Godhead Grammar

It is very common for students of the Bible in our modern day to misunderstand certain things from the scriptures, especially when those things involve the original Hebrew and Greek.  One particular source of confusion is the way certain plural words function in the Hebrew language. One website I saw had this to say about the plural Hebrew word for God, Elohim (אֶלהִים):

In the Hebrew language the "im" ending imputes plurality. Therefore, "Elohim" is the plural from of the word "El."

It is interesting to note that each usage of this word throughout the Bible is grammatically incorrect. It is a plural noun used with singular verbs. According to Genesis 1:1, the Creator of the Universe, Elohim, exists as a plural being.

What the author says at first about the word Elohim is true; it is a plural form.  But the author makes a serious error when he says that using a plural noun with a singular verb is "grammatically incorrect".  In English, using a plural noun with a singular verb is a huge grammatical error; but the Hebrew language functions very differently from English.  In Hebrew, there are times when a plural noun can be used with a singular verb and there is no grammar problems at all.

In English (and many other languages) there are two numerical categories: singular , which refers to only one person/thing; and plural, which refers to only multiple persons/things.  In languages that function this way there is no middle ground---if a thing has a plural form then it is numerically more than one and if a thing has a singular form then it is numerically only one.  This is not the case in Hebrew, however.

In Hebrew, there are not two numerical categories, but three.  Just like any other language it has singular and plural; but the third option stands half way in between the other two.  The intensive plural refers to only one person/thing, even though it looks plural in form.  Intensive plurals LOOK plural, but in reality they only refer to one thing; and that is why they can be used with singular verbs, predicate nouns, and adjectives.  The intensive plural form is to express greatness, hugeness, authority, or majesty; not multiplicity.

Let's look a the Hebrew word אָדוֹן (adon), the word for a master, lord, or overseer.  This word will show us that there are certain times when it is perfectly natural in Hebrew to use a plural noun to refer to only one person .

• Singular
  When the children of Heth were speaking to Abraham in Genesis 26 they said "Hear us, my lord (אָדוֹן): thou art a mighty prince among us" (v.6).  Abraham is only one person so they used the singular form of the word. 
  
• Numeric Plural
  Isaiah prayed, "O LORD our God, other lords (אֲדֹנִים) beside thee have had dominion over us" (Isa. 23:16).  In this verse Isaiah is talking about multiple other rulers that have controlled Israel instead of God.  He uses the plural form "lords", אֲדֹנִים (adonim); and he uses it with the plural verb "[they] have had dominion".
  
  In Psalm 136:3 David called Jehovah "the Lord of lords (אֲדֹנִים)".  David is saying that God is the ruler over all of the other rulers that exist; אֲדֹנִים (adonim, "lords") here is obviously numerically plural.
  
• Intensive Plural
  In Genesis 42:30 Joseph is described as "The man, who is the lord (אֲדֹנִים) of the land", Egypt.  This verse uses the plural form אֲדֹנִים (adonim).  But this verse is only talking about one person; that is why the verse uses the singular word "man".  Joseph is only one person!  The intensive plural is used to show that he was a very powerful ruler.
  
  In Exodus 21:6 a servant's owner is called "his master (אֲדֹנִים)".  This verse is only talking about one owner, because this verse uses the singular verb "[he] shall bring".  The intensive plural is used because of the authority that a master has over his servant.
  
  In 2 Kings 2 there were certain men who told Elisha that God was about to take Elijah, Elisha's master, from him.  These men told Elisha, "the LORD will take away thy master (אֲדֹנִים) from thy head to day" (v.3).  Elijah is only one person, so the plural form אֲדֹנִים (adonim) cannot be numerically plural and refer to multiple people.  It is an intensive plural referring to only one person, Elijah.
  These are only three.  I could list multiple other times when the Hebrew word אָדוֹן (adon) uses a plural form even when it refers to only one person.  

Understanding the intensive plural in Hebrew grammar is important because some teachers (like the website I quoted at the beginning) abuse these plural forms and use them to teach that unbiblical things about God.  Trinitarian believers teach that God is multiple persons because he is described with plural words; and this is simply not the case.

