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"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! (NASB)

The Watchtower's comments on Deut 6:4 in SYBT are found in this section under the subheading "God Is One, Not Three". Before dealing with Deuteronomy 6:4, I want to briefly examine the context of their analysis of it, indicated by the subheading "God Is One, Not Three".

Does The Watchtower Understand The Trinity?
The statement "God Is One, Not Three" indicates that while the Watchtower is attempting to refute the Trinity here, their arguments are directed at something other than the Trinity. What? Why do I say that? Well, the Trinity doctrine states that there is one God, not three Gods. Belief in one God is called monotheism. Trinitarians are monotheists. They believe in one indivisible God. The opposite of monotheism is belief in more than one God. This is called polytheism. The Watchtower reveals its faulty understanding of the Trinity when it attempts to refute the Trinity by arguing that there is one God. Trinitarians believe in one God, so proving there is one God does not disprove the Trinity. Monotheism is not opposed to the Trinity. The Trinity affirms monotheism and opposes both polytheism and atheism. As a Trinitarian, I would also affirm that "God is One, Not Three". So you see, the Watchtower just doesn't get it, as evidenced by this kind of argumentation.

To refresh your memory that the Trinity doctrine states very clearly and deliberately that there is one God, click here to re-examine the definitions provided in our introduction. After so many years of studying the Trinity, it is amazing the Watchtower does not know the Trinity is monotheistic. Considering that even a brief scan of studies, creeds, catechisms, and confessions quickly reveals the monotheistic nature of the Trinity, I can only wonder at the Watchtower's misunderstanding and misrepresentation of it. As you will see, we will witness this kind of error frequently in Watchtower literature.

If you are a Jehovah's Witness reading this, perhaps you think I am being unfairly harsh with the Watchtower's misrepresentation of the Trinity. Let's remember, the Watchtower has chosen to try to refute the Trinity and has printed several million booklets presentinng their case. Don't they have a moral obligation to present the Trinity accurately? Of course! To argue their case against the Trinity as they have done here is to misrepresent it badly.

This kind of argument is a logical fallacy known as a "straw man". The Watchtower sets up a false view of the Trinity (God Is Three) and then proceeds to kick the stuffing out of it. Big deal. What have they proven? Only one of two things. Either they don't understand what they're trying to refute or they intentionally deceive in order to catch unsuspecting ones unaware.

But let's move on to examine Deut 6:4 in detail.

"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! (NASB)

What must be in order for what is to be what it is? If the Trinity is true, what kinds of descriptions of God would we expect to find? Well, one thing we would expect to find are descriptions of God indicating that he is "one" the sense of a compound unity. That is exactly what we find here at Deut 6:4.

The English word "one" in this verse is a translation of the Hebrew word "echad". There are several Hebrew words that are translated into the English "one". The fact that there are several Hebrew words for "one" indicates that there are shades of meaning in the Hebrew which do not carry over fully into English.

I will demonstrate that "echad" is "one" in the sense of either a compound unity, or one of many together (contrasted to one existing uniquely and solely by itself, which is the Hebrew word "yachid"). We will see this by looking at several places where both "echad" and "yachid" are used in the Hebrew Scriptures. Looking at these verses should shed much light on the nature of God as described here in Deuteronomy 6:4. First, we will look at several occurences of "echad".

The One of "Echad"

And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Gen 1:5, NASB) The one ("echad") day described here consisted of the compound unity of evening and morning.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. (Gen 2:10-11, NASB) The first ("echad") is Pishon. The Pishon is not a solitary river existing separately and by itself. It is one of four rivers.

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. (Gen 2:21, NASB) He took one ("echad") of his ribs. This was one of Adam's 24 ribs. It was not his sole rib.

For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. (Gen 2:24, NASB) They (the man and wife) shall become one ("echad") flesh. The one flesh is a compound unity of the man and wife.

Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel. (Gen 49:16, NASB) Dan is one ("echad") of the tribes of Israel, but it is not the only tribe.

