Introduction
In today’s study, I will look at the idea that “echad” in Deuteronomy 6:4 indicates a “compound unit“, a concept often used to support the doctrine of the Trinity. Many argue that this word proves that God consists of three persons, but is this interpretation correct? I will explore the uses of “echad” in several biblical passages, comparing their meaning and application in the original Hebrew. In addition, I will examine whether this argument holds up in light of Scripture or whether it is merely a theological construct. Let’s discover together what the Bible really teaches on this topic in “Echad“, Composite Unit. Really? – Deuteronomy 6:4.
What is the Trinitarian Argument?
The Trinitarian doctrine teaches that there is only one God, composed of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There are not three gods, but only one. Given this, some questions of theological conflict arise with various biblical passages. One of them is the verse in Deuteronomy 6:4, which presents a concept that is opposite to what this doctrine teaches.
In today’s study, we will analyze this biblical passage, and the Trinitarian explanation to reconcile this contrast of the Trinitarian concept with such passage. Let’s begin by reading the verse from Deuteronomy 6:4:
Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.“
The passage above is the Almeida Corrigida e Fiel translation. This translation is not that different from the others that exist. No translation follows the original text exactly. Some adaptations are necessary during the translations, according to the grammatical rules of each language. We also have the authors’ views influencing the translation.
The Text in Hebrew
Let’s see how the text appears in the original Hebrew:
Aleppo Codex Version:
שמע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד
(Transliteration: Shema Israel Adonai (YHWH) Eloheinu Adonai (YHWH) echad)
The literal translation of the verse would be as follows:
Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel, YHWH our God, YHWH is one“
Tetragrammaton: The Name of God
The Tetragrammaton is the name of God. This name is unpronounceable because it contains only consonants. Its true pronunciation has been lost over time. Over the centuries, out of reverence, people replaced the Tetragrammaton with the wordAdonai, which means “Sir“. For this reason, we find the translation with the word “Sir” being used. But that is not the main point of our study. This verse states that “YHWH is one“. This ends up conflicting with the Trinitarian concept, which says that God is three.
Contradiction of Concepts
The contradiction between the concept and the biblical text is clear. Scripture says that God is one, but the Trinitarian doctrine teaches that God is three. What now? How do Trinitarians explain this issue? For them it is simple. Some people say that Hebrew has two words that can be translated as “one“. The first is the word “echad“, which represents a composite unit. The second is “yachid“, which refers to an individual, isolated unit. Based on this explanation, some argue that the biblical text uses the Hebrew word “echad” and that this does not represent a contradiction, but rather proof that God is composite. How so?
Bible Passages with Echad
To better understand this issue, we will present the texts used by those who defend this argument. I will highlight in bold and in red the word “echad” in the Hebrew texts, and its corresponding one in the Portuguese translation. Here is the Hebrew spelling of the word “echad“:
אחד
With this in mind, let’s look at some examples of biblical passages that support this concept and then evaluate them.
Genesis
Genesis 1:5 – “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.“
ה ויקרא אלהים לאור יום ולחשך קרא לילה ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד
In the text of Genesis 1:5, the “day one“, translated as “day first“, appears as the joining of two periods: “afternoon” and “morning“. The word used in Hebrew is “echad” ( אחד ). This example shows the concept of compound unity. The day “one“, being formed by two periods.
Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall become one flesh.“
כד על כן יעזב איש את אביו ואת אמו ודבק באשתו והיו לבשר אחד
In the text above from Genesis 2:24, God says that a man would leave his parents and cleave to his wife, becoming “both one flesh“. The word “echad” is also found in this verse, and here, the concept of “compound unit” can also be seen. Two beings becoming one flesh. The “meat” is being formed by two people.
Genesis 11:6 – “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this is what they have begun to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.“
ו ויאמר יהוה הן עם אחד ושפה אחת לכלם וזה החלם לעשות ועתה לא יבצר מהם כל אשר יזמו לעשות
In Genesis 11:6, the Lord says that the people “is a” (echad). The word “people” represents the union of several people. This word is associated with the composition of “people“. In this sense, it is seen as “compound unit“.