God is described with the plural form אֲדֹנִים (adonim) in scripture; but that does not automatically mean that God is numerically plural or that he is more than one being.  In Malachi 1:6 God says "if I be a master (אֲדֹנִים), where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts".  Psalm 135:5 says, "I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord (אֲדֹנִים) is above all gods".  And Psalm 147:5 says "Great is our Lord (אֲדֹנִים), and of great power: his understanding is infinite".

A teacher who does not know about (or who chooses to ignore) the Hebrew intensive plural may look at these verses and say, "See there!  These verses describe with plural words so he must be more than one!"  But notice what else the verses say.  In the verse from Malachi, God uses singular self-descriptions "I" and "my".  In Psalm 135:5 and 145:5 the Hebrew word "great" is in the singular form.  אֲדֹנִים (adonim) in these verses is an intensive plural; God is only one person, speaks like only one person, and is described as only one person!  He is described with a plural word to show how mighty, awesome, powerful, and big he is.

In closing, there is one thing that you need to keep in mind about plural Hebrew words.  The numeric plural and the intensive plural look IDENTICAL.  The only way to know if you are looking at an intensive plural or a numerical plural is to know who you are describing.  The best example of this is in Deuteronomy 10:17:

"For the LORD your God is God (אֱלֹהִים) of gods (אֱלֹהִים), and Lord (אֲדֹנִים) of lords (אֲדֹנִים), a great God".

If you look carefully at the Hebrew word for "God" and "gods" you will notice that they are identical in the original Hebrew; and so is the word for "Lord" and "lords".  How can this be?!?  It is because the first time (God/Lord) is an intensive plural; it looks plural but actually only refers to one person, Jehovah.  The second time (gods/lords) is a numerical plural; it looks plural and actually does refer to multiple other beings.

If you would like to read more about plural descriptions of our singular God, see my post These Are The Gods.  In the Bible God is certainly described in plural ways; but these plural words are always used to highlight his majesty, might, and glory.  Always remember, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD"!!      ~CJK

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

One day Jesus was walking to Galilee and he stopped by a well in Samaria.  While he was there a woman came and spoke with him; and Jesus asked her for some water to drink.  When the woman hesitated to give him any water, Jesus said " If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (John 4:10).

This Samaritan lady did not understand what he meant by living water: "The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?" (John 4:11).  So Jesus explained what he meant to her.  I can picture him pointing to the well beside them: "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again...But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13-14).

The woman still did not understand what Jesus was talking about; because Jesus was not talking about earthly water.  Jesus was talking about "everlasting life", and the "water" was God's Spirit.  Jesus told his disciples in another place, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (John 7:37-39).  

Notice that Jesus calls the Holy Ghost living water, the same thing that he told the woman at the well.  This Spirit, this living water, that Jesus is talking about is a gift.  Jesus said to the woman at the well, "If thou knewest the gift of God" (John 4:10).  Jesus is saying that the gift of God is his Spirit, the Holy Ghost, which "they that believe on him should receive".

The word for gift here in the original Greek New Testament is δωρεά (dorea).  Interestingly, the word δωρεά is used multiple times in the Bible to talk about people being filled with God's Spirit.  Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament says that δωρεά is used "with an epexegetical gen[itive] of the thing given, viz. τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος [the Holy Ghost]" (p. 161).  To put this in every-day terms, the word "of" explains what the gift is.  So when the Bible talks about the "gift of the Holy Ghost", the gift IS the Holy Ghost living inside of us.  The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says, "In [the book of Acts] the Spirit is called the δωρεά of God" (vol. 2, p. 167).  When the scriptures refer to "the gift of the Holy Ghost", it means "the gift that is the Holy Ghost".

 The very first time Christians received this gift--the Holy Ghost--was on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.  They were gathered together in an upper room when they heard a sound like a rushing wind, they saw little flames of fire sitting on each other's heads, and "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (See Acts 2:1-4).  When people heard these Christians speaking in other languages, a crowd gathered and Peter preached Jesus to them.  When they asked how to be saved he told them "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift (δωρεά) of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).  The word for gift here is the same word that Jesus used when he talked to the woman at the well.  Peter said the same thing as John 7:37-39: that converts would receive the "δωρεά of the Holy Ghost" as part of the salvation experience.

