The Trinity and “Echad”

[A post I wrote for an old blog of mine.]

In his The Defense of an Essential: A Believer’s Handbook for Defending the Trinity, Nick Norelli took up the argument common among missionaries that echad (אֶחָד – the Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy 6:4 to say that HaShem is “one”) “is a word that allows for plurality within one and diversity within unity” (page 3). This is the most common argument when the subject of the Trinity comes up in the face of the declared unity of G-d in the text of the Hebrew Bible.

Is it true that echad refers to a “compound unity” as missionaries say? Actually, no. It isn’t true in the least. The word echad is used in the same way as the word “one” in English. That is, it means a singular as opposed to a plural. If I say that I have one book, I mean that I have one and not two. Similarly, when I tell you that I want one hamburger from the grill, I mean just one – and not two. It is not the word “one” or echad that indicates a compound unity – not in the slightest. It is the noun to which the number refers which itself may be compound. A hamburger is composed of a bun, meat, sauces, and toppers. A hamburger itself is a compound unity, just as a cluster of grapes is a compound unity. It is not the word “one” that indicates or allows for plurality. Rather, it is the nature of the composition of specific nouns that indicates compound unity. This is true with everything we see in the world of our experience, which is always compound.

What do I mean that it is always compound? If I have a chair, the chair is made of pieces that have been assembled to create one object. The chair itself is a compound unity of all of the pieces. Such is also the case with my hamburger above, and the book to which I referred is composed of hundreds of individual pages, some kind of binding (thread or glue) and two covers. Everything we see in the physical world is a compound unity. Even a block of wood that looks like one thing is truly a compound, being made of millions of atoms of various shapes and compositions, and each atom is further made up of other particles. What does this lead us to? We know that in our existence, there is no such thing as an absolute unity. We do not have a single example of such a substance.

What do we mean when we say “one”? We mean simply “not two (or more)” of something. It is not the word “one” that allows for or bears the sense of composition. Rather, it is the thing itself to which I refer which contains and bears this sense. This is always the case. “Echad” does not mean compound unity. “Chair” means compound unity. “One” refers to a singular subset of existence.

Here’s the issue with the passage from Deuteronomy 6:4.

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל: ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד
Hear, O Israel: HaShem is our G-d. HaShem is one.

The word echad appears at the end of the verse, the leftmost word in the Hebrew quote. Does “echad” mean “compound unity”? Of course not. How can we determine what it means? The Hebrew says YHVH echad, “HaShem is one.” We know that the idea of compound unity is contained in the noun associated with the number “one”. In this case, the missionaries come to the conclusion that this is a compound unity, not based on the meaning of the word echad – which is really a distraction – but based on their assumed description of the nature of HaShem.

Trinitarians assume that HaShem is three persons, based on Christian theology. From this assumption, they place a compound unity within the text of the Shema, thus creating a circular argument.

1. Assume that HaShem is plural in nature (“three persons in one”);
2. Define “HaShem is one” with our assumption; and,
3. We have a “compound unity” along with echad in Deuteronomy 6:4.

In other words, there is no argument for the Trinity within the word echad in the Shema. What missionaries do in effect is simply explain away the use of “one” in this verse, as if it really means nothing.

But what does “HaShem is one” mean? Why does the Torah have the need to make this proclamation?

The word “G-d” in Hebrew is elohim. This is a plural form. It can refer to “the gods” of the world (which are really nothing), the chief god of a given people group, or to the G-d of Israel. The Shema, as quoted above, states that “HaShem is our G-d.” What if Israel had assumed in hearing “HaShem is our elohim” that the name YHVH (that is, HaShem) was referring to more than one person? What if they had continued to say “these are your gods” (Exodus 32:4) while still proclaiming that they were worshiping HaShem (Exodus 32:5)? The Erev Rav who came with Israel out of Egypt claimed to worship HaShem even while they were worshiping a golden calf, who represented their plurality of gods (this is why they said “these are your gods” [Hebrew: אלה אלוהיך] rather than “this is your G-d” [in the singular]).

In their sin, the people associated plurality with the name of HaShem. Moses, therefore, proclaimed to Israel that this association of plurality with HaShem was off-limits, because HaShem is not “these” (in plural) but only “one” without a second. If you say “two” or “three” in relation to HaShem, then you have violated this very important principle in the Torah. Moses shouted for Israel to hear that HaShem is our G-d, to the exclusion of all others, and that HaShem is one and cannot be worshiped as a plural being. It was a call to Israel to worship and love the one and only Savior who brought us out of Egypt.

This is the meaning of our text. Is echad a marker of compound unity? No. Compound unity (and what a strange designation that is!) is found within existents, not within an attributive adjective. HaShem just happens to be an existent (the ONLY Existent) in whom plurality cannot be postulated. The Christians assume plurality, just as the Erev Rav assumed plurality was attributed to HaShem based on the word elohim, since it is plural in form (though not in meaning). However, their assumption is in direct violation of what Moses was trying to get across to the people:

HaShem is not a group of gods! HaShem is not a chief god! HaShem is ONE, the ONLY ONE! You shall love him with all your heart, soul, and might! Do not associate plurality with him, and do not worship any other besides him!

This is the meaning and intention of the Shema, the call for Israel to devote themselves to and love HaShem, not a justification for late Christian theology.