2 Chronicles
II Chronicles 30:12 – “And the hand of God was with Judah, to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, according to the word of the LORD.“
יב גם ביהודה היתה יד האלהים לתת להם לב אחד לעשות מצות המלך והשרים–בדבר יהוה
In the text of 2 Chronicles 30:12, it says that the Lord God gave “one heart” for the people of Judah. The word “one” in this text, it is “echad“. Again, we see this word being used in a sense of “compound unit“, as it is being applied to the “people of Judah“. Several people, however, with “one” only heart.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 32:39 – “And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me always, for their own good and the good of their children after them.“
לט ונתתי להם לב אחד ודרך אחד ליראה אותי כל הימים–לטוב להם ולבניהם אחריהם
The text of Jeremiah 32:39 also has the same meaning as the verse in 2 Chronicles 30:12. God would give “one heart“, and “one way” for His people. The word “echad” appears twice in this verse.
Numbers
Numbers 13:23 – “Then they went to the Valley of Eshcol, and from there they cut down a branch with a cluster of grapes, and two men carried it on a pole; and they also took some pomegranates and figs.“
כג ויבאו עד נחל אשכל ויכרתו משם זמורה ואשכול ענבים אחד וישאהו במוט בשנים ומן הרמנים ומן התאנים
Finally, the verse from Numbers 13:23. In that text, the word “echad” is used to refer to “a bunch of grapes“. It’s just “one” bunch of grapes, but the bunch is composed of several grape buds, which makes it something composite. Therefore, the concept of “compound unit” can be seen here as well.
Reanalyzing the Argument
In view of these passages, the Trinitarian interpretation explains that the word “echad” used in Deuteronomy 6:4 does not literally mean “one“, but rather, a “compound unit“Therefore, the text would be stating that God is “one“, however, formed by the 3 persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The argument seems to be convincing. Several biblical passages present this concept of “compound unit“. But does this word really have this meaning? Does this concept really exist in the Hebrew language?
For those who do not know Hebrew, it is easy to convince. After all, if we do not understand the language, we believe what is presented, right?! How could we prove whether this argument is true or not? There are a few ways. The first is to find someone who understands the language and ask them. Preferably, someone who is not influenced by theological issues, because otherwise, they will explain what they believe in in a biased way.
We need to give preference to people from our own culture, whether they are religious or not, and they may even be teachers. The second way to compare this argument is to look at books and dictionaries of the language. But here, we run into the difficulty of finding reliable material. The person who produced it may also have influenced its content with their own beliefs. Therefore, it would be necessary to research the writer. A third way to prove this argument is to use the Bible itself. As for this method, we will not run into the problem of the writer being influenced by his theological beliefs, since we are going straight to the source, the Holy Bible!
Analysis of Other Biblical Passages with Echad
Therefore, we will follow the third proposal. We will analyze other biblical passages where the word “echad” appears. If such an argument of “compound unit” is true, then this concept must be present in all other passages. Otherwise, we will come to the conclusion that such an argument is not true, but rather a human invention to respond to a theological contradiction formulated by men. Let us see:
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 4:8 – “There is one who is alone and has no one, neither son nor brother; yet he does not cease from his labor, nor is his eyes satisfied with riches; nor does he say, ‘For whom do I labor, depriving my soul of good?’ This also is vanity and a wearisome occupation.“
ח יש אחד ואין שני גם בן ואח אין לו ואין קץ לכל עמלו–גם עיניו (עינו) לא תשבע עשר ולמי אני עמל ומחסר את נפשי מטובה–גם זה הבל וענין רע הוא
The above text from Ecclesiastes 4:8 is referring to the person who is alone and has no one. Here, the Bible verse uses the word “echad“. See that there are no other people, but only one “There is one who is alone, and has no one“. It is impossible to see the concept of “here compound unit“, as the text makes it clear that this is a person who is alone and isolated.
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 17:6 – “On the testimony of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he that is to be put to death shall be put to death; on the testimony of one witness he shall not be put to death.“
ו על פי שנים עדים או שלשה עדים–יומת המת לא יומת על פי עד אחד
In the above text from Deuteronomy 17:6, we also find the word “echad” being used. The text says that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, the testimony would be valid. However, if only “one” only a witness said it, it could not be considered valid. The word “echad” was used to refer to “one” only person. Here, the person is alone. Again, we do not find the concept of “compound unit” in this text.
