CHAPTER 11
ONE, OR TWO DEATHS
ON THE CROSS?
Another misunderstood term used by the JDS supporter is found in Isaiah 53:9 where it is said:"...he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death."
They cite the fact that the term translated here as "death" is actually the plural "deaths" in the Hebrew in this verse. From this they deduce that Jesus must have died twice, both physically and spiritually!
Again, it needs to be pointed out that the teachers of the JDS Doctrine have arrived at still another erroneous conclusion, which, in this instance, stems from a lack of knowledge of the Old Testament Hebrew language and its usage.
Although the term in the Hebrew in Isaiah 53:9 is the plural (deaths), this by no means implies, as the JDS theory incorrectly contends, that the use of the plural form here denotes some unusual usage, or that we should look for some mystical and profound theological significance which the form in the singular does not have.
On the contrary, as a former teacher of the Old Testament and Hebrew in the seminary, I can attest, as anyone else can who has a working knowledge of the Hebrew, that the use of such plural nouns, where one might expect a singular noun (when the pronoun, verb, etc, are singular), is quite common in the Hebrew of the Old Testament.
Such plurals quite often do not signify numerical plurality at all (e.g., the plural "deaths" allegedly signifying two deaths), but they are used frequently for emphasis concerning some matter, as in signifying the violent nature of death by crucifixion, or death by fire, or by the sword, and so on. Every Hebrew grammarian is aware of the frequent usage of such plural nouns in the Hebrew language.
This stresses the importance of possessing a working knowledge of the biblical languages and their usage; that is, of one presents himself as an authority in the meaning and usage of Hebrew and Greek terms as the JDS teachers do concerning such terms as "deaths" (Isa. 53:9), and "sin" (2 Cor. 5:21), and such like. This would often prevent such unscriptural conclusions as those proposed by the JDS teachers, which generally are based merely upon the English translations (which often disagree), and upon the "paperback theology" of some religious writers. These are poor credentials for a Bible teacher, especially if he proposes to set forth some "new theology" about the Doctrine of Christ and the Atonement, as the JDS writers and teachers have done.
Obviously, we do not speak here of acquiring merely an intellectual knowledge about the Bible, but of the necessity of being knowledgeable in the Holy Scriptures to a much deeper degree than one can obtain merely from the commentaries, Bible school correspondence courses, and the various bible versions and paraphrases.
besides the words in the Hebrew which normally occur in both the singular and the plural forms (e.g., man, house, tree, etc.), a number of words are used only in the plural and never occur in the singular form in Hebrew usage, such as: heavens, waters, and faces, although they are occasionally translated as singular (Eccles. 5:2). The word "life" is usually plural also. For example, the Old Testament speaks of one's "faces" (pl.) in reference to the fact that the face has two sides.
By comprehending such uses of the plural in Hebrew, the reader will be able to understand better other unique uses of the plural noun in the Hebrew language, such as the use of the plural term "deaths" in Isaiah 53:9, and, as a result, understand why the use of the plural in this verse does not mean two deaths, but is used in the plural for emphasis.
Therefore, some words are used in the Hebrew language, not to express the idea of numerically plurality when used in the plural form, but are used to denote such concepts as intensity (as violent death), majesty (in reference to God, or a king), magnitude (greatness), excellence, virtue, amplification, and so on.
For example, where in English one would use an adjective to express the magnitude of something, such as, abundant blessing, or thick darkness, the same idea is often conveyed in Hebrew by the use of a plural noun without an adjective. Thus, in the Hebrew the idea of abundant blessing can be expressed merely by using the plural noun "blessings," as in Psalm 21:6. this is designated as "a plural of magnitude."
The following are some examples of the use of such plurals, which grammatically would ordinarily require the use of a singular noun. It is important to keep in mind that in the Hebrew such usage does not denote numerical plurality, but these nouns are used in the plural for emphasis of one kind or another.
(1) Plural of Majesty.
some of the Divine names occur in the plural to denote the majesty and dignity of God.
A. God (Elohim). The Old Testament name translation as "God" is the plural form.
When this term is used of the pagan gods it generally denotes a plurality of gods (the god of Egypt, "Exod. 12:12). however, when this plural form is used of Israel's God, the other parts of speech in the sentence (verbs, pronouns, adjectives, participles) are almost invariably singular forms. The inspired writers are indicating by this that in this instance the plural noun for God is not a numerical plural, but a plural denoting majesty. For example, in Genesis 1:29, the plural noun "God" (eolhim) is used with singular verbs in the Hebrew.