And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. (Gen 11:6, NASB) They are one ("echad") people. They are not one person, but considered together, they are one.

then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. ... "Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. (Gen 34:16,22; NASB) The Shechemites desired to become one ("echad") people with the Jews. Not that they would be one person, but a compound unity of the two groups.

Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. (Num 13:23, NASB) a single ("echad") cluster of grapes. It was not one single, solitary grape, but the compound unity of the cluster which was one.

He keeps all his bones; Not one of them is broken. (Psalm 34:20, NASB) Not one ("echad") of them is broken. It is not saying he only has one bone. Instead, it indicates that not one of the many bones which he possessed was broken.

The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 30:12, NASB) God gave the people one ("echad") heart. Not that all of the people only had one, single heart, between them, but that they were united together in a compound unity of desire for obedience.

The whole assembly numbered 42,360. (Ezra 2:64, NASB) The whole ("echad") assembly was not one person, but a compound unity of many individuals.

and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them. (Jer 32:39, NASB) God will give them one ("echad") heart. The one heart is not a solitary heart, but is a heart of compound unity of the people.

The One of "Yachid"
Another Hebrew word translated into the English "one" is the word "yachid". This word indicates absolute, solitary oneness, or uniqueness. Let's look at several passages to demonstrate the character of the Hebrew word "yachid".

And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." ... and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, (Gen 22:12,16; NASB) "your only ("yachid") son." Isaac was Abraham's only son in the sense of his uniqueness as the child of promise.

When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. (Judges 11:34, NASB) "She was his one and only ("yachid") child." He had no other children.

Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog. (Psalm 22:20, NASB) "My only ("yachid") life."

Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted. (Psalm 25:16, NASB) "I am lonely ("yachid")." The psalmist was suffering in solitary oneness. He was "one" with no others for comfort.

Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions. (Psalm 35:17, NASB) "My only ("yachid") life." The sole life of the psalmist.

God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Psalm 68:6, NASB) God "makes a home for the lonely ("yachid")," for those who are solitarily "one".

When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, (Proverbs 4:3, NASB) "The only ("yachid") son."

O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth And roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us. (Jer 6:26, NASB) "Mourn as for an only ("yachid") son."

"Then I shall turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring sackcloth on everyone's loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day." (Amos 8:10, NASB) "Mourning for an only ("yachid") son."

"And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. (Zech 12:10, NASB) "As one mourns for an only ("yachid") son."

Two Verses Containing Both "Echad" and "Yachid"

And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." (Gen 22:2, NASB) "Your only ("yachid") son, ... one ("echad") of the mountains." Abraham was to take his unique son to one of a group of mountains. It was not a solitary mountain that they were to go to, but one mountain existing in the midst of other mountains.

And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one. (Zech 14:9, NASB) "The Lord will be the only one ("echad"), and His name the only one ("yachid"). This description of the Lord is quite instructive for us. It brings together both Hebrew "ones" into plain view. The Lord is "echad", denoting compound unity of essence. He is not "yachid", which would indicate absolute singularity of nature. His name is "yachid", denoting the absolute, solitary uniqueness of his name. His name is not "echad", one name among many. No, it stands separate from all other names in solitary magnificence.

I hope that at this point you have shared in our labors and have gained an appreciation for the differences between "echad" and "yachid". Morey brings the issues of "echad" and "yachid" into sharp focus for us. He says:

"A Unitarian (meaning those who believe God is a single person: i.e. JWs) would never apply the Hebrew word "echad" to God because it means a compound or unified oneness. If the authors of the Bible were Unitarians, we would not expect to find "echad" applied to God.
On the other hand, if the writers of Scripture believed that God was multi-personal, then we would expect to find that they would apply "echad" to God because this would mean that God is "one" in a composite or compound sense. As a matter of fact, "echad" is the only Hebrew word they could use to express this idea." (The Trinity, Robert Morey, p.89)

So here in Deut 6:4 we have the Hebrew word "echad"(one), clearly indicating a compound oneness, applied directly to Jehovah. In light of the Trinity, this is exactly what we expect to find. We expect to find descriptions of God indicating compound unity. It is not the word Jehovah's Witnesses expect to find. They would anticipate seeing the word "yachid" here, since it would affirm their understanding of the absolute solitary nature of Jehovah. Perhaps you are wondering if "yachid" is ever applied to Jehovah?

