Psalm 83:18 - Is Jesus the Most High?

Psalms 83:18 - That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.-- American Standard Version.

It is being claimed that "Jehovah" in this verse is Jesus. Mormons believe that throughout the Old Testament that "Jehovah" is always Jesus, and "Jehovah" is never the Father of Jesus. We still have not found any good explanation of how they apply this assertion in Psalm 83:18, and many other scriptures where it is obvious that Jehovah is not Jesus. Jehovah is certainly shown to be the God of the Messiah in Micah 5:4, as well as Isaiah 61:1,2 (Compare with John 17:1,3; Ephesians 1:3). The default reasoning should be that Jesus is not his God, Jehovah.

Some trinitarians claim that "Jehovah" is Jesus in Psalm 83:18. Evidently what they would read into this verse is that Jehovah is three persons and that this verse "Jehovah" refers to their alleged "second person" of Jehovah, which they believe to be Jesus. They often incorrectly apply many scriptures which they claim confirm their trinitarian assertions, many of which we have already examined elsewhere.

Some oneness believers have also asserted that in Psalm 83:18, that this is Jesus, which according to them, Jesus is the God and Father of Jesus and that Jesus is the Holy Spirit of the Father.

Most of the scriptures wrongly thought to apply the name Jehovah to Jesus have already been examined on our websites.

In reality, we have no scriptural reason to imagine, assume, add to, and read into Psalm 83:18 that Jehovah in this verse is not the same one person/individual who is "Jehovah" in Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 9:7; 11:2,3; 61:1,2 and Micah 5:4. Jehovah is distinguished from being Jesus in all these verses. 

Mormons claim that Jesus never spoke of Jehovah as his Father. Actually, Jehovah of Isaiah 61:1,2, whom Jesus is prophetically depicted as referring to as "our God", is definitely the one whom Jesus addresses as "Father" in John 17:1, and whom he says is the "only true God" who sent him in John 17:3. Additionally, the testimony of Gabriel recorded in Luke 1:32 corresponds to Isaiah 9:7, distinguishing the Lord Jehovah -- the Most High -- from the one to whom the Lord Jehovah gives the throne of David. Jesus is the Son of the Most High as Gabriel stated; Jesus is not the Most High Jehovah of whom he is the Son.

Additionally, it is foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 that the Messiah was to come in the name of Jehovah. Peter distinguishes Jehovah from Jesus in his application of this as recorded in Acts 3:13-26. This is reiterated in Psalm 118:16. Jesus applied this to himself as recorded in Matthew 23:39. Jesus said, in effect, that he did not come in his own name, but rather in the name of his Father who had sent him. (John 5:4,30,36,37) Isaiah 61:1,2 shows that it was the Lord Jehovah whom Jesus said is "our God" who sent him.

It is the one person who is identified in scripture as being Jehovah who has made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Ezekiel 34:23,24; Isaiah 61:1,2; Acts 2:36), and has exalted Jesus to the highest position in the universe, far above the angels, next to the only Most High.-- Acts 2:33,36; 5:31; Philippians 2:9; Ephesians 1:3,17-23; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Hebrews 1:4,6; 1 Peter 3:22.

We do find in the Bible that Jesus is anointed [made christ, the anointed one] and sent by Jehovah, and thus that Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is distinguished from being Jesus. He is not Jehovah who thus anointed him, and who raised Jesus up as the prophet like Moses. It is Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who now speaks through His son. -- Exodus 3:14,15; Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Psalm 2:26; 45:7; Isaiah 61:1; Ezekiel 34:23,24; John 10:29; 17:1,3; Acts 2:23,36; 3:13-26; 4:27; 10:38; Hebrews 1:1.2.9.

We further find that in the Bible, Jesus is the savior of the world whom the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has sent. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Isaiah 61:1; Acts 3:13-26; John 3:17; 17:3; 1 John 4:9.10) Likewise, as Jehovah sent many saviors to Israel to deliver Israel (Nehemiah 9:27; Judges 2:16; 3:9-15; 6:13,14; 7:7; 8:22; 13:5; 2 Kings 13:5, 2 Samuel 3:18), so also Jehovah sent His Son to deliver us from sin. We have no scriptural reason to imagine and assume that the fact that Jehovah sent His Son to save us from sin would mean that Jesus is Jehovah.

