The Trinity in the Old Testament

While Trinitarian concepts are more explicitly laid out in the New Testament, they are implicitly revealed in the Old Testament. Clear intimations of Trinitarian concepts in the Hebrew Bible include:

1. The use of plural forms.

Pronouns, where God speaking, uses "us" and "our": Genesis 3:22 Genesis 11:7 Isaiah 6:8. The most important reference is Genesis 1:26-27; it is here where the plurality is used in connection with the very nature of God. This last reference is the most important (and compelling) one because here God uses plural forms in the context of his own "image and likeness."
The plural form for "Lord" used frequently in the Old Testament:'adonai ("Lord," literally, "my Masters"). The vowel in the last syllable of 'adonai was apparently lengthened by rabbis in the post-New Testament period. This is thought to have been done to sharpen the distinction between earthly lords and the Lord God.
The Old Testament had a singular term for God, Eloah, which they occasionally used, but the vast majority of the time the plural form of God, Elohim, is used throughout the Old Testament. Had there been only be two persons within God, the Hebrews could have used a dual form Elohiayim, which was typically (although not always) used of things that occured in pairs.

2. Usage of "one" in a composite sense.

Even though the Old Testament teaches that God is "one," (Deuteronomy 6:4) this does not conflict in any way with Trinitarian beliefs. On the contrary, it actually helps to affirm them. One of the most compelling examples in the Old Testament of the composite sense of "one" is found in Genesis 2:24. Two people (created in the "image" of God) become "one flesh" in the marriage union (and thus a sense of the "image" in a composite sense). The use of the Hebrew word for "one" (eXad) in other passages similarly demonstrates that this word means "one entity" rather than a strictly single, solitary thing.

3. Theophanies, where Christ appears in the form of the "Angel (or Messenger) of the Lord."

The Old Testament presents striking examples of a Being who, although He appears in the form of a man, acts and speaks like God and is referred to as God. Mysteriously, He is both identified as God and distinguished from God. We find this in passages such as Genesis 16:7-13; 18-19; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2-6; 23:20-23; Judges 6:11-14, 20-22; 13:21-23). Note also how Zechariah 12:8 equates God and the Angel of the Lord. These Theophanies were prepartory for the incarnation in that they anticipated the coming of a Heavenly Visitor who would one day be both truly God and man.

4. The "Son" passages:

The Old Testament describes a Being who is uniquely a human-divine Son. In the light of the New Testament we see that Jesus in His Being is the fulfillment of the Son of Man, the Son of God, and the Son-King (of which Solomon was a foreshadowing).

Proverbs 30:4
Isaiah 9:6 He is a son and child, but also the "mighty God."
Psalm 2:7-12 (although the translation of "son" in verse 12 can be disputed) This Psalm describes a Son-King who receives the nations as His inheritance.
Daniel 7:13-14 This passage forms the background behind Christ's use of the Messianic title "Son of Man." Note that the contexts of Psalm 2 and Daniel 7 have identical strands of thought: the inheriting of all the kingdoms of the earth. The word "Son of Man" does not here mean "a mortal man"--one from among the "sons of men." The point here is not that the Person is perfectly human. The significance of the title "Son of Man' in this passage is fourfold:

His exalted personality as the One who comes from heaven and opposes the beastly human powers, which come from earth (Daniel 7:3)
His advent in conjunction with the reappearance of the theophanic glory cloud (7:13),
His free access to the 'One who is an ancient of days' (God the Father, 7:13), and
His universal and everlasting reign (7:14). (J. B. Payne, Theology of the Older Testament, p. 265.)

5. The use of pronouns suggesting more than one Person within God.

The LORD talking, uses both "Me" and "Him" referring to the same Being (Christ) in Zechariah 12:10
The Angel of the Lord speaking, uses both "from Me" and "fearer of God" in referring to the same entity (Genesis 22:12).

6. Passages that identify two Beings as God or LORD (YHWH).

Genesis 19:23 (YHWH in heaven versus YHWH on earth)
Psalm 45:6-7 (God referring to Another as "God")
Zechariah 3:1-2 (YHWH calling upon YHWH: "And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan"

7. The Holy Spirit is linked with God and given attributes of personality.

All three Persons of the Trinity can be seen in Isaiah 63:8-10, but most importantly we see here the personality of the Holy Spirit. He is "vexed, grieved" by disobedience. This verb in Hebrew is always used in conjuntion with persons (or God and gods); never of inanimate things.

In the Old Testament the essential components for the doctrine of the Trinity were all laid down. What may have been enigma to the Jews of the Old Testament was revealed in full splendor in the New Testament! In the providence of God working through church history. It was only a matter of time before believers began to systematize and articulate these passages into meaningful theological statements. How wonderful it is to trace the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, from the subtle, germinal forms in the OT to the full blossom of explicit NT truth. As we reflect on the fact of the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, may we also reflect upon the marvel, mystery, and wonder of the One we worship.

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