1 Kings
1 Kings 20:13 – “And, behold, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, Thus saith the LORD; Have you seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver them into thine hand this day, that thou mayest know that I am the LORD.“
יג והנה נביא אחד נגש אל אחאב מלך ישראל ויאמר כה אמר יהוה הראית את כל ההמון הגדול הזה הנני נתנו בידך היום וידעת כי אני יהוה
In the verse of 1 Kings 20:13, the word “echad” is used to refer to “a prophet” who approached King Ahab. It was not two or three prophets, but only “one” (echad). We also do not find the concept of “compound unit” in this verse.
Daniel
Daniel 8:3 – “Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram stood before the river, and it had two horns; and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other; and the higher one came up last.“
ג ואשא עיני ואראה והנה איל אחד עמד לפני האבל ולו קרנים והקרנים גבהות והאחת גבהה מן השנית והגבהה עלה באחרנה
The verse in Daniel 8:3 uses the word “echad” to refer to “a sheep” seen in vision by the prophet. There were not two or three rams, but only “one” that was in front of the river. Again, the concept of “compound unit” cannot be applied here.
Daniel 8:13 – “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said to that saint who spoke, How long will be the vision of the daily sacrifice, and of the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?“
יג ואשמעה אחד קדוש מדבר ויאמר אחד קדוש לפלמוני המדבר עד מתי החזון התמיד והפשע שמם–תת וקדש וצבא מרמס
Who was it that spoke in the verse of Daniel 8:13? It was “a saint who spoke” in the prophet’s vision. The word used here is “echad“. Here we also do not find the concept of “compound unit“.
Isaiah
Isaiah 51:2 – “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was one, and I called him, and I blessed him, and I multiplied him.“
ב הביטו אל אברהם אביכם ואל שרה תחוללכם כי אחד קראתיו ואברכהו וארבהו
Ezekiel
Ezekiel 33:24 – “Son of man, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he possessed the land; but we are many, and the land has been given to us as a possession.“
כד בן אדם ישבי החרבות האלה על אדמת ישראל אמרים לאמר אחד היה אברהם ויירש את הארץ ואנחנו רבים לנו נתנה הארץ למורשה ס
Both of the above texts from Isaiah 51:2 and Ezekiel 33:24, use the word “one” to refer to the person of Abraham. It is said that “Abraham was one“, “being one“. Was Abraham made up of more than one person? Certainly not! The biblical text even clearly states that he was alone!
Does It Make Sense to Be a Composite Unit?
What conclusion do we draw from these other verses? Can we now say that the ram and the angels in the vision, the prophet, or even Abraham, are formed by a “compound unit“. Would they be formed by several beings, as the Trinitarian doctrine claims about God? Certainly not!
The texts were very clear and showed another version of what the defenders of the Trinitarian doctrine explain! If this concept of “compound unit” in the word “echad” was not found in other biblical passages, therefore, this concept is not true and is nothing more than a lie to justify a theological error! In reality, the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4 is a direct affront to what this doctrine teaches. God has made it very clear that He is “one“, but in the face of this truth, Satan created his own “true“, and in it he began to teach a doctrine that contradicts the Word of God!
Whoever uses lies is the Devil!
Look, dear reader! God does not need lies to defend His Truth! Whoever is called “father of lies” is Satan (John 8:44)! He created this argument to deceive people about the text of Deuteronomy 6:4.
God is One, and He is One!
On the other hand, even without the Hebrew texts to confirm this message, we could confirm it by the contradiction of the argument with what is taught in other passages. For example, the passages below:
Exodus 20:2-3 – “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.“
Notice that in Exodus 20:2-3, YHWH says that we could have no other gods before “me“. He did not use the word “us” (first person plural), but rather the word “me” (first person singular). Here we clearly see that only one is considered as the God YHWH!
John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.“
Jesus was very clear in his prayer to the Father, stating that only the Father should be considered as being the “only God“.
I Corinthians 8:6 – “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things exist and for whom we exist; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist and through whom we exist.“
Paul was also very clear in showing that, for him and for the early church, only the Father was considered the Sovereign God.
Conclusion: Echad Composite Unit. Is that really so?
We therefore conclude that the word “echad” in the Hebrew language does not have an exclusive meaning to be applied to a “compound unit“. It literally means “one“, and can be used in any situation. The text of Deuteronomy 6:4, in its original form, is very clear and direct in stating that God is “one“, which shows us the truth regarding the Trinitarian concept. God is not a “compound unit“, but He is just “one“, He being the person of YHWH!
May God bless us!