The scriptures do reveal Jesus is the son of one person who is the Most High, Jehovah. Jesus is never spoken of as the "Most High"; he is not the only Most High Jehovah of whom he is the son. -- Genesis 14:22; Psalm 7:17; 83:18; 92:1; Luke 1:32; John 13:16.

Genesis 3:8 - Was It Really Jesus Whom Adam Heard?

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden. -- American Standard Version.

And they hear the sound of Jehovah God walking up and down in the garden at the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hide themselves from the face of Jehovah God in the midst of the trees of the garden. -- Young's Literal.

And they heard the voice of Jehovah Elohim, walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah Elohim, in the midst of the trees of the garden. -- Darby Translation

They heard the sound of Jehovah God approaching in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. -- Restoration Light Improved Version.

There is definitely nothing in this verse that presents "Jehovah God" as being more than one person, nor is there anything in the verse that says anything about God's Son.

Some make the claim that no one can see the first person of the imagined and assumed trinity, which they imagine and assume is being referred to in John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46; 1 Timothy 1:17, but that one can see the second person of the imagined and assumed triune Jehovah, and thus they imagine and assume that only their imagined and assumed first person of "Jehovah" was seen by Adam and Eve, and thus that it had to be their imagined and assumed second person of Jehovah that is spoken of in Genesis 3:8. Of course, none of this in the Bible; all of this has to imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures.

As can be seen, the Hebrew words are given several different meanings in different translations. Not many of the Protestant commentators see Jesus in this verse. 

BDB gives the meaning of the Hebrew word often transliterated as "qol" (Strong's H963) as sound, voice. BDB gives the meaning of the Hebrew word (often transliterated as "halak", Strong's H1980) rendered as "walking" as "go, come, walk". Obviously, the rendering of the word as "voice" would not agree with the idea of "walking". Have you ever heard a voice walk? A voice could be heard as coming or approaching, but a voice itself does not walk. If the word "voice: is used to render "qol", the word "halak" would best be rendered as coming, or proceeding. If "qol" should be rendered as "sound", the Hebrew word "halak" could be understood as walking, coming, going, etc.

The scripture, actually says nothing about Adam and Eve seeing Jehovah, although they evidently realized his presence (Strong's #6440, panim or paneh, literally meaning face, but often used to signify presence). Nevertheless, even if they had seen some manifestation of Jehovah, it would have been one of the "various ways" spoken of in Hebrews 1:2. He could have appeared by means of one of his angels, or even by means of his firstborn son (Colossians 1:15), but this does not mean that we need to imagine and assume that Jesus is a person of his God, etc.

The fact is that Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:14,15) is nowhere in the Bible presented as being more than one person. Jehovah is presented as only one person in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and is distinguished from being Jesus, who is the prophet like Moses that the one person who is Jehovah promised to raise up among the children of Israel. Peter makes this plain by his words as recorded n Acts 3:13-26. Micah 5:4 tells us that the promised Messiah was to stand and feed the sheep in the name and strength of his God, Jehovah. The default reasoning should not be to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scriptures that Jehovah is more than one person that the God of the Messiah is only the first person of Jehovah, etc., but rather that Jesus is not Jehovah his God.

See also our study: Jesus is Not Jehovah (Yahweh)

Exodus 23:20,21,25 - God's Angel Before Israel

Exodus 23:20 - "Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared." -- World English.

This scripture is being presented by some trinitarians as supposedly a reference to their added-on trinity dogma. One claims, "Though the word 'Trinity' is never found in the pages of Scripture,  It is a doctrine that is taught throughout the Scripture, both in the Tanakh and in the New Testament." In reality, Jehovah is presented as only one person throughout the Bible, and one cannot find the trinity doctrinal concept presented even once anywhere in the Bible. One has to created many trinitarian assumptions and then add those assumptions to, and read those assumptions into, any and every scripture presented that is claimed to be speaking of the added-on trinitarian concept.

It is the one person who is Jehovah who sent the angel to guide Israel. The default reasoning is that the angel whom Jehovah sent is not Jehovah who sent him. There is nothing in the verse that says that Jehovah is more than one person. Indeed, it is Jehovah who is speaking, who says he sent this angel; thus the default reasoning should be that this angel is not Jehovah Himself. Any thought that this angel is one of three persons, all of whom are Jehovah, has to be assumed beyond what is stated, added to what is stated, and read into what is stated.