The Bible tells us that after the church was established at Jerusalem, Philip began to preach in Samaria and the people believed his preaching (Acts 8:4-6).  Not only did they believe, but "they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (8:16, see v. 12).  So far this matches exactly what Peter told the people at Jerusalem; but the Samaritan converts had not received the Holy Ghost yet.  So Peter and John came and "prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them" (8:15-16).

When they laid their hands on the people they received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  And there was obviously some outward sign that they had received God's Spirit, because a Samaritan sorcerer named Simon offered the apostles money and said "Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost" (8:19).  Peter rebuked him: "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift (δωρεά) of God may be purchased with money".  The Samaritans had received the same δωρεά gift that Peter had preached about in Acts 2.

I submit that the initial outward sign that the Samaritans had received the gift of the Holy Ghost was speaking in other languages.  When the Apostles received the Holy Ghost in Acts 2, the Bible says "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (2:4).  

In Acts 10 Peter was preaching to the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household.  "While Peter yet spake...the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word" (10:44).  The other Christians who came with Peter "were astonished...because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift (δωρεά) of the Holy Ghost" (10:45).  And how did Peter's associates know that they had received the δωρεά gift?  It says "they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God" (Acts 10:46).  When Paul laid his hands on some new converts  the Bible says "the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues" (Acts 19:6).  When Peter was questioned later, he said that God gave the gentiles "the like gift (δωρεά) as he did unto us" (Acts 11:17).  When the apostles received the Holy Ghost they spoke in other languages; and the gentiles received the same gift in the same way.

So we see from the scriptures that God's Spirit in us is a gift.  Hebrews 6:4 calls it "the heavenly gift (δωρεά)"; Jesus and Peter both called it the "the gift (δωρεά) of God".  It is living water and eternal life in us.  This gift is necessary for salvation; Romans 8:9 says "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his".  In other words, if you do not have God's Spirit (and remember, the gift IS his Spirit), then you are not God's; you have not been saved.  

When the Bible talks about people receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Bible says multiple times that they spoke with other tongues as the initial evidence.  This lets us know that a Christian will speak in another language when he first receives God's Spirit.  So let me encourage you; if you have never spoken in tongues then you have never received the δωρεά gift of God's Spirit.  Pray and ask God to fill you with his Spirit and earnestly seek for it; speaking in tongues will occur when God gives you the gift of the Holy Ghost.  

God's Spirit is a wonderful gift, it is necessary for salvation, and if God has it for me I want it!  The first time Christians received the Holy Ghost was Acts 2; and it was then that Peter said, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39).  We modern-day believers are certainly "afar off"; but the promise of the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues is still for us today!  I hope that "the Lord our God shall call" you to experience this wonderful gift!

The King's Crossing

David was without doubt one of the greatest kings of Israel.  During his reign the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were reunited into one realm (2 Samuel 5:1-5); and his forty years as king marked a sort of Golden Age for the nation that only grew and came into its  fullness under his son Solomon.  This does not mean, however, that David's monarchy was entirely without turmoil.  Just the opposite is the case.  David would see a time in his reign when the entire nation was in rebellion against him.

It was David's own son that lead the revolt.  Through craftiness and flattery Absalom turned the nation from David; "Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (2 Samuel 15:6).  Absalom was very effective in his attempt to usurp his father and become king: "the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom" (15:12).  By an irony was this traitor, this author of treachery, named Absalom; because the Hebrew name Absalom (אַבְשָׁלֹום) means "father of peace".

When David realized the rebellion he knew that his time was short.  He quickly set his house in order and told his servants, "Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom" (2 Samuel 15:14).  The departure of the king caused great grief among his loyal subjects; many of them left with the king or came out to mourn and watch his flight from Jerusalem. 

David went out of Jerusalem and assembled a small band of loyal followers.  Then "the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness" (2 Samuel 15:23).  After crossing the Kidron river king David "went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up" (15:30).  When David got to the top of the mountain he worshiped there (15:32).



