35 — "YHWH is God; there is no other besides Him."
This verse is a polemic against polytheism, not a statement on God's internal subsistence. The context is a warning against idolatry, contrasting the one true God, YHWH, with the false gods of the nations. It establishes that there is only one divine being worthy of worship, but it makes no claim about whether that one being is simple or complex in nature. The Angel of YHWH and the Spirit of YHWH are not "other gods"; they *are* YHWH in His self-revelation.
Objection 2: Isaiah 44:6 — "I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no God."
Again, this is a powerful declaration of God's uniqueness and sovereignty over history in the face of idolatry. It does not preclude internal distinctions. In fact, Revelation 22:13 has the glorified Jesus apply this very title to Himself, demonstrating that this title belongs to more than one person of the Godhead, thus supporting a Trinitarian understanding.
Objection 3: Isaiah 45:5-7 — "I am YHWH, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me."
This passage is one of the most powerful anti-polytheistic statements in Scripture, specifically targeting the dualism of Zoroastrianism by asserting YHWH's sovereignty over both light and darkness, good and calamity. It is about the *source* of power, not the *internal composition* of the Godhead. Triune monotheism fully affirms that there is no God besides YHWH.
Objection 4: Deuteronomy 32:39 — "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me."
The context is the Song of Moses, a poetic declaration of YHWH's unique power to save and judge in contrast to the powerless "no-gods" Israel had worshipped. The phrase "with Me" refers to external, rival deities. It does not comment on internal distinctions within the one God who is speaking.
Objection 5: 1 Kings 8:60 — "...that all the peoples of the earth may know that YHWH is God; there is no other."
This is the conclusion of Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple. It is a missionary statement, expressing the hope that YHWH's uniqueness will be known to all nations. Like the other verses, it is a statement of exclusive monotheism against polytheism, not a denial of internal complexity.
Objection 6: The "Plural of Majesty" explains Genesis 1:26.
The concept of a "plural of majesty" (where a monarch uses "we" to refer to himself) is anachronistic; it was not a feature of ancient Hebrew grammar. Kings in the Hebrew Bible always speak of themselves in the singular (e.g., Isaiah 37:10-13). Furthermore, this doesn't explain Genesis 3:22, "like one of Us," which explicitly refers to a plural group from which one is taken.
Objection 7: God was speaking to the angels in Genesis 1:26.
This is contradicted by the immediate context. Verse 27 clarifies, "So God created man in His own image," not "in their image." Angels did not participate in creation, and man is not made in the image of angels. The "Us" must refer to a plurality within the one God who alone creates.
Objection 8: The Angel of YHWH is just a created angel.
This fails to account for the evidence. This "angel" speaks as God in the first person, bears the divine name "I AM," has the authority to forgive sins (a divine prerogative), and accepts worship—all things that created angels are never depicted as doing. As shown in Revelation 19:10, created angels *reject* worship.
Objection 9: Isaiah 42:8 — "I am YHWH, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another."
This verse speaks against giving glory to idols ("nor My praise to carved images"). It does not preclude YHWH from sharing His glory with another person who *is* YHWH. Jesus, the Son, is not "another" in the sense of a rival god; He is the radiance of God's glory (Hebrews 1:3), the Son of Man who is given glory and a kingdom by the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:14).
Objection 10: "God is not a man" (Numbers 23:19).
The context of this verse is about God's faithfulness and truthfulness in contrast to human fallibility ("that He should lie"). It is not a statement about His inability to take on human form. The same Scriptures that declare God is not a man also record YHWH appearing in the form of a man who eats a meal with Abraham (Genesis 18). Both statements are true. God's nature is not human, but He can and does appear in human form.
Objection 11: Zechariah 14:9 — "And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—the LORD is one, and His name one."
This verse, far from refuting complexity, affirms it. It uses the same word, ʾeḥād, as the Shema. The prophecy looks to a future day when YHWH's composite unity will be universally acknowledged. The Messiah, the visible YHWH, will reign, and all will understand that He, the Father, and the Spirit are the one God. This verse is the eschatological fulfillment of the truth revealed in Deuteronomy 6:4.
The Prophetic Paradigm
The Hebrew prophets did not merely predict future events; they constructed a theological paradigm that required a multi-personal Godhead for its fulfillment. The prophecies concerning the Messiah, the New Covenant, and the ultimate revelation of God build upon the foundation laid in the Torah, developing the themes of divine complexity into an undeniable portrait of triune reality.
