John 10:33 | Exposing the False Trinity Doctrine

The King James Version (KJV) is mostly used in these lessons. Click here to access the KJV online.

For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy because you, a man being, do make yourself G-d. (John 10:33)

The Trinitarian Claim

Trinitarians claim these Jews correctly understood that Yahushua was claiming to be G-d [Yahuwah] Himself and this was their reason for charging him with blasphemy.

The Problems with the Claim

1. A Common and Very Unfortunate Trinitarian Myth

It is very regrettable that this particular problem even needs to be mentioned. John 10:33 refers to the accusation of blasphemy. It is commonly suggested by many Trinitarians that the Jews would not have accused Yahushua for blasphemy unless he had identified himself as their G-d, the G-d of Israel. Many Trinitarians heavily rely upon this notion. However, this is nothing more than a widespread Trinitarian myth. They get this idea from their intepretations of John 8:58-59. They assume that Yahushua had identified himself as Yahuwah which would be blasphemy to the Jews and so they wanted to stone him. Many Trinitarians confuse themselves and suppose that if identifying yourself as Yahuwah is blasphemy, then blasphemy is defined as identifying yourself as Yahuwah. This is an obvious error.

Blasphemy was ANY word or act which could potentially defame or denigrate the name of Yahuwah, the G-d of Israel.

Yahushua declared that he drove out demons by the Spirit of Yahuwah (Matthew 12:28) and he warned the Jews about blaspheming the Spirit (12:31-32) by attributing Yahuwah's work to the devil (12:24). The Jews committed blasphemy when Paul preached at Corinth (Acts 18:6). They weren't claiming to be Yahuwah. Paul confessed that according to the Law, he was a blameless Pharisee (Php 3:5-6) who attempted to make Christians commit blasphemy (Acts 26:11). Shall we absurdly suppose that he was trying to get Christians to identify themselves as Yahuwah? Paul confessed that he himself was a blasphemer due to his persecution of Christians. Had Paul been claiming he was Yahuwah? Paul also said Yahuwah's name was blasphemed simply by the sinful behavior of Jews (Romans 2:23-24). And were Hymenaeus and Alexander blaspheming by claiming to be Yahuwah? (1 Timothy 1:20). The Scriptures make it quite clear what it takes to commit blasphemy and this particular Trinitarian claim is a completely baseless myth. Need anymore be said on this matter?

2. What Yahushua said about these Jews

In the Gospel accounts, Yahushua did not spare any words concerning the Pharisees. In the Gospel of John just two chapters earlier, Yahushua had explained how these Jews could not understand him because they were children of the devil, and the words he spoke could not be heard by them because they were so blindly caught up in their own desires to do the will of their father Satan.

[BREAK]

Yahushua said these Jews could not understand what he was saying because they were evil men who were not of Yahuwah. This fact alone presents a serious problem for the Trinitarian interpretation/translation of John 10:33 since their interpretation relies entirely on the premise that they did indeed understand Yahushua and were accurately portraying who he was.

[BREAK]

Observe the flow of this conversation. The Jews make a accusation of blasphemy and Yahushua immediately responds to that particular accusation by quoting from the 82nd Psalm.

[The Jewish Accusation]: The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy because you, being a man, make yourself a G-d."

[Yahushua' Response to the Accusation]: Yahushua answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, "I said, 'you are G-ds'?" If he called them G-ds to whom the word of G-d came, and Scripture cannot be broken, why do you say to him who the Father set apart and sent into the world, "You are blaspheming,' because I said, "I am a son of G-d'?

Honestly regard how Yahushua understood the Jewish accusation. It should be clear to anyone that he heard them accuse him of making himself A G-d because he responds by pointing out the Scripture idenitifies other men "G-ds." Moreover, it is obvious that one of those "G-ds" is "a G-d." Yahushua Christ's response to the Jewish accusation demonstrates to us precisely how he understood thir accusation. Therefore, we can know with confidant conviction that Yahushua understood the Jews to be accusing him of making himself a G-d.

Analysis of the Evidence

1. Yahushua was a son of "the Most High"

He will be great and he will be called a son of the Most High. (Luke 1:32).

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and for that reason the holy child shall be called a son of G-d. (Luke 1:35).