So far all this seems like just a story from the Bible; a storm in the life of David.  But it is a beautiful storm.  Events from David's life take on a new significance when we understand that David was used as an allegorical reference for the Messiah.  God inspired two different prophets to symbolically describe Jesus as "David":

Jeremiah prophesied of a day when Israel would be released from the bondage of his enemies.  They would no longer serve their enemies; instead "they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them" (Jeremiah 30:9).  Jeremiah was talking about the coming Messiah.  Jeremiah could not possibly have been talking about literal David because Jeremiah was not even alive during the reign of actual David.



Hosea likewise prophesied of a day when Israel's worship would be restored.  "For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:8-9).  Again, Hosea could not possibly have been talking about literal David.  Hosea's prophetic ministry did not start until over 250 after king David's death!  This prophecy is an obvious reference to the Messiah.  Notice how he says that these things would happen "in the latter days".



With this in mind think again about this story from David's life.  The king was dealing with a nation that was in rebellion against him, trying to kill him.  He left Jerusalem and assembled a small group of loyal followers.  With this group he crossed the Kidron river and climbed the Mount of Olives.  Once at the top he worshiped God.  The amazing thing is that all of these events in the life of literal David are played out in the life of symbolic David, Jesus.


When Jesus came to this earth he came to a kingdom that was in rebellion against him.  Jesus was the King of Israel that came in the name of the Lord (John 12:13); but even still, he "came unto his own, and his own received him not" (1:11).  David had a small band of loyal followers that were not part of the rebellion; and so did Jesus in his disciples.  But rather than fight against the rebellion like the first David, Jesus submitted to it; he told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36).  The first rebellion attempted to kill the king; the second rebellion succeeded.


Right before the crucifixion Jesus assembled a small band of loyal followers, his disciples, and left Jerusalem.  After leaving the city he "went forth with his disciples over the book Cedron" (John 18:1).  Cedron is an alternate spelling for Kidron.  When he had crossed the Kidron river he "went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives" (Luke 22:39) where he prayed with his disciples.  The events of Jesus' life as he prepared to leave earth directly harmonize with the events of his archetypal forefather David has he prepared to leave Jerusalem.  The storm from David's life beautifully weaves itself through the life of the Messiah that David symbolized.


In conclusion, this parallel is made all the more beautiful by a fact that should be ever present in the mind of Christians.  David had to go away from Jerusalem, it is true.  But there came a day when David had returned to Jerusalem in power, having his enemies defeated.  The king did leave his followers; but the king came back! 


May we always remember that our King Jesus is coming back!  It is true that the world is in rebellion against him now; it is true that he has left us for a time now.  But as surely as David left he returned in victory.  And as sure as Jesus ascended into heaven he will return a second time in victory and in power!  May we be like David's faithful servants who loyally waited his return to Jerusalem; may we always be watching for our king to come back!

The Nail-Jesus and Jael

The history contained in the book of Judges was one of great turmoil for the nation of Israel.  During this time many foreign invading countries came to fight against Israel, and Canaan was no exception to this.  In response to this invasion God raised up the prophetess Deborah and the military leader Barak to fight against the Canaanite general Sisera and his army.


Typically, in the Judges narratives, men are the iconic heroes who drastically defeat the enemy.  The story of Deborah and Barak is somewhat of an oddity because the capstone of Israel's military victory is accomplished by a woman; and the woman is not even Deborah!


The prophetess Deborah was probably a judge of civil matters at this time.  Doubtless under divine inspiration, "she sent and called Barak" (Judges 4:6) and began to explain to him Jehovah's wishes.  God wanted Barak to go to Mount Tabor, assemble an Israelite army from the tribes Naphtali and Zebulun, and join battle with Sisera and King Jabin's army at the Kishon river.  God promised that the Canaanites would be defeated.  But Deborah also told Barak plainly, "the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman" (4:9).


Barak did as the Lord instructed and Sisera and the Canaanites were conquered just as Jehovah had said.  "Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left" (4:16).  But, in the middle of the battle, general Sisera jumped off of his chariot and ran on foot out of the battle.


"Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite" (4:17).  Sisera came to Jael seeking refuge.  Jael took in the general and gave him warm milk and a comfortable place to rest.  Weary with the battle Sisera quickly fell asleep.  "Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand...and smote the nail into his temples" (4:21).  Not long after this Barak arrived to find Sisera dead in the tent.  Jael, the woman of Deborah's prophecy, killed the enemy of Israel with a nail.


It was not uncommon in those days for victors to sing for joy after their military triumph; "Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day" (Judges 5:1).  What is so interesting to me is how they describe Jael: "Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent" (5:24).  Jael is described as "blessed above women"; does that sound familiar?


Jael is not the only woman in scripture who is described in this fashion.  When the angel Gabriel came to Mary he said to her, "blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:28).  As similar as these two descriptions are in English, they are almost more so in Biblical Greek:

εὐλογηθείη ἐν γυναιξὶν Ιαηλ [Jael] (Judges 5:24 LXX)

 εὐλογημένη σὺ [thou=Mary] ἐν γυναιξίν (Luke 1:28 GNT)

Notice how Mary is directly paralleled to Jael; they are both described in almost identical fashion.


Think again about Jael's story.  As a woman she participated in the deliverance of God's people from their enemy.  She is called blessed among women, and she kills Israel's enemy with a nail.  Now compare that to what we know of Mary.  As a woman Mary was involved in God's plan to bring in the Messiah who would deliver God's people from their enemy: sin and death.  Mary too is called blessed among women; and Jesus (Mary's son after the flesh) kills sin--the enemy of God's people--with a nail.


Keep in mind, I am not encouraging Mary-worship.  Nor am I saying that Mary was a co-redeemer with Jesus.  Mary was not directly involved in deliverance in the way that Jael was.  I am just drawing our attention to a breathtaking example of God's foreshadowing in the scriptures.  I do not think Gabriel's words to Mary were accidental.  By describing her in this way a connection is established between Mary, Jesus, and Jael.  Just as Jael helped deliver Israel from a military enemy, so Mary gave birth to Jesus; and Jesus delivered his people from the eternal enemy of death.


I am so thankful that God came to be born of the virgin Mary in the person of Jesus Christ.  And I am so thankful that Jesus, as was foreshadowed so long before, defeated my called sin when he alone died for my sins on the cross.  Mary and Jael were both blessed among women; and God's people were saved with a nail.
~CJK

I Am Barabbas

When we look at the crucifixion of Jesus, and the trial that led up to it, we see that Pilate did not really want to condemn Jesus.  When the mob brought the Jesus to the govenor, Pilate questioned Jesus.  "And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man" (Luke 23:13-14).  Pilate did not want to condemn Jesus; nay rather, Luke tells us he was "willing to release Jesus" (23:20).  So Pilate began to plot.

Jesus' trial was going on during one of Israel's most important feasts: Passover.  And the Bible tells us that "at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would" (Matt 27:15).  At Passover Pilate was accustomed release one prisoner---whoever the people wanted.  "And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas" (Matt 27:16).  Barabbas was in prison because he was an insurrectionist and a murderer.  He was notable, well known as the murderous rebel that he was.  He deserved to be in prison.

So Pilate gave the people a choice.  When the crowd had gathered "Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you?  Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" (Matt 27:17).  The choice was obvious!  Jesus was a teacher that was loved by the masses.  Barabbas was no doubt despised by the masses as the notable prisoner he was.  Jesus worked miracles and raised the dead.  Barabbas was a murderer.  Jesus had done so much good for the multitude.  Barabbas had caused sedition.  

The choice was clear!  Nobody in their right minds would pick Barabbas!  He was a murderer; he was a criminal.  Who would want Barabbas?  Nobody would want Barabbas.  Pilate's plan was genius: everyone knew that Barabbas was a seditious murder.  Pilate would give them a choice between Jesus and Barabbas.  Obviously they would not ask for a murder; so Pilate could release Jesus and it would be the crowd's idea.  No body would want Barabbas.

"The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?  They said, Barabbas" (Matt 27:21).  So Barabbas was set free and Jesus was taken to be beaten and crucified.

