The Deity of The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

In Evangelical, Orthodox Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the Third Person in the Holy Trinity. He is as much “God” as the Father and the son. Like the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit is, coeternal, coequal and coessential. The Holy Spirit does not, as some of the early Church “creeds” put is, “proceed from the Father”; or “from the Father and the Son”. “Procession” is language that teaches “subordination”, and not “coequality”. There is not a single text in the Holy Bible that teaches this.

To say that the Holy Spirit is a “Person”, is not the same to say that He is a “human being”, as we normally understand the term “Person”. But, it is used in the sense of, “A living, self-conscious being, as distinct from an animal or a thing; a moral agent” (Webster’s English Dictionary, 1913 ed). The Holy Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is not just an “impersonal, active force”, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others teach. He is a “Personal Being”, as are the Father and Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament we are told of the Holy Spirit:

Nehemiah 9:20, “And you gave your good Spirit to instruct [heb, ‘sakal’, cause to consider, give insight, teach] them”

Job 33:4, “The Spirit of God has made [heb, ‘asah’, make, create, produce] me”

Isaiah 48:16, “And now the Lord Yahweh has sent [heb, ‘shalach’, to send on a mission] Me and His Spirit.”

Isaiah 63:10, “But they rebelled, and grieved [heb, ‘atsab’, to hurt, pain grieve] His Holy Spirit”

Isaiah 63:14, “the Spirit of the Lord caused them to rest [heb, ‘nuach’, give rest to i.e. bring to resting-place]”

Ezekiel 3:24, “Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke [heb, ‘dabar’, talk, command, commune, declare, pronounce] with me and said to me”

Micah 2:7, “Do I change, O house of Jacob? Is the Spirit of the LORD straitened [heb, ‘qatsar’, ineffective, powerless]? Are these His doings [heb, ‘maalal’, action, practice, deeds]?”

None of this can be said for an “impersonal, active force”, a “thing”. This language is only used for “Personal Beings”. Just because the Holy Spirit is termed by “wind” (Hebrew, rauch; and Greek, pneuma. Words that also can be translated “spirit”), as in John chapter 3. Does not mean that we are to understand “impersonality” is implied in any way. The passages shown from the Old Testament, and many from the New, are very clear that the Holy Spirit is as much “Personal”, as the Father and Jesus Christ are.

The Old Testament is also clear that the Holy Spirit is Deity, that He is none other than Yahweh, or Elohim. The former is the Personal Name of God, which means, “eternal and uncreated”. We have the following passages which teach the Deity of the Holy Spirit.

2 Samuel 23:2

"The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me (heb. verb, ‘dibber’, is masculine); His word (heb. noun, ‘millah’, feminine) is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me” (ESV Hebrew-English Old Testament)

This is very interesting in the Hebrew text. The subject is “The Spirit of the LORD”, which is used for the One Person. Here “Spirit” is the Hebrew “rauch”, which is a feminine word. (grammatical gender, and nothing to do with the “sex” of the object). However, we would have expected the Hebrew to then use the feminine, “doberot” (speaks); which would grammatically agree with the feminine “rauch”. But, this is not the case. Instead, it reads, “dibber”, which is masculine. This is because the construct-phrase, “The Spirit of the LORD”, is a “Person”, and not just “wind or force”. Here we have very clear testimony to the Deity of the Holy Spirit, and further evidence that He is “uncreated and eternal”, which is the Name YAHWEH, used for the Holy Spirit. Even though there is the use of the feminine Hebrew noun, “millah”, translated “His word”, for grammatical purposes (“rauch”), this does not affect the meaning in any way.

Micah 2:7-8

“You who are named the house of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the LORD restricted? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good To him who walks uprightly? “Lately My people have risen up as an enemy”

“Shall it be said,] “O house of Jacob, ‘Is the patience of Spirit of the Lord short? A[re th]ese his doings?’ Do not [my words] do good to him that walked uprightly? But lately] my people rise up as an enemy.”(Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint and Eugene Ulrich. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible)

"The Spirit of the LORD” here is the one subject. There is no distinction that can be made between “rauch, Spirit” and “Yahweh, LORD”, One and the same Person is meant. “His doings”, is the Hebrew “ma’alal”, which is masculine, and refers to “The Spirit of the LORD”, as do, “My words” and “My people”, which are also masculine.

This exactly as we have seen in the previous example from 2 Samuel, where the Holy Spirit is also called “YAHWEH”.

Isaiah 40:13-14

”Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has 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?”

Here is another interesting reading in the Hebrew. In the Masoretic text, (which dates from between the 6th and 10th centuries A.D.), “Him” (taught Him), is in the masculine, as “Yahweh” is also masculine. However, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are about 600 years earlier, it has the “feminine” (her), again grammatically agree with the feminine “rauch”. This would make “the Spirit of the LORD”, as in the previous passages, the subject, referring to the One and same Person, the Holy Spirit.

“Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has taught him*. With whom did he consult, to instruct him and guide him in the ways of justice? Or taught him knowledge or showed him the ways of wisdom?” (Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint and Eugene Ulrich. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible. * Refers to spirit in lQIsaa. To the Lord in MT.)

The Biblical evidence for the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, as taught in both Testaments, is very clear.

As I am fairly new to Hebrew, please feel free to correct/suggest. It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

The Hebrew "âsâh" is used for Creation in places like, Genesis 1:7, 16, 25; 2:2; 3:1; Nehemiah 9:6; etc, etc

 

thanks. any sugestions? I feel that the Holy Spirit is very much neglacted in the Old Testament theologies that we have, especailly His Personality and Deity.

 

Check out my other thread, The Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Holy Spirit