Understanding that Yahushua was a son of "the Most High" is very significant because Psalm 82:6 uses the same language.

2. Psalm 82:6 - G-ds, sons of the Most High

A careful examination of Psalm 82:6 makes the matter much clearer. The whole Psalm reads:

I said, "You are G-ds, and sons of the Most High, all of you.

This verse is commonly interpreted to refer to the human judges of Israel (note v.7). Notice the parallelism between "G-ds" and "sons of the Most High." The Psalmist is indicating here that these sons of G-d may also be called "G-ds" (Elohim. In fact, Yahuwah Himself is calling these men "G-ds." This is because these judges are representatives of G-d [Yahuwah] Most High. They were to judge in the name of Yahuwah, that is, as representatives of Yahuwah.

At Exodus 21:6; 22:8-9 these judges were called "G-ds" (elohim). However, some translations obscure this fact by translating elohim as "judges" while others have translated the word as "G-d" which makes absolutely no sense in context. The main idea is that these judges represented G-d. So if an Israelite came before this human judge, Elohim, they were then appearing before G-d Himself not because these judges were G-d Himself but because these human authorities were G-d's representatives and as His representatives they were exercising His authority in His name. As such, these human judges were Elohim, that is, "G-ds."

G-d (El) takes His stands in the assembly of the G-ds (Elohim); He judges among the G-ds (Elohim). Psalm 82:1

3. "To whom the word of G-d came."

These judges were called Elohim because they represented G-d Himself. Note what Yahushua had said when he responded to the Jews, "to whom the word of G-d came." These human judges represented G-d Himself because they received the word of G-d and spoke on G-d's behalf.

Now let us regard Yahushua. Did G-d the Father not send Yahushua to represent Him? Did Yahushua not say he came not to do his own will but the will of his Father? Did Yahushua not remind us many times that his words were not his own but the Father's who sent him? Yes he did say this many times in the Gospel of John. Did Yahushua not say he came "in the name of my Father?" If then, those human judges could be called "G-ds" and "sons of the Most High" because the word of G-d came to them and they were representing G-d Himself, then why not Yahushua who was sent by G-d? And that is precisely Yahushua Christ's point when he responds to these Jews.

4. G-d set these human judges apart and G-d set Yahushua apart

In singular form, Psalm 82:6 would read, "You are a G-d, a son of the Most High." Carefully regard how Yahushua responded to the Jews, "I said, 'You are G-ds.' If he called them 'G-ds'.... do you say, 'You are blaspheming because I said, 'I am a son of G-d?'" Yahushua is drawing the same parallel between being "a G-d" and "a son of the Most High," when he says, "if he called them "G-ds"... I am "a son of G-d." Yahushua quite clearly had the parallelism of Psalm 82 in mind, "You are G-ds, and sons of the Most High."

Now notice how the Jews accused Yahushua with blasphemy and Yahushua then responds to that accusation by asking why they accuse him with blasphemy for claiming to be the son of G-d when G-d Himself calls other men "G-ds." To paraphrase, Yahushua essentially says, "Why are you accusing me with blasphemy for making myself a G-d? The Scriptures show us that G-d himself called these human judges "G-ds and sons of the Most High" because He set them apart for that purpose. The word of G-d came to them and that is why they are called G-ds and sons of the Most High. I was sent to speak the words of the Father. So what then do you say about me whom G-d set apart and sent into the world? Why do you charge me with blaspheming when I say, "I am a son of G-d when G-d Himself called them sons of G-d because the spoke the words of G-d just as I speak the words of G-d?" In other words, Yahushua completely silences the Jewish objections because the Scriptures identified other human beings as G-ds and sons of the Most High because the word of G-d had come to those men and they represented G-d in that manner. It didn't make them "G-d" and it didn't make Yahushua "G-d" either.

5. What the Jews finally understood Yahushua to be Claiming

That the Jews never ever understood Yahushua to be claiming to be Yahuwah, and therefore their G-d, is also made abundantly clear in the following passage:

In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Yahushua and saying, "He saved others but he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in G-d then let G-d save him if he delights in him, for he said, 'I am a son of G-d.'" (Matthew 27:41-43).