Is "Yachid" Ever Applied to Jehovah?

"The authors of scripture never applied "yachid" to God. They never described God as a solitary person. This is quite damaging to the Unitarian position." (The Trinity, Morey, p.88)

Pause Now to Reflect
Stop and consider the implications. The Jehovah's Witnesses argue constantly that Jehovah is one single, solitary person; yet the only Hebrew word which would indicate that is never used to describe Jehovah! This is devastating to the Watchtower's view of God.

Watchtower Refuted On Deuteronomy 6:4
We have seen that the Watchtower's discussion of Deut 6:4 to be both misdirected (the three Gods "straw man") and grammatically incomplete ("echad" vs. "yachid"). The compound unity of God is clearly stated at Deut 6:4 through the use of the Hebrew "echad". Furthermore, the light thrown on "yachid" and the absence of its application to Jehovah drastically weakens the Watchtower's view of God as a single, solitary person.

What About Other JW Objections to Deut 6:4?
The Trinity Exposed Website (referred to as TEW) is a site authored by an active Jehovah's Witness.  You used to be able to read their thoughts concerning Deut 6:4 before the Watchtower cracked down on independent JW websites.  The text from the TEW is no longer available online.

Critique of TEW's Comments
TE seems to imply in its opening paragraph that Trinitarians believe that specifically 3 persons of the Trinity are identified here at Deut 6:4. As I said earlier, Deut 6:4 or any other single verse, does not contain a fully formed view of the Trinity. So while many specific details about the Trinity are not brought out at Deut 6:4, the compound unity of God is clearly displayed here by the use of the Hebrew word "echad". TEW is careless in saying that Trinitarians believe God is identified here as specifically 3 persons, when only the general concept of the multi-personal nature of God is present.

Remember from the verses highlighted earlier that "echad" bears the meaning of "one" of compound unity or one among several as opposed to "yachid", which means absolute uniqueness or solitary oneness. This distinction between "echad" and "yachid" is not discussed at all on the TEW page focusing on Deut 6:4. As TEW points out, "echad" means "one, single, individual". Of course it does. The question is, what is the nature of the oneness presented by "echad". "Echad" is repeatedly translated as "one". That is not the issue. The issue is that "echad" indicates "one" in compound unity. TEW does not go far enough in its exploration of "echad" and it entirely omits any discussion of "yachid".

I was really surprised to find that the two Old Testament examples that the TEW site chooses to discuss on "echad" contain both "echad" and "yachid". Click here to refer back to our discussion of Genesis 22:2 and Zech 14:9. TEW's reference to Zech 14:9 was particularly shocking, because there are two "ones" in that passage. The presence of the two "ones" raises a question that the TEW site does not address. Since there are two "ones" in that passage, why aren't they the same Hebrew word? Why is Jehovah one ("echad") and His name one ("yachid"). But TEW does not even comment on the second part of the verse, for obvious reasons.

Summary of TEW On Deut 6:4
TEW makes the same error as the Watchtower. TEW thinks that if it establishes monotheism, this overturns the Trinity. As we have identified, that is a straw man argument. The Trinity is clearly and unmistakably monotheistic. TEW's efforts at overturning the Trinity by establishing monotheism are as futile as the Watchtower's. I guess the apple (TEW) really doesn't fall far from the tree (Watchtower).

TEW shallowly examines the Hebrew and builds its arguments primarily on the English word "one". We find the TEW analysis of Deut 6:4 incomplete and misleading.

The compound unity of God is taught clearly at Deuteronomy 6:4. This has not been refuted by arguments from either the Watchtower or individual JWs.