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Answer
The term Trinity is absent from the Bible, yet the concept of the tri-unity of God is clearly presented in the New Testament. While the Old Testament does not explicitly articulate this doctrine, hints of the Trinity can be found in certain passages. It can be said that the Old Testament establishes a groundwork for the subsequent revelation regarding the Trinity.
The doctrine of the Trinity is supported in the Old Testament through the Hebrew idea of plurality in unity:
Deuteronomy 6:4 initially appears to contradict the doctrine of the Trinity: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Interestingly, the singular Yahweh is paired with the plural Elohim in this verse.) The term translated as “one” is ehad, signifying “one” or “unity”; however, ehad is also used in other contexts to indicate a plurality within unity. For instance, ehad is also found in Genesis 2:24, where two individuals are considered as one: “[A man] is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one [ehad]” (NLT). Clearly, the husband and wife are distinct individuals, yet they are referred to as “one”—illustrating diversity within unity.
The doctrine of the Trinity is reinforced in the Old Testament through the names used for God:
The fact that God discloses Himself through various names in the Old Testament could suggest His triune nature. Two of these names are immediately evident: Elohim in Genesis 1:1, and Yahweh in Genesis 2:4. Some scholars propose that the multiple names for God indicate a diversity within the Godhead.
One of the Hebrew terms for “God” in our Scriptures, Elohim, is in plural form. The -im ending is plural, and elohim, when not referring to the One True God, is translated as “gods” (plural) in Scripture. The plural form of a name for the One God could imply a perfect unity of Persons and is certainly in line with the New Testament’s teaching of the Trinity.
ADonai, translated in our Bibles as “Lord,” occurs about 300 times in the Old Testament. This title for God is also plural. One writer comments on the word Adonai, “It is significant that it is almost always in the plural and possessive, meaning ‘my Lords.’ It confirms the idea of a trinity as found also in the name of Elohim” (Stone, Nathan, The Names of God, Moody Publishers, 2010, p. 35).
The doctrine of the Trinity finds support in the Old Testament in the appearances of the Angel of the Lord:
In several places, the Old Testament records encounters with someone called “the Angel of the Lord.” This supernatural presence speaks as if He is God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God. For example, in Genesis 16:10, the Angel of the Lord says to Hagar, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” Of course, God is the One who blesses Ishmael, but it’s the Angel of the Lord who personally makes the promise to his mother.
The same Angel of the Lord appears to Abraham and assumes the role of God, saying, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” «And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. », (Genesis 22:12, emphasis added). See also Exodus 3:2; Judges 2:1–4; 5:23; 6:11–24; 13:3–22; 2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12; 3:1; 12:8. In several passages, those who see the Angel of the Lord fear for their lives because they had “seen the Lord.” It’s clear that the Angel of the Lord was no mere angel. Viewed through the lens of the New Testament teaching of the Trinity, it’s easy to conclude that the Angel of the Lord could be a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.
The doctrine of the Trinity finds support in the Old Testament in it
Descriptions of the Spirit of God:
The post-exilic Levites speak of the Spirit of God as being sent by God and speaking for God: “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them” «Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. », (Nehemiah 9:20, NKJV); and “For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets” «Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. », (Nehemiah 9:30). Both verses seem to make a distinction between God and another personality called the Spirit of God. See also Isaiah 48:16 and Isaiah 63:10.
The doctrine of the Trinity finds support in the Old Testament in God’s self-references:
Most of the time, God speaks of Himself using singular pronouns (e.g., Exodus 33:19; Hosea 11:9); at other times, He uses plural pronouns:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’” «And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. », (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added).
“And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil’” «And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: », (Genesis 3:22).
ee of life, and eat, and live forever: », (Genesis 3:22, emphasis added).
As sinful humanity was erecting the tower of Babel, God said, “Come, let Us go down and confuse their language” «Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. », (Genesis 11:7, BSB, emphasis added).
In Isaiah 6:8, God refers to Himself in both singular and plural terms: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’” (emphasis added).
We could assume that, in each of the above passages, God is simply using the majestic plural to emphasize His power and greatness. Or we could also assume that there’s something more going on—viz., that these statements hint at discrete personalities existing as a unified whole.
The doctrine of the Trinity finds support in the Old Testament in Messianic passages:
In Psalm 110:1, David writes, “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’” (NKJV). Here is an example of Yahweh speaking to Adonai and giving Him the place of highest honor in heaven. Jesus pointed to this psalm as proof that the Christ is more than David’s descendant—He is the pre-existent Lord and much greater than David (Matthew 22:41-45).
Another Messianic prophecy is found in Psalm 45:6–7: “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” The psalmist, addressing Elohim, suddenly speaks of “your God” who honors and anoints the Addressee.
The doctrine of the Trinity finds suppo
Part of the beauty in the Old Testament lies in the repetition of God’s qualities or His name:
In Isaiah 6:3, the angels surrounding God praise Him as being “holy, holy, holy.” The threefold repetition conveys the intensity and completeness of God’s holiness. Some scholars also deduce from the angels’ words an indication of the triune nature of God, as the three Persons of the Godhead are each equally holy and majestic.
Likewise, we encounter a threefold repetition of God’s name in Numbers 6:24–26:
“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”
The invocation of “the Lord . . . the Lord . . . the Lord” in the blessing is viewed by some scholars as offering a glimpse of the Trinity.
In various respects, the Old Testament provides a foreshadowing of the New Testament’s more complete revelation, including the teaching of God as a triune Being. Although the Trinity is not explicitly revealed in the Old Testament, there are certainly indications of this truth.
