Zechariah 1:8-9

Notes on the Godhead

I saw by night and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom And behind him there were red horses speckled and white And I am saying, what are these Adonai? And the angel, the one speaking with me He is saying to me I, I will show thee what these be

Comments: ^{Zechariah 1:8-9} ADONAI is a Hebrew word that with few exceptions in the Hebrew scriptures, is used in relation to YHWH (Yahweh—Jehovah/YHWH—Elohim). The word ADONAI is a plural possessive and translates literally as "my Lords," almost always referencing the Godhead, as are two other titles for the Godhead—YHWH and ELOHIM.

The word ADONAI is derived from the singular word "Adon," which means "lord." Adding the Hebrew letter yod, which is a singular suffix, the word Adon is transformed into the plural and possessive Adonai—my LORDs—signifying the plural Godhead.

The following is a widely accepted false assumption: “The plural form Adonai, like the plural form Elohim, is regularly used with singular verbs and modifiers, so it is best to construe the Name as an "emphatic plural" or "plural of majesty" ((someone’s opinion, a ridiculous assumption, as nothing in scripture even hints at the “man-made” concept of “plurality of majesty”).

All translation is interpretation, and Bible scholars should be challenged when assumptions such as the “plurality of majesty” become the basis for interpretation.

In the Hebrew Bible, Adonai almost always refers to the Almighty, and when the plural of Adon is formed using the singular possessive, yod, as a suffix, it becomes Adonai, which literally translates as "my LORDs," which is a reference to the triune Godhead.

Jocelyn Andersen is the author of several non-fiction books, including, Redemption: Bible Prophecy Simplified, a Study of HOPE.

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