(This study needs to be edited)
Isaiah 40:3 - The voice of him who cries in the wilderness: Prepare [plural in the Hebrew - speaking to the people of Israel -- a form of the verb transliterated as “panah”, meaning “to turn” — Strong’s #6437] the way of Jehovah; make straight [make right - justified, not crooked] in the desert a highway for [or, to, before] our God. -- Green's Literal.
Isaiah 40:3 (Young's Literal) A voice is crying -- in a wilderness -- Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.
Trinitarians (and some others) often cite Isaiah 40:3 along with various scriptures in the New Testament, and claim that such proves that Jesus is Jehovah, and/or that Jesus is one of three persons all of whom are alleged to be Jehovah.
Isaiah 40:3 foretells of one [John the Baptizer] who was to come with a message to the people of Israel to prepare the way of/to Jehovah. The people of Israel were in a desert condition because of their sin, thus John the Baptizer fulfilled this by preaching repentance toward God to the people. John was not preaching repentance toward Jesus. His preaching of repentance, however, did indeed make ready a people to accept Jesus whom Jehovah sent. That repentance is NOT towards Jesus, but rather to the God of Jesus (Micah 5:4; Ephesians 1:3), as can be seen from what is stated in Acts 20:21; 26:20. Had Israel -- as a whole -- heeded John's message, and repented toward God, they would have made the way of Jehovah straight (justified) so that they would have been ready to receive the one whom Jehovah sent to them. (Isaiah 61:1; John 17:1,3) As it turned out, only a small remnant did so. -- Romans 11:1-5.
Many view this differently, saying that John was to prepare the way for Jesus. If this is so, then the default reasoning should not be to imagine, assume, add to, and read into what is said that Jesus is Jehovah, and that then further imagine, assume, add to, and read into what is said that Jehovah must be more than one person, and then further imagine, assume, add to, and read into what is said that Jesus is a person of his God, Jehovah (Micah 5:4), but rather, as is the case many times throughout the Old Testament (For a few instances: Exodus 3:10,12; 12:17; 18:10; Numbers 16:28; Judges 2:6,18; 3:9,10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:24,25; 14:6,19; 15:14,18; 16:20,28-30, 2 Kings 4:27; Isaiah 43:11, 45:1-6), that the one who Jehovah sent fulfilled the prophecy in the name of he who sent him. Jehovah, speaks and performs works by means of his Son, Jesus. -- Deuteronomy 18:15-19; John 1:17; 3:34; 5:36; 10:25,32; 14:10; Acts 3:13-26; Ephesians 3:9, KJV; Titus 3:6.
Definitely nothing, however, in Isaiah 40 presents Jehovah, the God of Israel, as being more than one person. Any such thought has to be imagined, assumed, added to, and read into what is said.
For more information related to the above:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/2020/03/isa40-3.html
Hebrew analysis of Isaiah 40:3:
https://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/40-3.htm
For study of forms of the Hebrew word often transliterated as PANAH
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6437.htm
https://studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/6437.html
For study of forms of the Hebrew word often transliterated as YASHAR
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3474.htm
https://studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/3474.html
Related study on Biblical use of similarities
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/2017/06/similarities.html
No comments:
Post a Comment