“I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.” – Proverbs 30:3
We learned in the first post of this series that the Hebrew adjective qadosh, translated “of the Holy One” in this verse, is plural, not singular. Yet most Bible translations and versions opt for the singular. (The verse above is from the NIV and that’s the version I’ll be using in this post unless otherwise noted.) There’s no grammatical reason for such a move, so this translation must reflect a theological concern.
Last week, we explored the other verses in the Old Testament that have the plural form of qadosh. We organized these in three categories:
- Holy Ones
- Holy ones
- Holy things
The first describes God in the plural, the second characterizes either angels or wise people, and the third refers to anything set apart for godly purposes (like feasts and sacrifices).
Since the book of Proverbs says little about the third category, we can confine our attention to the first two. In this book, only two verses use the plural of qadosh: Proverbs 9:10 and 30:3. Whom did the writers (Solomon and Agur) have in mind when they composed these thoughts? God? Angels? Sages?
Proverbs 30:4 gives us an inkling about who Agur intended.
“Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!” – Proverbs 30:4
By asking these questions, Agur could be humbling people by reminding them they have little control over the natural world.
But he could also be leading us to acknowledge that God does. This is supported by the fact that verses 5, 6, 7, and 9 in chapter 30 mention the Lord.
If Agur is contrasting human insight with divine wisdom, it makes sense to apply the plural of qadosh in verse 3 to the Lord. But why go with the plural? Since God is one (see Deuteronomy 6:4), why not stick with the singular?
Because Agur mentions His son.
And while neither he nor anyone else in ancient Israel had worked out a theology of the Trinity, the phraseology Agur uses is consistent with a trinitarian understanding of God.
This observation also works for Proverbs 9:10. While this verse is the only one in chapter 9 that speaks of God, it’s clear that Solomon is treating as synonymous the wisdom we get from fearing the Lord and the understanding we get from knowing Him. Notice how he structures the verse:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Again, qadosh is plural, so “the Holy One” isn’t an accurate translation. It looks like Solomon is discussing the Lord in the language of plurality.
Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know God to be triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God exists for all eternity as three persons. Relational dynamism characterizes who God is. He isn’t isolated, and He’s never lonely. The Lord created the world out of His love, not out of any sense of need.
But Scripture also reveals that God as King operates with a heavenly court. Bible scholars call this assembly “the divine council.” The angels not only carry out the decrees and decisions of the Lord, they also contribute to His governance. For example, the prophet Daniel revealed a vision he had of the fate of the Babylonian king:
“This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and He grants it to whomever He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of people.” – Daniel 4:17 (NASB20)
The situation here was that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was quite proud of himself for controlling a vast empire, but God wouldn’t tolerate such arrogance. This ruler needed to learn that the Lord governs human affairs.
But God’s judgment wasn’t arrived at or carried out by Himself. He involved His council. The angelic watchers, also labeled as holy ones (that’s plural!), oversaw the events on earth. Under God’s jurisdiction, they declared a verdict against Nebuchadnezzar and executed it.
To do all this required wisdom; the angels had to know what was going on in Babylon, assess the moral condition of its leader, determine an appropriate intervention, and enact the decision. But they didn’t do this apart from the Lord; the whole process lined up with His will.
So this leads us back to the question about the plural of qadosh in Proverbs 9:10 and 30:3. Are these references to the Trinity or to angels or wise elders?
I lean toward the triune God.
Proverbs 9:10 seems to identify the (plural) qadosh with God. And the (plural) qadosh of 30:3 is the Creator described in 30:4, the Creator who has a Son. These verses hint at the Trinity.
I sympathize with the translators who decided to treat qadosh as singular. It seems to me they wanted to protect the Old Testament notion of the one God of Israel as the true God over all. A plural translation could damage that belief. But the Trinity doesn’t posit three Gods. Christians believe in one God revealed in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We shouldn’t be nervous if the Old Testament contains suggestions of God’s plurality. In fact, we should expect them.
Even if they surprise us!
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