“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55: 6-7
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Yahweh’s Compound Unity is Clearly Revealed in the Aaronic Blessing and in the Shema
The Aaronic Blessing and the Shema are as familiar to most Jewish people as the Lord’s Prayer is to most Christians. They can recite both of them by heart, just as most Christians can recite the Lord’s Prayer by heart.
The Aaronic Blessing
The Aaronic Blessing is the Priestly Blessing. In Hebrew, it’s called the “Birkat Kohanim”. It’s a short benediction asking for divine help, blessing, and guidance. Below is the Birkat Kohanim:
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
‘Yahweh bless you and keep you.
Yahweh cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
Yahweh lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’
So, they shall put My Name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22–27)
The Birkat Kohanim refers to the three manifestations of Yahweh. Christians call Yahweh’s first manifestation “the Father”. In the Birkat Kohanim, they are asking the Father to bless them and keep them.
Christians call Yahweh’s second manifestation “the Son”. He is the Messiah. His Name is Yahweh, too. (See Jeremiah 23: 5-6) In the Birkat Kohanim, they are asking the Son to cause His face to shine upon them and be gracious to them.
Christians call Yahweh’s third manifestation “the Spirit” or “the Holy Spirt”. In the Birkat Kohanim, they are asking the Holy Spirit to lift up His countenance toward them and give them peace.
Since rabbis in the mid-2nd century BC forbade the use of Yahweh’s Name, in synagogues when the Birkat Kohanim is recited in Hebrew, Adonai is substituted for Yahweh. Adonai is a plural word. It means “Lord” or “Master”. Below is The Aaronic Blessing recited in Hebrew and in English:
The Shema
The Hebrew word “Elohim” is a plural word, too. “El” is the singular form. In English Bible translations, Elohim appears as “God”, but that is an inappropriate and very poor translation since God is the actual name of a pagan deity. Bad traditions and translations have sticking power even when they are woefully wrong.
Elohim first appears in the Bible in Genesis 1: 1:
“In the beginning, Elohim [plural] created the heavens and the earth.”
Yahweh is Elohim (plural), the only Elohim, but He is also One (“Echad” in Hebrew). Yahweh is a compound unity with three manifestations. That is evident throughout the Scriptures.
The Shema is below in English, but instead of using the word “God”, I have used the Hebrew title that is actually in the Shema:
“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is Eloheinu [plural, our Elohim], Yahweh is One [Echad]! You shall love Yahweh Eloheicha [plural, your Elohim] with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6: 4-5)
Shema means “hear” or “listen”. It’s not a request. It’s a command. Eloheinu and Eloheicha are two “El words” that are translated as “God” in English Bibles. Both of them are plural words that derive from the Hebrew word “Eloah”, another “El word”.
Below is the Shema recited in Hebrew:
In Deuteronomy 6: 6-9, Moses explained to the Children of Israel what they were supposed to do with the Shema:
“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. You shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6: 6-9)
Yahweh’s Compound Unity
Yahweh’s compound unity is revealed throughout the Bible, but it’s not evident to most Christians because they don’t know Hebrew. As I said, Adonai, Elohim, Eloheinu, and Eloheicha are plural Hebrew words. In most English Bible translations, you see “Lord” where Adonai belongs and “God” where Elohim, Eloheinu, and Eloheicha belong. Thus, Yahweh’s Triune nature is hidden. That is a serious problem. It could be corrected very easily if Bible translators would simply do their jobs.
Yahweh’s Name is hidden in most English Bible translations as well. Instead of translating His Name correctly, according to Christian tradition, “the LORD” is substituted where “Yahweh” belongs and “the Lord GOD” is substituted where “Adonai Yahweh” belongs. Notice that all the letters in “LORD” and “GOD” are capital letters. That’s how you can know where Yahweh’s Name belongs in the Old Testament.
In the New Testament, this problem is even worse. Many direct quotes and paraphrased passages from the Old Testament that include Yahweh’s Name appear in the New Testament. When they appear in the New Testament, no effort is made to make sure that readers know where Yahweh’s Name belongs. The tradition of using all capital letters to identify where Yahweh’s Name belongs is abandoned completely. All you see are “Lord” and “God”. Those are serious problems, too. They could be corrected very easily. There is no good excuse for any of these translation errors.
Yahweh is One (Echad), but He has three manifestations. His compound unity is revealed clearly in Isaiah 48: 16:
“Come near to Me [the Son], listen to this: from the first I [the Son] have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I [the Son] was there. And now Adonai [plural] Yahweh [the Father] has sent Me [the Son], and His Spirit [the Holy Spirit].” (Isaiah 48: 16)
In that verse, Yahweh refers to Himself as three distinct Beings, but they are One, a compound unity. First, we are told to come near and listen. Then the Speaker (i.e., the Messiah or the Son) explains that He was in the beginning with Yahweh the Father and that Yahweh the Father sent Him and His Spirit to earth. All three were together in the beginning. The Father sent the Messiah and His Spirit to earth for a purpose.
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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
John 10: 14-18
