Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; King James Version
Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb: I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who stretches forth the heavens alone; who spreads abroad the earth (who is with me?); -- World English Bible.
Isaiah 44:24 is often quoted as support for the trinity doctrine. It is claimed that God was all by himself in the creation of the world of mankind, and therefore there could not have been another person there, not unless the other person was also God himself, as is claimed in the trinity dogma. In truth, however, we do not need the extra-Biblical trinity rhetoric about three persons in order for this scripture to be harmonized with other scriptures.
A business owner may say that he built his business all by himself, meaning that he was the one who originated the plans and and the force behind the business' growth. He does not mean that he had absolutely no one working with him in his business.
The scriptures abound with cases where Yahweh uses various servants but is given the credit for their actions, since he was the directing force. -- Exodus 3:10,12; 12:17; 18:10; Numbers 16:28; Judges 2:6,18; 3:9,10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:24,25; 14:6,19; 15:14,18; 16:20,28-30, 2 Kings 4:27; Isaiah 43:11, 45:1-6; etc.
Jesus is not directly called creator; yet he is the means by which Yahweh carried out his creation. In Mark 10:6, Jesus says of God (Yahweh -- whom he sits at the right hand of -- Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33; 7:55,56; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22) is the maker in creation: "But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female." Thus only Yahweh is properly called the "Creator". -- Isaiah 40:28.
Jesus is the means by which God created the world, the world into which Jesus came that rejected him, but God alone is the real creator behind the formation of the world. -- John 1:10.
At the beginning of creation spoken of in Mark 10:6, we do find that there were spirit sons of God at least present: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." -- Job 38:4-7; see also Job 1:6; 2:1,2.
See: Isaiah 2:11,17
The word translated "alone" in the World English Bible translation is Strong's #905; it is the same word used of Adam in Genesis 2:18. Of course, we know that Adam was not totally alone, for he had God with whom he could speak; however, as regards a mate, he was alone. -- Genesis 2:20.
When Jacob said to Reuben concerning taking Benjamin to Egypt: "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone [Strong's #905]." (Genesis 44:28; 44:20) Jacob did not mean that Benjamin was totally alone, but in reference to what he was speaking, his sons by Rachel, whom he loved. (Genesis 29:18,30; 35:24) Jacob did not know that Joseph was still alive, and thought him to be dead.
One could find more references, but the point of these examples is that the word "alone" does not necessarily mean totally alone, but in many cases must be viewed in the context of which it is speaking.
What was Yahweh saying in Isaiah 44:24? The context shows he is talking about the idol-gods and the men who worshiped them. Yahweh was without any of these gods (nor the men who worshiped them) in the creation of the heavens and earth. A comparison scripture shows this:
Yahweh alone did lead him, There was no foreign god with him. -- Deuteronomy 32:12.
Was Yahweh saying here that actually no one else led the nation of Israel? Or is he saying that he was without any of the foreign gods in leading the nation?
Exodus 15:22: Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Here we read that Moses led Israel. Should we assume, like our trinitarians neighbors do with Jesus, that Moses is God Almighty, since Yahweh said that he alone led Israel? After all, isn't he also called elohim? See: heb1-8.html
Now, let us look at one more scripture:
Psalm 77:20: You led your people like a flock, By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Here we read that Yahweh led his people by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Thus we can realize that Yahweh alone did lead them, but that he did so by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Likewise, Yahweh alone is the creator, yet he made the creation by the hand of Jesus.
The context shows he was comparing himself to the people of Israel here on earth and the idols they were making. (verses 1-23) None of these people who were forming these idols nor any of these formed idols were with Yahweh in creation. We have to consider the context, else we could come to wrong conclusions.
For instance in verse 19 it says "None calls to mind, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say,..." Taken out of context, this appears to be saying that there is no one [which taken to extremes could include even the angels] that calls to mind, etc. The context tells us that it is speaking of those who form idols from wood, however.
Furthermore, the word translated "alone" in Isaiah 44:24 is the Hebrew word bad (Strongs Hebrew #905). It is a word that used in comparison, and does not necessarily mean totally alone, but rather alone in relation to what is being spoken of. (Genesis 2:18; 32:24; Judges 6:40) Thus, in Isaiah 44:24 Yahweh is in comparison with the idol-gods spoken of in the context (Isiah 44:9-20); only Yahweh stretched forth the heavens and spread abroad the earth. None of the idol-gods were with him in this.
If the last phrase of Isaiah 44:24 ("who is with me?") should be read to mean there was absolutely no one present when Yahweh spread abroad the earth, then it would contradict the scriptures in Job, which show that the angels were present at the creation of earth. At the beginning of creation spoken of in Mark 10:6, we do find that there were spirit sons of God at least present: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." -- Job 38:4-7; see also Job 1:6; 2:1,2.
Thus we conclude that Yahweh was asking, "Who of these gods or their makers were with me when I created the heavens and the earth?"
Something else we need to note in Mark 10:6: Jesus says God (Yahweh -- whom he sits at the right hand of (Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33; 7:55,56; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22) is the maker referred to here in creation: "But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female." Thus only Yahweh is properly called the "Creator". -- Isaiah 40:28.
Therefore, we find nothing in Isaiah 44:24 that would give us any reason to add to the scriptures the extra-Biblical story about three persons in one being, nor any idea that Jesus is Yahweh.
Last update: April 6, 2004
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