In this chart I share just some of the many verses which identify Jesus as YHWH God who became flesh.

YHWH

JESUS

“O Israel, wait for Yahweh; For with Yahweh there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And it is He who will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:7-8   “Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You will remain; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” Psalm 102:25-27   “And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As Yahweh has said, Even among the survivors whom Yahweh calls.” Joel 2:32   “Now it will be in that day, that the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God (El Gibbor).” Isaiah 10:20-21   “For Yahweh your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the fearsome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.” Deuteronomy 10:17   “The king answered Daniel and said, ‘Truly your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries since you have been able to reveal this mystery.’” Daniel 2:47 – Cf. Ps. 136:3   “Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am the first, and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.’” Isaiah 44:6 – Cf. 41:4; 48:12   “‘So now then, if you will indeed listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Exodus 19:5-6   “Declare and draw near with your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has made this heard from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:21-22   “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.” Isaiah 45:23   “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10   “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called on His name; They would call upon Yahweh and He would answer them. He would speak to them in the pillar of cloud; They kept His testimonies And the statute that He gave them.” Psalm 99:6-7 – Cf. 116:2, 4, 13, 17; 145:18; Gen. 12:8; 21:33; Deut. 4:7   “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Yahweh, God of truth.” Psalm 31:5   “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7   “O Yahweh, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who displays Your splendor above the heavens! From the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.” Psalm 8:1-2

“And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21   “But of the Son He [the Father] says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.’… And, ‘You, Lord [the Son], in the beginning founded the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.’” Hebrews 1:8, 10-12   “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved… for ‘Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Romans 10:9, 13   “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (El Gibbor), Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7   “that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:14-16   “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and elect and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 – Cf. 19:16   “Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.’” John 1:49   “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not fear; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.’” Revelation 1:17-18 – Cf. 2:8; 22:12-13, 16, 20   “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:13-14   “Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received the same kind of faith as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:” 2 Peter 1:1   “so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11   “And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’” John 19:37   “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Yes, amen.” Revelation 1:7   “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:” 1 Corinthians 1:2 – Cf. Acts 9:14, 21   “They went on stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ And having said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:59-60 “But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things which He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they became indignant and said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these children are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself”?’” Matthew 21:15-16

All scriptural references taken from the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB).

FURTHER READING

Jesus Christ in the Bible

Jesus Is Yahweh: Examining the New Testament Use of Old Testament Passages to Demonstrate the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus as Yahweh: Examining Paul’s use of Lord in reference to Christ

THE SOVEREIGN LORD YHWH BECOMES FLESH

MORE IMPLICIT PROOF THAT CHRIST IS GOD

JESUS CHRIST: THE GOD-MAN

JESUS: THE GOD OF ISRAEL HAS COME

Granville Sharp was a Christian abolitionist and devout scholar of the Greek [N]ew [T]estament who wrote a monograph in 1798 on how the NT employs the Greek definite article (“the”) in respect to passages related to the Deity of Christ. He discovered six rules, the first of which has a direct bearing on how key texts in regards to Christ should be rendered in English.  

Here’s an articulation of Sharp’s first rule: When two singular personal nouns/adjectives/participles that do not include proper names are connected by the conjunction kai (“and”), with the definite article appearing only before the first noun/adjective/participle, then both of the nouns/adjectives/participles refer to the same individual. Scholars subsequent to Sharp have carefully examined the Greek NT and have found no exceptions to this first rule.

Two such verses that fall under the purview of Sharp’s first rule, and which have spawned centuries of heated discussion and debate, are Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1.

Here’s how they read in the Authorized King James Version (AV). I also include the rendering of both the New King James Version (NKJV) and New International Reader’s Version (NIRV) for comparative purposes:

“looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (tou megalou theou kai soteros hemon ‘Iesou Christou);” Titus 2:13 AV

“looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” NKJV

“13 That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in his glory. He is our great God and Savior.” NIRV

“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (tou theou hemon kai soteros ‘Iesou Christou):” 2 Peter 1:1 AV

“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” NKJV

“I, Simon Peter, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am his apostle. I am sending this letter to you. You are those who have received a faith as valuable as ours. You received it because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right.” NIRV

Suffice it to say, some have taken the AV’s translation of these key verses as a denial of the Deity of Christ. At the very least, these individuals argue that the AV is less than explicit and leaves room for doubt, which is not the case with other versions such as the NKJV or the NIRV.

It is this objection to the AV which I seek to address here in my post.

A DENIAL OF CHRIST’S DEITY?

A careful reading of the KJV shows that its rendering of the aforementioned texts isn’t meant to undermine or weaken the case for the Deity of Christ. This can be easily seen from the way the AV translates other verses which contain similar if not identical constructions:   

“who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father (to theou kai patros hemon):” Galatians 1:4

“giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father (to theo kai patri) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Ephesians 5:20 

“Now unto God and our Father (to de theo kai patri hemon) be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:20

“We give thanks to God and the Father (to theo patri – the God Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,” Colossians 1:3

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father (to theo patri – the God Father) by him.” Colossians 3:17

“remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father (tou theou kai patros hemon);” 1 Thessalonians 1:3

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father (to theo kai patri – the God and Father) is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father (to theo kai patri autou); to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6

Would anyone conclude from the preceding texts that God isn’t the same Person as the Father?