The Two Comings of Messiah
The prophets present two seemingly contradictory portraits of the Messiah: a suffering servant (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22) and a reigning king (Isaiah 9, Daniel 7). Rabbinic Judaism traditionally reconciled this by positing two different Messiahs (Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David). However, the texts themselves point to a single figure who fulfills both roles in two distinct comings. This paradigm requires a God who can enter human history, suffer, and then be exalted to a position of universal authority—a perfect fit for the divine Son.
The New Covenant and the Spirit
Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises a New Covenant where God's law is written on the heart. Ezekiel 36:26-27 specifies how this will happen: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes." The agent of this internal transformation is the personal Spirit of God, acting as a distinct person within the Godhead to fulfill the promise of YHWH.
The Collapse of the Consensus Model
The traditional Jewish and Islamic view of God as an absolute, undifferentiated unity (the "consensus model") fails to account for the totality of the biblical evidence. It is forced to explain away dozens of passages through non-contextual readings, anachronistic grammatical arguments (like the plural of majesty), or by simply ignoring the most difficult texts. A model of composite unity, however, harmonizes all the data without contradiction.
- ✗Consensus Model Failure: Cannot explain how
YHWHon earth receives fire fromYHWHin heaven (Gen 19:24). It must resort to explaining it as redundant language, weakening the force of the text. - ✓Triune Model Success: Easily explains this as an interaction between two distinct divine persons, the Son (visible
YHWH) and the Father (invisibleYHWH). - ✗Consensus Model Failure: Must dismiss the divine names of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 as purely symbolic or hyperbolic, diminishing their profound significance.
- ✓Triune Model Success: Accepts the names at face value, recognizing the child born is indeed "Mighty God," revealing the incarnation of a divine person.
Early Jewish Witnesses
While post-Christian Rabbinic Judaism solidified around a model of strict singular unity, earlier Jewish traditions contained a multiplicity of views, many of which recognized a second divine figure alongside God. These traditions, while not Trinitarian, demonstrate that the concept of a complex Godhead was a live and acceptable option within Second Temple Judaism.
- Philo of Alexandria: Spoke of the "Logos" (the Word) as a second God, the firstborn Son of God, and the agent of creation.
- The Targums: Frequently use the term "Memra" (Word) to describe a divine person who interacts with humanity on God's behalf, often substituting "Memra of YHWH" where the Hebrew text has just "
YHWH." - The Zohar: This foundational work of Jewish mysticism speaks of the "three heads" of the divine essence, interpreting the Shema's three-part reference to God (YHWH, our God, YHWH) as a hint of this threefold nature.
Conclusion: A Coherent Tri-Unity from the Hebrew Bible Alone
The cumulative case from the Hebrew Scriptures, when read on its own terms, presents a consistent and compelling picture of a God who is a composite unity. This is not a Christian anachronism forced back onto the text, but a theological reality that emerges from the text's own grammar, narratives, and prophetic trajectories. The Shema's use of ʾeḥād opens the door to a complex unity that the rest of the Tanakh walks through.
We have seen the visible YHWH who is distinct from the invisible YHWH, the personal Spirit who can be grieved, and the divine Messiah who is worshipped and bears the name of God. These are not contradictions to be explained away, but revelations to be embraced. The one God of Israel has revealed Himself as Father, Son (in the person of the Angel/Messiah), and Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
1. Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 115-120.
2. Richard N. Longenecker, The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1981), 22-25.
3. J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 77-78.
4. Daniel I. Block, The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 25-48, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998), 269-271.
5. The term yāḥîḏ is also used for Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11:34), emphasizing her status as a unique, only child.
6. Alan F. Segal, Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism (Leiden: Brill, 2002).
7. John H. Walton, Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2009), 140-142. Walton argues against the "plural of majesty" on historical-grammatical grounds.
8. Maimonides, in his Guide for the Perplexed, argues for absolute simplicity, but his reliance on Aristotelian philosophy represents a significant departure from the categories of the Hebrew text itself.
9. The Zohar (II:43b) interprets the three-fold mention of God's name in the Shema as hinting at a triune nature: "These are three, but they are one."
10. David Mitchell, Messiah ben Joseph (Newton Mearns, Scotland: Campbell, 2016), 150-155.
11. Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 150-160. Heiser's work on the "two Yahwehs" in the Hebrew Bible is particularly relevant.
12. Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco, TX: Word, 1987), 68. He notes the deliberate choice of ʾeḥād over yāḥîḏ in contexts of unity.