According to the Watchtower’s Reference edition of the New World Translation, the Hebrew translations of Romans 10:9 identify Jesus as ha’Adhohn:

“For if you publicly declare that ‘word in your own mouth,’ that Jesus is Lord,* and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

* Gr., kyʹri·os; J^{12-14,​16-18,​22} (Heb.), ha·ʼa·dhohnʹ, “the Lord.” Not “Jehovah.” (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/b/r1/lp-e/Rbi8/E/1984/45/10#study=discover&v=45:10:9; bold emphasis ours)

The Reference edition has an appendix admitting that the Old Testament never employs this Hebrew phrase for any one other than Jehovah God Almighty:

1H “The [true] Lord”—Heb., ha·ʼA·dhohnʹ

The title ʼA·dhohnʹ, “Lord; Master,” when preceded by the definite article ha, “the,” gives the expression ha·ʼA·dhohnʹ, “the [true] Lord.” The use of the definite article ha before the title ʼA·dhohnʹ LIMITS the application of this title EXCLUSIVELY to Jehovah God.

In M the expression ha·ʼA·dhohnʹ occurs nine times, namely, in Ex 23:17; Ex 34:23; Isa 1:24; Isa 3:1; Isa 10:16, 33; Isa 19:4; Mic 4:13; Mal 3:1. (Ibid. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001060080; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Hence, for Jesus to be “the Lord,” i.e., ha’Adhohn, that a person must confess in order to be saved he must be Jehovah God in the flesh!

This is more clearly brought out by the fact that the following OT passage, which says a messenger will be sent to prepare for the coming of ha’Adhohn to his very own temple in Jerusalem,

“‘Look! I am sending my messenger, and he must clear up a way before me. And suddenly there will come to HIS temple the [true] Lord, whom YOU people are seeking, and the messenger of the covenant in whom YOU are delighting. Look! He will certainly come,’ Jehovah of armies has said.” Malachi 3:1

A temple which was built solely for the glory and worship of Jehovah,

“David the king now said to all the congregation: ‘Solʹo·mon my son, the one [whom] God has chosen, is young and delicate, but the work is great; for the castle is not for man, but for Jehovah God.’” 1 Chronicles 29:1

To John the Baptist:

“Really, then, why did YOU go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell YOU, and far more than a prophet. This is he concerning whom it is written, ‘Look! I myself am sending forth my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way ahead of you!’Truly I say to YOU people, Among those born of women there has not been raised up a greater than John the Baptist; but a person that is a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is.” Matthew 11:9-11 – cf. Luke 7:26-28

And yet the inspired Christian Scriptures testify that John the Baptist was sent to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus Christ:

“The] beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ: Just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘(Look! I am sending forth my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way) listen! someone is crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of Jehovah, YOU people, make his roads straight,”’ John the baptizer turned up in the wilderness, preaching baptism [in symbol] of repentance for forgiveness of sins. Consequently all the territory of Ju·deʹa and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem made their way out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, openly confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather girdle around his loins, and was eating insect locusts and wild honey. And he would preach, saying: ‘After me someone stronger than I am is coming; I am not fit to stoop and untie the laces of his sandals. I baptized YOU with water, but he will baptize YOU with holy spirit.’” Mark 1:1-7

“The next day he beheld Jesus coming toward him, and he said: ‘See, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, Behind me there comes a man who has advanced in front of me, because he existed before me. Even I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing in water was that he might be made manifest to Israel.’ John also bore witness, saying: ‘I viewed the spirit coming down as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him. Even I did not know him, but the very One who sent me to baptize in water said to me, “Whoever it is upon whom you see the spirit coming down and remaining, this is the one that baptizes in holy spirit.” And I have seen [it], and I have borne witness that this one is the Son of God.’ Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he looked at Jesus walking he said: ‘See, the Lamb of God!’” John 1:29-36

“Paul said: ‘John baptized with the baptism [in symbol] of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’” Acts 19:4

Therefore, since Jesus is plainly identified as ha’Adhohn whom the prophet Malachi said would be coming to his very own temple, and since that temple was built exclusively for Jehovah God, Jesus must be the human appearance, the very enfleshment of Jehovah God Almighty. There’s simply no way around this biblically revealed fact.

To sum up our discussion, we discovered that:

1. Jesus is identified as ha’Adhohn in the Hebrew versions of Romans 10:9.
2. The phrase ha’Adhohn is only used for Jehovah God in the Old Testament.
3. Jesus must therefore be Jehovah God in the flesh.
4. This is further confirmed by the fact that Malachi 3:1 prophesies a messenger sent by God to prepare for the coming of ha’Adhohn to his temple in Jerusalem.
5. Both the Lord Jesus and the Gospel writers identify that messenger as John the Baptist.
6. Jesus, John the Baptist and the Apostles all confirm that the Baptist was sent to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. This means that Jesus is Christ is none other than ha’Adhohn of Malachi 3:1, the Lord who came to his very own temple in Jerusalem.
8. As such, Jesus must be Jehovah God Incarnate since only Jehovah is said to be ha’Adhohn and the temple was built exclusively for the worship of Jehovah.

We want to thank the Society for providing indirect evidence that Jesus is in fact Jehovah God Almighty in the flesh, even though he is not the Father or the Holy Spirit.

 

 

• Uncategorized