Singular and Plural References to the Holy Trinity in Scripture

By Nikolaos Sotiropoulo

In the Old Testament, there are indications of God’s trinity.

Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, and most Protestants believe that God consists of three Persons: the Father, who is unbegotten, the Son, who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father. An analogy is the sun, consisting of the disk, the light, and the heat. Similarly, God is one in essence but three in persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Adherents of chiliasm, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, deny the triune essence of God, viewing Yahweh as solely the Father. They consider the Son a creation and the Holy Spirit a force rather than a person.

Various passages in Scripture subtly or explicitly reveal the triune nature of God. Here are some examples:

Mysterious plurals:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image…” (Gen. 1:26–27).

The plural form “us” suggests multiple persons involved in creation, excluding angels.

“And the Lord God said, Behold, Adam has become as one of Us” (Gen. 3:22).

“Us” indicates multiple divine persons.

“Come, let us go down…” (Gen. 11:6–9).

The use of “let us” shows that God addresses multiple divine persons.

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (Isa. 6:8).

The singular “send” and plural “us” imply the presence of other divine persons.

Various passages in Isaiah and Jeremiah also use plurals, suggesting more than one divine person.

In John 3:10–11, Jesus uses plural forms, referencing Himself and the Holy Spirit.

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) demonstrates the unity of the Son and the Father.

Jesus and the Father dwell in believers (John 14:23), indicating their divinity.

Jesus refers to unity with the Father in John 17:11–22, using plurals like “we” and “us.”

Some Old Testament passages in Hebrew use plurals, such as Job 35:10 and Eccl. 12:1, referring to God as Creators or Makers.

Mysterious singular numbers:

In several New Testament passages, singular verbs are used with two subjects, indicating their unity in essence. Examples include 1 Thess. 3:11, 2 Thess. 2:16–17, Rev. 11:15, Rev. 20:6, and Rev. 22:3–4.

Excerpt from the book: Αντιχιλιαστικόν ἐγχειρίδιον (Antimillennial handbook); 5th edition, Athens 1994.