Some combine this scripture with Malachi 3:1, where Jesus is referred to as the angel of the covenant, and in some vague manner apply the word "before" in that verse with the word "before" in Exodus 23:20, and evidently reason that this is proof that the angel in Exodus 23:20 is the Messiah, Jesus. In reality, the application of Malachi 3:1 is totally different from the application in Exodus 23:20. The combining of two scriptures in this manner is not "rightly dividing the word of truth." -- 2 Timothy 2:15, King James Version.

Many Bible Students, however, do believe that this angel was Jesus, as the prehuman Logos, the Son of God. The reality is, however, that no scripture actually presents Jesus as being one of Jehovah's angels. Nevertheless, if this angel was the prehuman son of Jehovah, this would still not mean that we need to imagine and assume that the verse is speaking of any alleged second person of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as many trinitarian advocates claim. 

Exodus 23:21 - Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don't provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him. 

Jehovah's name -- authority from Jehovah -- was in the angel since Jehovah sent this angel and the angel did the work that Jehovah gave him to do. Jehovah directs the children of Israel to heed what the angel says, for what the angel says is what Jehovah Himself is directing the angel to say. (Exodus 23:21,22) Jehovah again refers to this angel as "my angel" in verse 23, again showing that the angel is not Jehovah Himself, but an angel whom Jehovah sent.

Some claim, based on what is said in Exodus 23:21, that this angel has the authority to pardon transgression, and evidently this is supposed to mean that the angel must be Jehovah, and therefore a person of Jehovah. Actually, what is said in Exodus 23:21 is that this angel "will not pardon your disobedience." It does not say that the angel has been given authority to pardon anyone. Nevertheless, the angel could have been given authority to pardon transgressions; his being given any such authority does not mean that we need to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scripture that this angel is Jehovah, and further imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scripture that God is more than one person, etc.  Any authority the angel had is in fact that which was given to him and was not inherent to his being.

John 17:11

Some try to tie Exodus 23:20,21 with John 17:11, which they evidently read as saying that Jesus made the claim that God's name was given to Jesus. What Jesus actually prayed for was that Jehovah would keep his followers (whom/whoever Jehovah had given to him) in the name of his God and Father. In other words, "Keep them, whoever you have given me, in your name." This corresponds with Ezekiel 34:23, where Jehovah says that he set up "one shepherd" over his sheep. By his words recorded in John 10:16 and in its context, Jesus was declaring himself to be this one true --the genuine -- shepherd of his Father's sheep. (John 10:29) Nevertheless, if it is thought that Jesus is Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because the name Jehovah was given to Jesus, this would actually mean that Jesus was not Jehovah until his God gave to Him the Holy Name, which really doesn't make sense.

Nevertheless, was the name of Jesus' God in Jesus? Yes, in the sense that Jesus came in the name of Jehovah, his God, and he stands and feeds the sheep in the name of Jehovah, his God and Father. -- Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Psalm 118:26; Micah 5:4; Matthew 21:9; 23:13,39; Mark 11:9,10,26; 13:35; Luke 13:35; 19:38; John 5:43; 10:25; 12:13; Ephesians 1:3.

Exodus 23:25 - And ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.  -- American Standard Version.

According to some, the above speaks of two different persons as being Jehovah, since Jehovah refers to Himself as "he" and also "I". The reasoning appears to be that since Jehovah speaks of Himself in both the third person and second person in the same sentence, we thus need to imagine, assume, add to, and read into the scripture that Jehovah is more than one person, etc. Actually, there is no reason to imagine and assume anything beyond what is written related to Exodus 23:25 as in Exodus 31:17, where Jehovah again speaks of himself in the first and third person.

The more logical reasoning should be that Jehovah spoke of Himself in the third person to emphasize that it was indeed He, and not a false god or some man, who gives this blessing.

Nothing in any of this actually gives us reason to conjure up and presume that this angel is a person of Jehovah, or even that this angel is Jesus, although we can say that the latter is a possibility; if it is so, the Bible says nothing about this angel or any other angel of Jehovah as being Jesus. Definitely, there is nothing in these verses, or any place else in the Bible, about a triune God, or that God is three persons, or that Jesus is Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, etc.

Ronald R. Day, Sr.