Here’s a few more cases:

“that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father (ton theon kai patera) of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:6

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father (to theo kai patri); when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” 1 Corinthians 15:24

“Blessed be God, even the Father (ho theos kai pater) of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;” 2 Corinthians 1:3

“Now God himself and our Father (ho theos kai pater hemon), and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you… to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father (tou theou kai patros hemon), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:11, 13

“Therewith bless we God, even the Father (ton theon kai patera); and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” James 3:9

Again, who would assume that the foregoing examples are teaching that God isn’t the Father?

Neither should one conclude from the way in which the AV renders the specific verses in question, e.g., Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, that the scholars which produced the KJV were seeking to deny the fact of Jesus being described as the great God and Savior of all true believers. Rather, it is one of the ways that the translators rendered such constructions to an audience who would have no problem seeing that these specific passages are in fact explicit prooftexts for the Deity of Christ.

Besides, the AV’s rendering of Titus 2:13 is a literal translation of what the Greek actually says, i.e., tou megalou theou kai soteros hemon ‘Iesou Christou (“of the great God and Savior of us [e.g., our Savior], Jesus Christ”).

VARIANT READINGS

Another problem facing the critics of the AV, which is rarely mentioned, is the fact that there are a few variants in the extant manuscript copies and ancient versions in respect to 2 Peter 1:1. These variations directly affect how 2 Pet. 1:1 should be translated.

For instance, certain manuscripts (MSS) and ancient versions read kyriou (“of Lord”) instead of theou (“of God”):

tc A few witnesses (א Ψ 442 vg sy sa) read κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) for θεοῦ (theou, “God”) in v. 1, perhaps due to confusion of letters (since both words were nomina sacra), or perhaps because “our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” is an unusual expression (though hardly because of theological objections to θεοῦ). (NET Bible https://netbible.org/bible/2+Peter+1; emphasis mine)

This is the reading found in the ancient Syriac version of 2 Peter 1:1, commonly known as the Peshitta:

“Shimeon Petraus, a Servant and an Apostle of Yeshua The Messiah to those who, equal in honor with us, were worthy for the faith by the righteousness of Our LORD and OUR Savior Yeshua The Messiah (dəMARAN wəpārūqan yešūᶜ məšīḥā).” Peshitta Holy Bible Translation (PHBT https://biblehub.com/hpbt/2_peter/1.htm)

“… of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ have been made equal with us in the precious faith;” George Lamsa Bible (LAMSA https://biblehub.com/lamsa/2_peter/1.htm)

“… of our Lord and our Redeemer Jeshu Meshiha.” Etheridge(i) Peschito Syriac NT

“… of Our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus the Messiah;” Murdock(i) Syriac Peshitta NT

What makes the Peshitta reading all the more interesting is that the Aramaic plural possessive pronoun, e.g. an (“our”), is suffixed to both “Lord” and “Savior,” i.e. demarAN waparuqAN.

Another issue affecting the meaning and rendering of this text is the fact that in certain MSS the definite article appears before both of the nouns, i.e., tou theou hemon kai tou soteros (“of the God of us and of the Savior”):

Our God and Savior Jesus Christ (RSV) is significantly different from the more familiar reading, God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (KJV; ASV, Goodspeed, Moffatt, and R. A. Knox, along with ERV, support the reading of RSV). In the one instance one person is mentioned, in the other, two. The problem of correct rendering is both textual and historical. The reading of the KJV is based on MSS that show the definite article before “God” AND “Saviour.” The critical texts of Nestle and of Westcott and Hort show the definite article only once, before “God.” In four other instances II Peter uses the definite article once with two nouns clearly referring to Jesus (vs. 11; 2:20; 3:2, 18). IF the text accepted as correct in the present instance shows the article only once, the author’s customary usage would require that it refer to Jesus as our God and Savior. In addition to strictly textual evidence, two arguments favor the RSV reading: (a) if two persons are meant, the reader is left uncertain whose righteousness accounts for the equal standing of the faith of all Christians: (b) the tendency to call Jesus Christ “God” became increasingly widespread from the end of the first century onward–e.g., convinced of the reality of the Resurrection, Thomas addresses Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28): Ignatius of Antioch (in the salutation to his letter to the Ephesians) uses the phrase “Jesus Christ our God,” and in the same letter refers to Mary as having conceived “our God, Jesus Christ” (18:2); the author of the Pastoral epistles thinks of Christians as awaiting their “blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:11-13; cf. I Clem. 1:1). The fact that “God” and “Jesus our Lord” are clearly distinguished in vs. 2 does not reduce the probability that the reading in vs. 1 which describes Jesus Christ as our God and Savior is original. Ignatius salutes “the church … at Ephesus in Asia” as “united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father and Jesus Christ our God.” (The Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes [Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN 1984], Volume 12. James, Peter, John, Jude, Revelation, General Articles, Indexes, pp. 169-170; emphasis mine)

