The God
Chapter Three
YHWH, Adonai, Adoni
YHWH, Adonai and Adoni in the Hebrew Scriptures:
While elohim does not have intrinsic meaning of deity, the word YHWH does. This word appears 6,828 times in the OT and is understood to be the actual name of the Creator God. YHWH is invariably accompanied by singular personal pronouns and verbs in the singular. YHWH is often referred to as the Tetragrammaton, which is a Greek word meaning “word of four letters.” The Hebrew language does not have vowels but only consonants and semi-consonants. YHWH is composed of four semi-consonants. Vowels must be supplied in the speaking and writing of this language. Between the seventh and tenth centuries A.D. a group of Jewish scribes and scholars called Masoretes began to insert “vowel points” in the Hebrew text for better clarity of meaning but left YHWH as is. Consequently we can’t be sure how to pronounce or write this name to this very day.
YHWH is an English transliteration of this Hebrew name for God. A transliteration is the taking of letters in one alphabet and matching them to corresponding letters in another alphabet. Since the vowels are missing in YHWH, all spellings of YHWH are interpretations of what the transliteration YHWH may sound like. For example, the American Standard Bible renders YHWH as Jehovah and the New Jerusalem Bible renders YHWH as Yahweh. Other renderings that are used include Yahveh, Yehweh and Yahvah.
Most English versions of the OT scriptures don’t use the transliteration YHWH but translate YHWH as LORD. The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translation of the Hebrew Scriptures use their equivalent of the English "LORD." The word is spelled in all caps to signify its association with the word YHWH.
The precise meaning of YHWH is much debated. It appears to be taken from the Hebrew root word hayah which has the meaning of “be” or “become.” YHWH came to signify self existent one or eternal one. The OT scriptures clearly identify the name of God as being YHWH.
Exodus 3:15: God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, `The LORD, (YHWH) the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
Isaiah 42:8: I am the LORD; (YHWH) that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
As already mentioned, when the Masoretes began to add vowel points to the Hebrew text they left YHWH as YHWH. However, in 134 passages where YHWH appears in the OT text, they substituted the Hebrew word Adonai (sometimes spelled Adonay) which is taken from the Hebrew root adon. This Hebrew word, when substituted for YHWH, is translated as Lord with a capitol L to designate the one true God. Since our English translations of the Hebrew Scriptures are often taken from Masoretic Hebrew texts, we find this combination of LORD for YHWH and Lord for Adonai in our English Bibles. Adonai is also found in pre-Masoretic Hebrew manuscripts as a replacement for YHWH in the text and translated as Lord in the English.
The Hebrew word adon is used multiple hundreds of times in the OT in association with Elohim, YHWH, and man. Adon is translated as Lord or lord depending on the suffix attached to this word. Its basic meaning is lord or master. It is used to describe the owner of someone or something. When found as descriptive of YHWH or Elohim this word appears in the Hebrew with the suffix “ai” as Adonai. When adon appears with the suffix “i” it becomes adoni and in this form is never used to describe deity but is applied to man. Adoni is often translated into the English word master. For example, the servants of Abraham consistently refer to him as adoni which is translated master. The Pharaoh of Egypt is called adoni. So are Joseph and the kings of
Adonai is mostly seen as a reference to deity and is often found in a plural form but modified by a singular pronoun. In such cases it takes on the same meaning as the plural elohim and signifies plural of majesty. Since the root word adon can reference both God and man, the word does not have intrinsic meaning of deity as does YHWH. In its form as adonai, as is true of elohim, it is sometimes applied to an angel or a human who has attained a high status. However, adonai is used the majority of the time in association with YHWH. Adonai is found 449 times in the OT in association with YHWH or Elohim in reference to the one true God.
In most English translations, YHWH is translated as LORD with all capitol letters and adonai is translated as Lord with a capital L followed by lower case letters instead of all caps. Adoni is translated as lord with all lower case letters except in Psalm 110:1, where in many translations adoni is found to be translated Lord with a capitol L. This has led many commentaries to assume the Hebrew in this passage is adonai rather than adoni. This assumption has led to Psalm 110:1 being used as major scriptural support for the Trinitarian concept of Jesus being God as the Father is God. It is believed David references both the Father and Son as God in this passage.
Psalm 110:1: The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
The word translated LORD in Psalm 110:1 is YHWH. Therefore, the one true God is identified by His name. The second word Lord in this passage is adoni. This form of the Hebrew adon is not used in the Hebrew Scriptures to identify deity but always references man in some position of authority and power and a few times references angels. Here are several examples where adoni is used to refer to man in contrast to references to God as YHWH and Elohim.
