One of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted aspects of the Hebrew Scriptures, which is used as a proof of the Trinity, is the plural nouns and pronouns used for God. For example, the Bible reads that God said “Let US make man in OUR image” (Gen. 1:26). Trinitarians suggest that this is inferring the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But Judaism is a very strict monotheistic religion, which does not have a belief in Jesus (pbuh) as a prophet of God, and definitely not God. So how do Jews reconcile this issue?
Did the Trinitarians consult any Jews as to what their scriptures meant by the plurals? It is inconceivable that they never mentioned this to the Jews, considering Christians’ zeal for evangelism. It would be unfathomable for a Christian preacher or evangelist not to capitalize on the crystal clear evidence of a different understanding of the unity of God. Perhaps they did ask and the answer was unsatisfactory in their minds and they preached this plural as evidence of the Trinity despite the knowledge of the Hebrew language’s pluralis majestatis. Pluralis majestatis (majestic plural) is the plural pronoun which refers to one person alone. This is also known as the “royal we” or the “Victorian we.” These plurals are used to demonstrate someone’s royalty, sovereignty and might. It is used for kings and queens. For example, a person comes before the king to entertain him but he is unsuccessful and the king says “We are not amused.” In light of the fact that God is most noble, most royal, most sovereign and Almighty, he is most deserving of this plural of respect. Also, the word used for God in the Hebrew Scriptures, Elohim, is plural. Therefore a Trinitarian who insists that the “we” and “us” are plurals of numbers must complete this understanding and have Elohim translated as gods. Of course, they will not do this because this change would indicate polytheism, a claim which they vehemently deny.
English is one of the few languages which don’t have this majestic plural, but its presence did impact modern English. At one point the word “you” had the distinction of being used only for plurals and “thou” was used for singularity. But the pluralis majestatis, also called “T-V distinction,” of France influenced modern English to discontinue the distinction between the plural and singular forms for you. “You” is now singular and plural. Another language which uses this plural of respect is Arabic, which is a language very similar to Hebrew. In the Quran, God is mentioned using plurals, also. And just as every Hebrew speaking person knows that this plural in no way compromised the oneness of God, nor articulates a notion of the Trinity, no Arabic speaking person (including Arab Christians) would contend that the Quran gives any support to a Trinity or anythingother than strict monotheism. Though Muhammad (pbuh) was contested on many issues, no one, including the Arab polytheist, ever accused him of believing in more than one God. This claim by Trinitarians to support its doctrine is unfounded and should be denounced by every honest Bible translator, Bible scholar, and Christian minister.
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