The Holy Spirit is YHWH in The Old Testament

The Holy Spirit is YHWH in The Old Testament

In these two passages, it is clear that we have Old Testament teaching on the Person of the Holy Spirit, Who is YHWH.

Isaiah 40:13-14

“Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counsellor who taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,. And a taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?” Masoretic Text

The Masoretic Text (MT), otherwise the Traditional Text, was undertaken by scholars at Talmudic academies in Babylonia and Palestine, which was begun in the 6th century AD, and completed in the 10th.

There is a very important difference between verse 13 in the MT, and the reading of the Isaiah Scroll, 1QIsaa (DSS), which dates from about 125 BC. In the MT, the words translated in English, “who taught Him”, are in the Hebrew, “yôdî`eºnnû”, which is in the masculine, and grammatically refers back to “YHWH”. However, in the DSS, the Hebrew reads, “yôdî`eºnna”, which is in the feminine, and refers back to “rûªh” (Spirit), which is a feminine noun in the Hebrew language. The difference is at the end, the “û” of the MT, and the “a” of the DSS, masculine and feminine. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit is “female”, but, in accordance with the Hebrew grammar, the words are still translated as “who taught Him”, and would refer to “YHWH Rûªh”, as One Person, and not “Spirit” and “Lord” as two distinct Persons.

All of what is said in verses 13 and 14, where we do have the masculine in the Hebrew grammar, “nō·w·‘āṣ” (He take counsel), “way·ḇî·nê·hū” (who instructed Him), “way·lam·mə·ḏê·hū” (and taught Him), refers to “YHWH Rûªh”, the Holy Spirit, Who is clearly here called YHWH.

In 2 Samuel 23:2-3, we have another very clear reference where The Holy Spirit is called YHWH and Elohim

“The Spirit of Yahweh speaks by me; His word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me”

Here we have “Spirit”, which is in the feminine gender. However, in the Hebrew, we have , “dib·ber”, which is in the masculine, “He Speaks”. And, “ū·mil·lā·ṯōw”, is also masculine, “and His Word”. Here the “Spirit of Yahweh”, Who is the Person speaking in the mouth of David, is referred to in the masculine, though “Rûªh”, is grammatically feminine. It is the same Holy Spirit, Who is also called, “The God of Israel”, and “The Rock of Israel”

Both these passages are abundantly clear to the fact, that the Holy Spirit is YHWH, and COEQUAL with God the Father, and God the Son, both Who are also called YHWH in the Old Testament.

It is blasphemy to say, as some do, that the Holy Spirit is no more than “an active force” of God, and impersonal. No “impersonal” thing can ever be called YHWH!

 

There is another interesting reading in the Hebrew grammar, on the Holy Spirit. In Genesis 6:3 we read;

"Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” NASB

Here, the Hebrew word for "Spirit", is not the usual feminine as the noun is grammatically. It reads, "rū·ḥî", which is the masculine, singluar.

Clearly YHWH is not referring to an "impersonal spirit", but The Person, the Holy Spirit. The change of the Hebrew grammar makes this very clear.

This is also see by Jesus' own words on the Holy Spirit. In the Greek langauge, "Spirit" is "πνευμα", which is neuter. again, nothing to do with the "Spirit" being "an impersonal thing", but grammatically. However, when Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John, as in 14:17, instead of using "αυτο", which is grammatically in agreement with "πνευμα", being neuter, Jesus says "αυτον" which is masculine, as found in the oldest Greek manuscript of this passage, P66, which dates from about AD 200. It is interesting in this manuscript, that a later hand, other than the original copyist, tried to erase the "ν", so as to make it neuter! Another example is in John 15:26, where Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as Coming from the "side of the Father (παρὰ τοῦ πατρός)", which shows distinction in Person. Here also, instead of using "εκεινο", which is neuter and agrees with "Spirit", Jesus uses "εκεινος", which is masculine, to show that the Holy Spirit is a PERSON like Himself. This is also clear form "ἄλλον παράκλητον" (14:16), where ANOTHER is "ἄλλον" LIKE MYSELF, and not, "ἕτερος", One Who is completely DIFFERENT from Jesus!