Deuteronomy 6:14 and ONE God

PLEASE consider that when Moses by the inspiration of Yahweh (Elohim) penned Deut. 6:4, in the beloved Torah, in the eons of the past, there was NO such Hebrew linguistic nor grammatical instrument known as the “majestic plural” – this grammatical instrument saw its origination much later in human history.

If you would be so gracious as to be patient with me…I would like to briefly address your following supposition regarding your thesis of the ONE G-d. 

We believe in ONE G-d. (Deut. 6:4). 

To this end, when we analytically look at Deut. 6:4 we see that the Hebrew word ELEINU (H259) is used as a PLURAL meaning “Our Gods”. 

"Hear, O Israel: Jehovah/Yahweh [singular] our Gods [plural - ELEINU] is Jehovah/Yahweh ECHAD [Echad - united].  

The Hebrew actually states "our Gods" (plural). 

For example, the Hebrew word for God used in The Hebrew is Elohim, and Elohim ends with the masculine plural suffix "-ים" (IM).

Therefore, the Hebrew plural for "our Gods" is ELEINU, which is from ELOHIM - the plural of ELOAH.   To this end, as the suffix IM is the Hebrew plural used in words like Seraphim, and Cherubim, so is INU the plural possessive pronoun-suffix denoting things which belong to us, i.e. our ABTH’INU (our Fathers) in Numbers 20:15, AUNTH’INU (our Iniquities) in Isa. 53:5, MOSH’INU in Isa. 26:12 (our Deed/Works), and CHTATH’INU in 1 Sam. 12:19 (our Sins), etc.  

Therefore, Deuteronomy 6:4 does indeed actually state, "Jehovah our Gods."  

Going forward, let us analyze the Hebrew word, ECHAD, in relation to Deut. 6:4 above, "Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah ECHAD."  Thus, it is indeed correct to translate Deut. 6:4 as, "Jehovah our Gods is ONE Jehovah," only as long as we understand that ECHAD is to mean "one" - Altogether or in Unity, but most certainly not ONE as an absolute singular numerical digit one.  Thus, ECHAD, means to Unify or Altogether, as ONE or in UNITY.   This usage of ECHAD, used as a Collective UNITY, is found HUNDREDS of TIMES throughout the OT.  Thus, its most common use and meaning are well established.   

However, the Hebrew language has an alternative word for "one," as well, which is YACHID (the feminine, YACHIDA) and does not occur very often in the OT – twelve times to be exact, but is specifically used whenever an ONLY/Individual One or Single Entity/Unit is implied, as whenever in Gen. 22:2 & 12, Isaac is called Abraham's "only son," and in Jdgs. 11:34, Jephthah's daughter - his "only daughter."  Nonetheless, even this word, can and does, sometimes mean a kind of Group of One, although more loosely inferred than is ECHAD.  To this end, the word YACHIDA, has its main emphasis respective of a SINGULAR Entity – one and only one…and most likely would have been the word of choice relevant to Deuteronomy 6:4, if the absolute numerical singularity of ONE had been intended. 

Moreover, this YACHID numerical singularity of use is amplified for the Christian, with respect to Zech. 12:10-14, with the reference used of the Messiah, and where it remarkably confirms what is being suggested in this above thesis…it is the numerical singular Hebrew ONE - YACHID.  

Thus, in Zech. 12:14, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they mourn for Him as one mourneth for His ONLY Son, and shall be in bitterness for His firstborn."   In addition, see Zech. 14:9, where twice in one single Passage the Collective Unit, ECHAD, is used of Jehovah as being a compound or collective "one."   "And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth.  In that day there shall be ONE Jehovah, and His Name ONE."   

Meanwhile, PLEASE take considerable note of ECHAD and the plural ELEINU (our Gods) as reasonably translated in Deuteronomy 6:4.  As such, in the THIRTEEN PRINCIPLES of JEWISH FAITH, which is meant to be the standard guide for all Jews, why did the Jewish scholars who created it, substitute the ECHAD in Deuteronomy 6, to the alternate word, YACHID?  These men were without any doubt Hebrew language scholars and knew very well what they were doing.  Why then?  I would surmise, these men were well aware of the difference between ECHAD (a PLURAL UNITY) and the other word YACHID, which denotes a SINGULAR ENTITY.   Therefore, ECHAD literally means Unity or Collective Unity, hence Altogether.  So, why then was ECHAD changed to YACHID in the THIRTEEN PRINCIPLES of JEWISH FAITH?  You decide.   

In summary, without question, this very intentional switch, from ECHAD to YACHID by these Jewish framers, has dramatically impacted Jewish thought respective to our Jehovah [plural Gods].  

To reiterate once again regarding ECHAD…  Thus, when a Compound "one" is indented to be understood, ECHAD is the word of choice.  For example, in Gen. 1:5, ECHAD it is used to express the Oneness of Evening and Morning in One Day… "There was evening and there was morning, ONE day";  Likewise, the DUALITY of the ONENESS in Marriage, as cited in Gen. 2:24, "They two shall be ONE- FLESH."  Moreover, it denotes a multi-unit in Genesis 11:6, "Behold, they are ONE people," as well as several times in Exodus 26, "And thou shalt make fifty clasps of brass and put the clasps into the loops and couple the tent together that it may be ONE."    

Nonetheless, ECHAD is repeatedly the OT word of choice, used in such phrases as "ONE Cluster of Grapes" (Numbers 13:23), "ONE Company" (1 Samuel 13:17), "One Troop" (2 Samuel 2:25), "ONE Tribe" (1 Kings 11:13), "ONE Nation" (1 Chronicles 17:21), et al.