Monday 1 February 2021

1. How should pronouns be understood, when used with (the technically) plural Elohim, the suffix "im" denoting plurality?


Isa 43:1-12 ASV
“Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God.”

1. How should the pronouns read, if the above is to be understood plurally?

2. What plural pronouns should replace the singular personal pronouns in the above Isaiah text?

If the noun "Elohim"(God) is understood as truly plural, then we should rightly see, something like:
Isa 43:1-12 ASV
“Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom WE have chosen; that ye may know and believe US, and understand that WE ARE GOD (HE): before US there was no God formed, neither shall there be after US. WE, even WE, ARE Jehovah; and besides US there is no saviour. WE have declared, and WE have saved, and WE have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are OUR witnesses, saith Jehovah, and WE ARE God.”

See also Ps 83:18 ASV
“That they may know that thou (you) alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.”

How would Trinitarians treat the singular personal pronouns, if “God” was pluralistic? Interestingly, that in every occurence in the OT Greek LXX "Elohim" was translated not as the plural Greek "Theoi", but in the singular, "Theos"!

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