Isaiah 44:6
One trinitarian site states: "The prophet Isaiah speaks of two Persons as Jehovah. We read; 'Thus saith Jehovah, the King of lsrael, and His Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and besides Me there is no God' (Is. 44:6). Jehovah is here revealed as (1) 'the King of Israel,' and as (2) 'His Redeemer.' Both of them bear the name Jehovah."
The thought by some of our trinitarian neighbors is evidently that there is one Yahweh speaking, who is the King of Israel, and there is another Yahweh who is Yahweh's redeemer (Jesus), who is also called Yahweh of hosts, and that this in some vague manner supposedly proves a plurality of persons in the trinitarian idea of Godhead. Is this really what Isaiah is saying? Is he speaking of two Yahwehs in this verse, one who is the King of Israel, and another who is Yahweh's redeemer?
Actually, the thought of two Yahwehs has to be read into the text. Yahweh is speaking and Yahweh is the Redeemer of Israel. There is nothing here about two persons and certainly nothing about a plurality of persons in one God.
Some renderings make this clearer (Remember that "the LORD" -- the title, Lord -- has been substituted for the divine name, Yahweh):
This is what the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty, says: I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. -- New Living Translation
The Lord, who rules and protects Israel, the Lord Almighty, has this to say: "I am the first, the last, the only God; there is no other god but me. -- Good News in Today's English
The Lord, the king of Israel, is the Lord All-Powerful, who saves Israel. -- New Century Version
The LORD is Israel's king and defender. He is the LORD of Armies. -- God's Word Translation
The Lord, the King of Israel, even the Lord of armies who has taken up his cause. -- Bible in Basic English
Yahweh also says in this scripture: "I am the first and I am the last." Yahweh, of course, is the first and last of all who are uncreated. Yahweh is also the first and last in Might, since he is the source of all might. There was no God formed before him (since he has always been) and there will no god formed after him (since he will always be). (Isaiah 43:10) None of the idol gods formed by the hands of men can claim to be the first and last. Nor can any of these idols claim to be the Mighty One as does Yahweh: "besides me there is no God [elohim, meaning Might]." -- Isaiah 44:8-20.
Thus we find that there is nothing here to support the idea of a plurality of persons in one God.
Addendum One
One argues that we are misrepresenting the trinity doctrine by claiming that trinitarians believe in "two Yahwehs". In fact, we are only repeating what trinitarians have said, and it is the trinitarians who speak of "two Yahwehs", or "two Jehovahs", in Isaiah 44:6 and other verses. If one will do a search in Google as well as in the newsgroups for "+two +Yahwehs", "+two +Jehovahs", "+two +YHWHs", etc., you will see what we mean.
See also our studies on Isaiah 43:10 This document may be photocopied or otherwise reproduced for non-profit purposes. We only
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tags: Christ, trinity, Is the trinity true, Is Jesus God, Is Jesus Yahweh, Is Jesus Jehovah, Jesus is not God, Jesus is not Yahweh, Jesus is not Jehovah
Last update: May 22, 2004
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Related Books
Our links to the following books does not necessarily mean that we agree with all conclusions presented by the authors.
Jesus - God or Son of God? by Brian Holt
An analysis of the most common arguments used to both prove and disprove the notion that Jesus is God. Beginning with the book of Matthew and continuing through Revelation, it tallies and discusses every scripture that implies Jesus is God and every scripture that implies he is not. Not to be left out of the discussion is a comparison of the arguments from the Hebrew scriptures.
This work discusses the common arguments used by both sides and provides the response given by the opposing view. It concludes by asking the reader to review the arguments from both sides and determine for himself what he believes. If you want to know what evidence there is that Jesus is God (or what evidence there is that he is not), this is the book that presents a fair and balanced discussion of the matter.
Before you discuss this subject with a Trinitarian or a non-Trinitarian, make sure you know why he believes what he believes. A comparison of the arguments is in order.
History of Dogma - by Adolf Harnack
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