1 Kings 1:36-37: Benewah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD (YHWH), the God (Elohim) of my lord (adoni) the king, so declare it. As the LORD (YHWH) was with my lord (adoni) the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord (adoni) King David!"
1 Samuel 24:6: He said to his men, "The LORD (YHWH) forbid that I should do such a thing to my master (adoni), the LORD's (YHWH) anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD. (YHWH)”
Numbers 36:2: And they said, The LORD (YHWH) commanded my lord (adoni) to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of
Adoni is used in reference to man and a few times to angels in every one of the 198 passages in which it occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Septuagint translation of Psalm 110:1, adoni is translated as “ho kurios mou” which in English means “my lord.”
Only in Psalm 110, is adoni translated with a capitol L in many English translations. In every other passage where adoni and YHWH appear in the same context, adoni is found with a lower case L and to reference a human in contrast to YHWH God. It is interesting to note that some English versions of the scriptures, such as the RSV, NRSV, the New American Bible and the Moffatt translation, do not use the capitol L for “lord” in Psalm 110:1, but use the lower case l. Translators of these versions apparently realized the Hebrew adoni does not mean deity and therefore should not be made to look as though it does. In view of all this, let’s consider what Apostle Peter wrote in reference to Jesus.
Acts 2:34-36: For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." "Therefore let all
Apostle Peter shows the prophetic nature of David’s statement and records that the lord who David referred to is none other than Christ Jesus who God has made lord and Christ. Christ (Greek: Christos, which means anointed one) is seen as being made lord and Christ by God the Father. When Peter quotes Psalm 110:1, it must be understood that to be consistent, Peter is using Lord in the same sense as David did and David used the word adoni which is not used of deity but of man throughout the OT. Peter is saying God has elevated Jesus to a position of lordship (having power and authority) as the promised Christ (the anointed one). Notice also that in the quote from the Psalm, “YHWH says to adoni “sit at my right hand” which implies a separation of Beings as opposed to the non-separation Trinitarianism requires.
It is also noteworthy that Peter, in stating God fulfilled what had been foretold by the prophets, sees Jesus as the Christ of God which clearly identifies Christ as a servant of God the Father. This makes the Trinitarian concept of the Father and the Son being co-equal extremely problematical. Jesus is identified as a prophet in the mold of Moses which shows Him to be an agent of God the Father and no more actual God than Moses was God.
Acts 3:18-22: But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, `The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you (Deuteronomy 18:15).
Peter’s statement in Acts 3:18-22, clearly portrays Jesus as the Christ (anointed one) of God the Father and a prophet like Moses who was raised up from among the people of
Theos & Kurios – God & Lord
Theos:
The Greek word translated “God” in the NT is theos. It occurs 1,343 times. Theos means to have power, authority and majesty. It is equivalent to elohim in the OT. The Septuagint translates elohim as theos. As is true of elohim in the OT, theos can apply to the one true God, pagan gods, and even to humans who have been granted power and authority. Theos is used to apply to Greek gods in Greek literature. Therefore, theos, like elohim, does not have intrinsic meaning of deity but can define one considered deity or having the powers of deity. In the NT theos is translated into the English word God and by context can be seen to almost exclusively designate the Father. We also see theos referencing Jesus in several NT passages. We will examine each one of these passages as we move through this material to determine if such references establish Jesus is God as the Father is God.
Kurios:
The Greek word translated “Lord” in the NT is kurios. This word appears 749 times in the NT. Its basic meaning is to have power and authority and characterizes a person to whom another person or thing belongs. The word implies someone having power over others. It also denotes a respect and reverence with which servants greet their master. In NT scripture, kurios is applied to God the Father, to Christ Jesus and occasionally to others. The great majority of the time it is applied to Christ.
The various occurrences of the word lord in the NT are all translations of the Greek word kurios. Since this word is used in association with the Father, the Son and others, context must be considered in determining who is being identified. Kurios, by itself, does not establish or connote deity. Other information must be known to establish deity where kurios is used to identify someone considered deity.
Because the Septuagint uses kurios to translate the Hebrew YHWH and Elohim into Greek, some believe this word, when applied to Christ in the NT Greek Scriptures identifies Christ as God (Greek: Theos). It is believed when applied to Christ; the Greek kurios is equivalent to YHWH and Adonai and identifies Jesus as the God of the OT. Therefore, Jesus is seen as the God of Israel. Since Trinitarianism sees the one God (YHWH) as distinctions of Father, Son and Spirit, it is believed God manifested Himself to
Deuteronomy 32:6: Is this the way you repay the LORD, (YHWH) O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
Isaiah 63:16: You, O LORD, (YHWH) are our Father; our Redeemer from of old is your name.