I have to wonder if Barabbas knew what was happening.  Barabbas, did you know who took your place that day?  Did you know who your substitute was?  Did you know that Jesus took the punishment that you deserved?  Did you know, Barabbas; did you know that he took the beating for your back and that he carried the cross for your shoulder and that he held the nails for your hands?  Did you know, Barabbas? Did you know?!? Did you know that Jesus had taken your place?

And I have to wonder if Jesus knew.  Did Jesus know that he would take the place of Barabbas that day?  Luke's gospel tells us that one day at the start of Jesus' ministry he went into the synagogue on the sabbath.  He stood up to read and they gave him the book of Isaiah.  "And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it is written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:17-19). When Jesus read the part about delivering the captives and setting people at liberty, did he have Barabbas on his mind?  Was he thinking about him as he would take his place those three years later?

I am a lot like Barabbas.  I was sinful, and in bondage to sin.  Sin is a prison, and just like Barabbas I was in a prison of my own making.  I too had rebelled; but my rebellion was against the law of God and not of man.  I too was a murderer, because John says "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15).  And we all were, because "we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another" (Titus 3:3).  Just like Barabbas, I deserved to be in my spiritual prison.  I deserved my punishment for my sin.  

But one day a man named Jesus took my place.  He set me free and carried a cross that I should have carried and now "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).  Just like Barabbas, I deserved to die.  Like Barabbas, nobody would have wanted me.  I was a prisoner who deserved the shackles of my sin.  But Jesus set me free because Jesus took my place.

I want to give one more little tidbit before I end.  The name "Barabbas" is actually a combination of two Aramaic words.  The first one, bar, means "son" or "son of".  Jesus called Peter "Simon Bar-jona" (Matt 16:17) because he was "Simon, son of Jonas" (John 21:15-17).  The blind was called "Bartimaeus" because he was "son of Timaeus" (Mark 10:46).  The second, abba, means "father".  Jesus used this word as he prayed about his imminent crucifixion in the garden of Gethsemane: "Abba, Father,...take this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).  So we see that the name Barabbas means "a son of the Father": bar-abba, a son of the Father.

Thanks to Jesus, now I am Barabbas.  I was in a prison of my own making but Jesus set me free and now I have been made a son of the Father.  The Bible says that when Jesus came to earth, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God" (John 1:11-12).  God said, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor 6:17-18).  Paul told the church at Rome, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15, emphasis added).  Again, he told the Galatians, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6, emphasis added).  I do not deserve to be God's son.  I was a sinner shackled to my shame; but Jesus set me free when he died for me.  Now thanks to him I can be "a son of the Father".  I am Barabbas, a son of the Father!       ~CJK

Better Blood

After Adam and Eve fell into sin, they were driven out of the garden.  "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived" (Genesis 4:1), and gave birth to two sons: Cain and Abel.  "And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground" (4:2).  In the process of time each of them brought an offering to the LORD: Cain from his produce and Abel from his flocks.  "And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect" (4:4-5).  For some reason Jehovah accepted Abel and his offering, but did not accept Cain and his.

Cain was enraged by this; so much so that he murdered his own brother.  "And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell....And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Genesis 4:8).  The fires of envy and hatred burned so hot in the heart of Cain that he could not stand to see his righteous shepherd brother live.  So he killed him.  

Now remember, Abel was a shepherd but Cain was a farmer.  It was Abel's occupation to keep sheep, but Cain plowed the ground.  "And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2)

The murder was done.  "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?  And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper" (4:9)?  It is almost as if Cain is saying, "Abel watches sheep; do I watch him?  He guards and protects those stupid sheep; do I guard and protect him?  Like a shepherd he cares for the well being of his sheep; do I care for his well being?  How should I know where he is?  What is his safety to me?"  Cain's response is intentional and cruelly sarcastic.  Abel was a keeper of sheep: "Am I my brother's keeper?"

But it was far worse than that.  "And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2).  "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?  And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper" (4:9)?  And the LORD responded, "What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (4:10).  It is as if Jehovah turn's Cain's rebellious response back on him.  Cain was not a keeper; he was a tiller of the ground.  And it was from the ground, Jehovah says, that the blood of his righteous brother cried.