This is not something you would say to a man who believed he was G-d Himself. It wouldn't make any sense for these Jews to mock him in this manner if they thought he was claiming to be G-d Himself. Notice how the Jews clearly have no notion whatsoever that Yahushua had claimed to be G-d. Observe how they do not mock him by saying, "Save yourself if you are G-d." If they thought Yahushua had been claiming to be their G-d, it wouldn't make any sense for these Jews to have effectively said, "G-d trusts in G-d then let G-d save G-d."

At John 19:7 we see the final Jewish charge. The Jews charged him with making himself a son of G-d. Carefully regard the language they use and notice how similar it is to John 10:33. Also observe how the terminology parallels Psalm 82:6.

You being a man, make yourself a G-d. John 10:33

"He ought to die because he made himself a son of G-d." John 19:7

You are G-ds and sons of the Most High. Psalm 82:6

The language they are using here, "made himself a son of G-d," is the very same language they use at John 10:33, "you make yourself a G-d." Let us once again regard the parallelism of Psalm 82:6 and the truth of this matter will be very clear. They heard Yahushua refer to G-d over and over as his Father and in this way he was claiming to be a son of the Most High G-d. In this way, the Jews understood him to be making himself a son of the Most High, or put another way, making himself "a G-d."

I said, "You are G-ds, and sons of the Most High, all of you.

6. Yahushua tells us what John 10:33 means

You can always count on Yahushua. We can see clearly what the Jews really said by simply observing how Yahushua understood what they said to him. Yahushua explains it very clearly. In response to their accusation, Jewish quotes the Psalm, "I said, 'You are G-ds." Both Yahushua and these Jewish leaders would have known the verse well and so they would have known the whole Psalm by heart, "I said, 'You are G-ds and sons of the Most High, all of you." Having quoted the Psalm, Yahushua then makes his point. To paraphrase he says, "If these judges are called "G-ds" and "sons of the Most High" because G-d set them apart and the word of G-d came to them, what then do you say about me, a son of G-d whom He set apart and to whom the word of G-d came?" G-d was someone else who sent Yahushua to speak His words in His name. So indeed, if those ancient human judges could be called "G-ds" because the word of G-d came to them, how can anyone honestly say it is blasphemy when the same is true of Yahushua whom G-d sent to speak in his name? They had no answer. How could they accuse Yahushua of blasphemy when the Scriptures themselves called other human beings "sons of the Most High" and "G-ds" because they represented G-d by speaking His words?

If he called them G-ds to whom the word of G-d came. John 10:35

The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me. John 4:24

I will put my words in his mouth. Deuteronomy 18:18; see Acts 3:22-26.

Conclusion

The facts tell us quite decisively what the truth of the matter is here at John 10:33. The Trinitarian claim is demonstrably false and the only basis for their translation, and their misguided claim, is their own personal theological agenda. This language is exactly how you would say, "make yourself a G-d," in the Greek language. The Jews eventually charged him with claiming to be a son of G-d. If we translated this passage as Trinitarians are wont to do, the entire exchange between Yahushua and these Jews, and the associated facts, becomes a nonsensical and absurd mess of nonsense. If these monotheistic Jews had charged Yahushua was making himself "G-d" then why would Yahushua respond by demonstrating to them that human judges can be "G-ds?" How would that justify Yahushua being calling himself "G-d"? It's ridiculous. But when we honestly regard all the grammatical and Scriptural facts, it is beyond doubt that the 82nd Psalm draws a parallel between these judges as G-ds and as sons of G-d Most High, that is, each of them being a G-d and a son of the Most High. If these human judges can be called "G-ds" to whom the word of G-d came, then it stands to reason that the very same thing can be said of the human being Yahushua to whom the word of G-d came.

It is well beyond any reasonable doubt that Yahushua understood the Jewish accusation to be, "you being a man, make yourself a G-d." Yahushua made that undeniably clear to us by the way he answered their accusation.

I do nothing from myself but as my Father teaches me I speak. John 8:28.

The Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. John 12:49

I have given them the words which you gave me. John 17:8.

"If he called them G-ds to whom the word of G-d came...." John 10:35
 

• https://www.worldslastchance.com/topical-biblical-studies/anti-trinitarian-studies
• https://www.angelfire.com/space/thegospeltruth/TTD/verses/john10_33.html