Isaiah 64:8: Yet, O LORD, (YHWH) you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Psalm 89:26: He will call out to me, You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior (The He, refers to David calling out to God).
Malachi 2: 10: Have we not all one Father? Did not one God (Elohim) create us?
In Isaiah appears a prophecy of the coming of Jesus. In this prophecy the child to be born is described as Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Since YHWH is identified in the Hebrew Scriptures as Father and Mighty God, it is believed this passage about the coming of the Son identifies the Son as YHWH since the Son is identified as Mighty God and Everlasting Father.
Isaiah 9:6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty (Hebrew: gibbor) God (Hebrew: el), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD (YHWH) Almighty (gibbor) will accomplish this.
The Hebrew for mighty is gibbor and means to be powerful and strong. In the Hebrew Scripture this word is used around 150 times and refers to men about 95% of the time with only a few references to God. The Hebrew word for God in this passage is el. This word means strong, mighty and mighty hero. This word appears around 200 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and is largely used in reference to YHWH but is also used of men and angels.
Exodus 3:15 and Isaiah 42:8 identifies YHWH as the one true God. YHWH is identified in the Hebrew Scriptures as Father. Is YHWH also the Son in addition to being the Father? Is YHWH a tri-unity of Father, Son and Spirit? When Isaiah writes about the zeal of the LORD (YHWH) bringing about the birth of the Son, is he writing about the Father, as a co-equal with the Son who facilitates the incarnation of the Son? Are the Son and Father, along with the Spirit, the one and only true God in every respect except that of being each other? In Micah is a prophecy that expositors generally agree pertains to the coming of Christ.
Micah 5:4: He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD (YHWH), in the majesty of the name of the LORD (YHWH) his God (Elohim). And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
Here YHWH is seen as the God of the promised Messiah. Trinitarians conclude YHWH here refers to the Father and when Micah writes of the Son accomplishing things in the name of YHWH his God, he is using the word YHWH to designate the person of the Father in the Trinitarian relationship that is Father, Son and Spirit who together are God (Elohim). To make this work, however, you would virtually have read this passage in the following manner:
Micah 5:4: He (Jesus) will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Father (YHWH), in the majesty of the name of the Father (YHWH) his God (Elohim). And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
As can be seen, believing YHWH is a reference to the Father still makes the Father the God of Jesus. If the Father is the God of Jesus, how can Jesus be that same God?
In another prophecy believed to be about the coming of Christ and uttered many years after the reign and death of King David, Ezekiel writes that YHWH will establish David as a Prince over
Ezekiel 34:23-24: I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD (YHWH) will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD (YHWH) have spoken.
This passage of scripture shows YHWH as the God of Israel in contrast to a servant of YHWH spoken of as the prince David who will be their shepherd. If the Prince is a prophetic reference to Christ, which most expositors believe, then Christ is shown to be a servant of YHWH. This would preclude Christ being a co-equal distinction of a Trinitarian God called YHWH. This coordinates well with 1 Corinthians 15:28 where Apostle Paul writes of Jesus being subservient to the Father and Psalm 110:1 where David shows the Son not as YHWH or Adonai but as adoni, the glorified agent of YHWH seated at His right hand.
In the Ezekiel passage, YHWH is quoted as saying He will be their God and His servant David (Christ) will be prince among them. YHWH is their God and David (Christ) is their prince. If Jesus is also YHWH, this prophecy makes no sense at all.
All this being considered, it should be apparent when Jesus is referred to as “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father,” He is not being identified as YHWH. These are titles of honor given to Jesus Christ as YHWH’ agent in facilitating YHWH’ will as the promised Messiah. These titles do not mean the Messiah is YHWH as it is plain from the passage in Micah that the Messiah relates to YHWH as His God and in Ezekiel as the servant of YHWH. The Septuagint translates “Everlasting Father” as “Father of the age to come” and the Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, translates “Mighty God” as “divine hero.”
Jesus is seen as the Father and divine hero of the age to come. The age to come is the prophets foreseeing of the New Covenant age inaugurated by YHWH facilitating the Christ event. Jesus is pictured here as YHWH’ agent in bringing to fruition YHWH’ redemption of mankind. The very language of these passages precludes Jesus from being YHWH.