Cain's punishment was fitting.  "Cain was a tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2).  Therefore the LORD said, "What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened hear mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth" (4:10-12).  The ground with which Cain worked was to become the punishment for his sin.  For his murderous hatred the ground he tilled, the ground that received the blood of his brother, was now his enemy.

Not only would the ground fight against him; but he was to be a fugitive and a vagabond.  He could no longer stay in the presence of the Jehovah, but was forced to flee.  "And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD" (Genesis 4:16).  And rightly so.  Cain's response to God's question was fraught with hatred: "Am I my brother's keeper?"  Rather than respond with contrite confession, he spitefully spits the response for his sin into God's face.  The most bitter of enemies could not have spoken more hatefully.

By the death of one shepherd, Abel, Cain was made God's enemy, cursed, and driven from Jehovah's presence.  But by the death of another Shepherd, Christ, we have been reconciled to God.  Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).  And Jesus died for us "when we were enemies" (Romans 5:10).  Now, by the death of one Shepherd, we have been made God's bride, blessed, forever to live in his presence. 

How often we have been in the place of Cain.  As Paul said, we were "hateful, and hating one another".  And John says that "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15).  Cain was a murderer, and in hatred we are like him.  But we have hope in the blood of Jesus.  It is through that blood that we have been made partakers of the new covenant.

The author of Hebrews tells us that, as participants in the new covenant, we have come to the blood of Jesus: "the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24).  And truly Jesus' blood does speak better things than Abel's blood.  You see, Abel's blood cried out from the ground for justice; but Jesus' blood cries out from the ground for mercy.  Truly the blood of our Shepherd is better blood than Abel's.       ~CJK

Defending The Godhead

One day I was talking to some of my trinitarian friends about Oneness theology (the belief that there is one God; and that the one God is revealed in Jesus).  As we talked, I read them a verse that contained the word "Godhead"; one of my friends who was following along in a different version of the Bible said "My version has 'divine nature'."  This may seem like a small difference, but there are implications to this change.  First, let's examine the word Godhead in the English language; then we will look at how the word is used in the Bible.

• Godhead--- Godship, deity, divinity, divine nature or essence (ADEL); the essential being or nature of God; the Almighty (WCD)

"But wait!" you say, "the definition of 'Godhead' includes the very words that you say are inferior!"  I know that.  But we have to define our terms before we can go any further.  When certain people say "divinity", or to a lesser extent "deity", they do not use it the same way that the definition of "Godhead" uses it.  Godhead has the connotation of actually being God.  For many people, "divine" simply means being God-like, being a spirit or spiritual, or something like that.

A perfect example is the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation.  A phrase from John 1:1 in this corrupt translation says "and the Word was a god".  In a footnote for this verse, we are told that this verse could also be translated "and the word was divine".  The point is that the Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe that Jesus is God, yet they call him divine.  This is because they use the word "divine" to refer to being a spirit or to being like God.

Godhead is a very interesting English word.  The Online Etymology Dictionary has this to say under the entry for "godhead":

godhead (n.)

c.1200, from god + Middle English -hede (see -head). Along with maidenhead, this is the sole survival of this form of the suffix. Old English had godhad "divine nature."

-head 

word-forming element meaning "state or condition of being," Middle English -hede, Old English -had, cognate with -hood and German -heit. The only surviving words with it are maidenhead and godhead.

Understanding the etymology of the word "Godhead" will help us see the disconnect.  From the etymology dictionary entry above, we learn that Godhead comes from two elements: first "God", and  then "-head", which means the "state or condition of being".  In this case, "-head" is equivalent to the modern English suffix "-hood"; and the synonymous meaning for "-head" and "-hood" is vital to our understanding of this issue.  Let's examine some words that end in "-hood" so that we can understand what "-head" means within the word "Godhead".