B. Lord (adonai). Literally, the form means "my Lords" (pl.) but it translated in the Old Testament as "Lord" (singular), signifying again " a plural of majesty."
(2) Plural of Rank.
The plural form of "lord" is used to address King Saul, thus denoting respect for his position and rank in I Samuel 22:12. Literally it is "my Lords" in Hebrew. Moses is also addressed as "lords" (pl.) out of respect in Exodus 32:22, being translated, of course, as "lord" into English.
(3) Plural of Magnitude.
The might of God us written as a plural in Isaiah 40:26 in the Hebrew. The idea of (abundant) prosperity is denoted by the use of the plural form in Psalm 68:7.
(4) Plural of Excellence.
True righteousness (Isa.33:15), and full knowledge (I Sam. 2:3) are conveyed by the use of plural nouns in the Hebrew in these passages. The adjectives "true" and "full" do not occur, of course.
(5) Plural of Intensity.
The use of the plural noun denotes such things as intense feeling, emotion, or experience, and so on, as the following examples illustrate:
Wrath. the plural form denotes fierce wrath in Proverbs 22:24.
Reproach. An indication of utter reproach or contempt is implied by use of the Hebrew plural (Dan. 12:2).
Darkness of the Pit. In this instance, the plural form "darkness" denotes deep or thick darkness (Psa. 88:6).
Death. When used of a single individual's death, as in Isaiah 53:9 and Ezekiel 28:8-10, the plural noun "deaths" is used to express the idea of violent death. This usage is to contrast such an experience with that of a normal death, in which case the singular form "death" would have been used to refer to the demise of but one individual.
The plural of Intensity is used to express vicious and violent death, such as death so painful and extreme (as death by the sword, fire, crucifixion, etc.) that it is like dying repeatedly--thus the use of the plural noun "deaths."
Further evidence that the plural "deaths" does not mean the person died twice (as the JDS supporters allege) when this form is used to denote the death of one individual is seen in the use of the plural "deaths" to describe the violent death of still another person, the King of Tyre, in Ezekiel 28:8-10. The KJV actually translates the Hebrew literally in this passage as "deaths" (plural).
Addressing Himself to the King of Tyre, God foretells his violent death, saying:
They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths [plural] of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
Thou shalt die the deaths [plural] of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
The plural of intensity is used in this passage to describe the King's violent death just as it is in Isaiah 53:9 in reference to the death of Christ by crucifixion. Obviously, there is no suggestion in Ezekiel 28 that the King of Tyre would die more than once! Nor can the use of the plural "deaths" imply that he was to die both physically and spiritually (a la JDS), inasmuch as he was already spiritually dead.
The JDS teachers need to explain why it is that they do not refer to this passage in Ezekiel also, inasmuch as the plural "deaths" is used here of just one single individual just as it is in Isaiah 53:9. The reason is obvious--it would expose their false doctrine that asserts that Jesus died twice, which teaching they base upon the use of the plural noun "deaths" in Isaiah 53:9.
No Hebrew grammarian, however, would make such a blunder over the use of plural nouns in the Hebrew language. As Davidson likwise observes in his book, Hebrew Syntax , such plurals "express an intensification of the idea of the singular."
The references which have been given in this study concerning the usage of plural nouns in Hebrew to denote such things as majesty, excellence, magnitude, intensity, and so on, are but a few of the many which could be cited. the author is confident, however, that these are more than adequate to disprove the false JDS Doctrine which teaches that Jesus died twice, both physically and spiritually. This erroneous assumption stems from a lack of knowledge of the Hebrew language and its usage.
For those who may have studied some Hebrew this unique usage of plural nouns can be noted in the more advanced Hebrew grammars as well as the lexicons. A few are: Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar; Handbook to the Old Testament Hebrew, Green; Hebrew Syntax, Davidson; A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Gesenius, etc.
For English readers, Commentary on the Old Testament, Keil and Delitzsch, is one example which also notes this unique use of the plural in Hebrew in Isaiah and Ezekiel. Here it is pointed out that the plural noun "deaths' in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 53 is a pluralis exaggerativus (an exaggerated emphasis) and is used to denote "a violent death, the very pain of which makes it like dying again and again." The Septuagint translators render the term "deaths" as a singular noun, "death," recognizing this as its proper sense in Isaiah 53:9.
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