For years in my discusion with trinitarians I have met with some advocating that two Jehovah's, are mentioned here in Genesis.. I would quickly retort with simple Herbraic idiom of speaking of oneself in 3rd person something common in Hebrew speech and even english denoting only one person. 1 Kings 8.1 boistered that Hebraic idomism:"At that time Solomon proceeded to congregate the older men of Israel .......to King Solomon. was always a quick example of Solomon speaking about Solomon.
As Acts 8.34 ask by the Eunuch. "I beg you about whom does the prophet say this? "About himself or about some other man?" An appropriate question to ask in reference to names shared in contextual parallels. What most refer to as illeism.
Illeism is refering to oneself in the 3rd person within a text where 1st person is also present. Trinitarians have purported that these are plural hints of a plurality of God. Definatly anachronistic in understanding.
So in my attempt to clarify, here are some Biblical examples of illeism. It is also of interest that these examples are so common that we usually don't even recognize them as being such. For example I have thought of in regular speech some illeistic expressions 'Do you want your Dad to fix that. Obviously only one person is being spoken of .
Here are a few examples of illeism found in the scriptures.
Exodus 33.19 "But he said:"I will cause all my goodness to pass before your face, and I will declare the name of Jehovah before you.....(Here Jehovah is speaking of delaring the name of Jehovah.) (Two Jehovah's or illeism?)
2 Samuel 7.11b "And Jehovah has told you that a house is what Jehovah will make for you. (Two Jehovah's or simple illeism ?
Hosea 1.7 Here Jehovah is comforting the prophet. "I shall show mercy, and I shall save them by Jehovah their God. Two Jehovah's or simple illeism?
Genesis 9.12-15 Here God is speaking and saying that the rainbow is a covenant to time indefinite between God and every living soul. Are two Gods here mentioned or illeism?
Jehovah routinly refers to the House of Jehovah. Isa. 66.20; Jer.17.26; Hos.8.1
Two David's in 1 Samuel 25.22? or is this illeistic?
Genesis 4.23 Lamech titles his wives,'Wives of Lamech. Two Lamech's or illeistic?
A most quoted scripture. John 17.1,3. Here Jesus is praying to his Father. Jesus prays: "This means everlasting life, Taking in knowledge of you the only true God and the one who you sent forth Jesus Christ. Are their two Jesus' mentioned here or illeism?
If it were not for strained and tendentious attempts to prove the trinity we would see the absurdity of such claims.
See JETS 52/3 Sept. 2009 by Andrew S. Malone
