Exegesis to Exposition excerpts regarding erroneous trinity teaching of Western Christianity: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד Hear Yisrael Yahweh our Elohim is one/echad Yahweh (Devarim 6:4) “It is sometimes important for an interpreter to determine the precise function of the singular or plural, or at least to recognize the variety of available options For example, the grammatically plural name אֱלֹהִים , when it refers to the Elohim of Israel, is a plural of respect. (The plural of respect is sometimes used idiomatically for individual pagan deities as well.) When the form is used as a numerical plural, it refers to the pagan gods or, in some cases, to lesser members of Elohims heavenly assembly (beings known to us as angels). When the plural is one of respect, then it is IMPROPER to argue, as many have done, that the form hints at a plurality of persons within the Divine Theoites and thus foreshadows in some cryptic way the doctrine of the Trinity. “The linguistic absurdity of such a view can be illustrated by an example involving another plural of respect. In Judges 19:26-27 the concubines master is referred to by the plural אֲדֹנֶיהָ, lord. It is clear from the context, where the referent of the plural noun is an individual, that the plural is one of respect; it emphasizes the Levites absolute authority over the woman. If one were to argue that the plural hints at the man having multiple personalities, such an interpretation would be rightly discarded as farfetched.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 04:26:13 +0000
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