The problem is further compounded by the fact that certain printed Greek editions of the Textus Receptus (“Received Text” [TR]) employed by the AV’s translators, namely, Beza’s 1598 edition (which is also picked up by the 1624 edition of Elzevir’s TR) include the pronoun hemon twice, right after theos and soteros:  

σιμων πετρος δοῦλος καὶ ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῖς ἰσότιμον ἡμῖν λαχοῦσι πίστιν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Theodore Beza, Textus Receptus, Novum Testamentum, 5th major edition, Geneva, 1598 https://textusreceptusbibles.com/Beza/61/1)

συμεων πετρος δουλος και αποστολος ιησου χριστου τοις ισοτιμον ημιν λαχουσιν πιστιν εν δικαιοσυνη του θεου ημων και σωτηρος ημων ιησου χριστου (Abraham and Bonaventure Elzevir, Textus Receptus, 1624 https://textusreceptusbibles.com/Elzevir/61/1)

Here’s a transliteration of the relevant Greek portion: tou theou hemon kai soteros hemon ‘Iesou Christou (lit. “of the God of us and Savior of us Jesus Christ” [“of our God and our Savior Jesus Christ”]). As was already noted, this is the same kind of variant found in the Peshitta.

Interestingly, according to the renowned Evangelical NT scholar Murray J. Harris, this is precisely how 2 Peter 1:1 would have been written if the inspired writer intended to distinguish Jesus Christ from God:

Now it is true that (1) the article is not required with the second noun if the distinction between the two nouns is regarded as obvious or is assumed; (2) soteros is shown to be definite by the ‘Iesous Christos that follows, so that an article is not required; and (3) the single article may be accounted for by the writer’s conceptual association of two separate items. But against these three arguments one may urge the following corresponding rejoinders.

Although the clear distinction between theos and ‘Iesous in verse 2 might suggest that a similar distinction between theos and soteros is obvious or assumed in verse 1, the fact remains that elsewhere in 2 Peter whenever an anarthrous soteros is attached by kai to another noun in the same case (viz., in 1:11; 2:20; 3:2, 18) there is a single referent, Jesus Christ. If the author had wished to distinguish the two persons unambiguously, he could have written either tou theou hemon kai ‘Iesou Christou tou soteros hemon (cf. v. 2) or tou theou hemon kai tou soteros (hemon) ‘Iesou Christou. (Harris, Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus [Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, first paperback edition, 1992], p. 233; bold emphasis mine)

Since the particular version of the TR, which the translators of the AV consulted, namely Beza’s 1598 edition, contained an extra hemon after the noun soteros, and since there are certain MSS that have an additional article right before the second noun, e.g., tou soteros, then one can hardly blame the KJV’s ambiguity or lack of clarity at this point.

The scholars working on the AV seemed to be aware of the problems and impact that such variants had on the precise meaning and translation of 2 Pet. 1:1. As such, this may have led them to render the text in a less than clear fashion in order to avoid the charge of translation bias. And yet these renowned men of faith translated the verse in such a manner that those familiar with the way these scholars rendered similar constructions found elsewhere in the Greek NT, would still be able to see in this passage another reference to the essential Deity of Christ.    

ADDENDUM

I post here the list of examples of Granville Sharp’s first rule, or something akin to it, which are all translated similarly to the manner in which the AV translators rendered Tit. 2:13 and 2 Pet. 1:1.   

“looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (tou megalou theou kai soteros hemon ‘Iesou Christou);” Titus 2:13

“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (tou theou hemon kai soteros ‘Iesou Christou):” 2 Peter 1:1

“that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father (ton theon kai patera) of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:6

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father (to theo kai patri); when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” 1 Corinthians 15:24

“Blessed be God, even the Father (ho theos kai pater) of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;” 2 Corinthians 1:3

“who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father (to theou kai patros hemon):” Galatians 1:4

“giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father (to theo kai patri) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Ephesians 5:20 

“Now unto God and our Father (to de theo kai patri hemon) be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:20

“We give thanks to God and the Father (to theo patri – the God Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,” Colossians 1:3

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father (to theo patri – the God Father) by him.” Colossians 3:17

“remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father (tou theou kai patros hemon);” 1 Thessalonians 1:3

“Now God himself and our Father (ho theos kai pater hemon), and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you… to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father (tou theou kai patros hemon), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:11, 13

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father (to theo kai patri – the God and Father) is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

“Therewith bless we God, even the Father (ton theon kai patera); and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” James 3:9

“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father (to theo kai patri autou); to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6

FURTHER READING

TITUS 2:13 & KJV

2 PETER 1:1 & KJV

MURRAY J. HARRIS ON 2 PT. 1:1

MURRAY HARRIS ON TITUS 2:13

NT SCHOLARSHIP ON JOHN 1:1 AND TITUS 2:13 PT. 1, PT. 2