Think about the word "personhood".  Only people (viz. humans) can have personhood.  It is impossible for animals, plants, and rocks to have personhood; because they aren't people.  There is a certain nature, a certain quality of existence, that is unique to human beings; that only people have.  Only people have personhood.  Think about the word "manhood".  Only men can have manhood.  It would be utterly illogical to say that women had manhood!!  There are certain qualities---and I am not just referring to physicality, here--- that only men have.  There is a certain nature, a certain state of being, that is unique to only men.  Only men have manhood.

We have seen that "-hood" = "-head".  The point is that only God has "Godhead".  Only God has that certain "essential being or nature" that makes him God.  No other thing in the universe can make that claim.  God alone has "the state or condition of being" God.  But in a loose sense, many things in the world can be called "divine"---angels, devils, moral teachings, or any other spiritual thing.  This sense of the word is how many people (including the Jehovah's Witnesses) understand the word "divine".  "Godhead" is much more specific, referring to a quality that only God has as his unique nature.

Now that we have wrapped our mind around the English word "Godhead", let's see how this word is used in scripture.  The word "Godhead appears three times in the Holy Bible.  Each passage uses a different Geek word in the original Greek New Testament.  So how can they all mean "Godhead"?  We will examine each of the three Greek words in its context.

Colossians 2:9 tells us that "all the fullness of the Godhead" dwells in Jesus bodily.  The Greek word here is θεότης (theotes), which implies "the state of being God" (Thayer, 288).  Notice how similar that is to part of our definition for "Godhead" above.  The best translation of θεότης (theotes) here is "Godhead" because both words (Greek and English) signify being God; and that is just what Paul is asserting about Jesus: THAT JESUS IS GOD.

Next, Romans 1:20 states that we may clearly understand the invisible things of God, "even his eternal power and Godhead".  The Greek word here is θειότης (theiotes), which is a synonym for θεότης (theotes) above (Thayer, 258&288, Trench §ii).  Some would disagree with this point, but since these words are spelled so closely, and share close etymological origins, I would argue that these two words mean essentially the same thing.

The Latin Vulgate translates both words as divinitas; the Spanish Bible translates them both as divinidad; the French Bible translates both as divinite; the German Bible translates both as Gottheit; the Hungarian Bible uses two different words that are spelled only one letter apart; sound familiar?  Oh yeah...the original Greek does that!  Thus we see that θεότης (theotes) and θειότης (theiotes) are essentially the same word with the same meaning.  If the one means "Godhead" in Colossians 2:9 then the other means "Godhead" in Romans 1:20!

We have covered two of the three Greek words, so let's finish strong.  In Acts 17:29 Paul is trying to convince a group of pagan men "not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device".  The Greek word here is θεῖον (theion).  Notice that it is similar in spelling to the other two Greek words discussed above.  θεῖον (theion) is derived from the Greek word for God.  

Remember our English definition for "Godhead" above?  It can mean "God's nature" or "the Almighty".  In Acts 17, Paul is trying to persuade a bunch of pagans that there is only one true Almighty God, a God that is unknown to them; and that they should turn from their idolatry and seek this one true Almighty God.

It is as if Paul is purposely trying to be vague.  According to the great Greek New Testament scholar Trench, θεῖον (theion) "is nearly though not quite equivalent to Θεός", the Greek word for God (§ii).  Paul carefully chooses to use the less concrete word θεῖον (theion); and apparently this was in the custom of his day (Vine).  Paul wants the men of Mar's hill to seek the one true Almighty God, BUT PAUL NEVER NAMES THIS GOD!  Therefore "Godhead" is a perfect translation for θεῖον (theion) in this passage; because both are purposely general terms.

Think back to my friend who said "My version has 'divine nature'."  In my opinion that translation is a poor one.  The best translation is the one in our good ole' King James Bible.  "Godhead" is an extremely important---and extremely accurate---word that needs to stay in our spiritual vocabulary.  That is why I am defending the Godhead!       ~CJK
Sources: 

• ADEL= An American Dictionary of the English Language
• WCD= Webster's College Dictionary
• Thayer's= Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Joseph Thayer
• Online Etymological Dictionary
• Vine= Vine's Expository Dictionary, W.E. Vine
• Trench= Synonyms of the New Testament, Richard C. Trench
• The various foreign language Bibles cited can be found at www.biblegateway.org