The Trinity in the Old Testament
In this video, we discover the Doctrine of the Trinity vaguely revealed in the Old Testament. We find it in Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, and many other Old Testament books.
The Trinity in the Old Testament
Kevin Probst
7/30/2025
The Doctrine of the Trinity is revealed progressively in the scriptures. It is in the Old Testament. There are hints. It is very general, vague, but in the New Testament, it becomes very specific, of course.
There are a multitude of verses in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that teach the Trinity. Because of time constraints, I will share only a few from each.
Where is the first indication of the
Trinity in the Bible? Well, in the first chapter of the Bible.
Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (the universe).
On a side note: Does anyone here know what Stephenson 2-18 is? It is the largest known star in the universe. It is 10 billion times larger in volume than our sun. Wrap your minds around that. We don’t know how big the universe is. Are you feeling microscopic? Just how big is God?
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”
God is creating, and the Holy Spirit is hovering. And later it is revealed in John 1:3 that The Word, Jesus, initiates the creation process: "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Colossians 1:16 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created through him and for him.”
So, we have the three persons of the Trinity involved in the creation process.
Genesis 1:26 God created a bunch of stuff, and then he said:
“Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.” Who is he talking to? The Rabbis and theologians in ages past have argued about this verse. “Us” is a first-person plural pronoun, and it refers to a group of people. It is the object of the verb “to make.” “We” are going to make humans!
Some say God was using a plural pronoun as one who represents his people. If a president says we are going to “Make America Great Again,” he sets himself up to speak for the people.
Some say God is speaking to the angels. Well, that doesn’t work because we are not created in the image of angels, and angels are not created in the image of God. We are a soul with a human body. Angels are spirits that occasionally take on human form, but angels are not humans.
The Rabbis had a terrible time with this verse. They could not comprehend three persons in one entity, and they thought the whole idea violated their Shema, a prayer for Jews to say morning and evening, which says: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one.”
So…. is it not a strong possibility that in Genesis 1:26, God the Father is speaking to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?
In Genesis 3:22, man had sinned and God said: “Since the man has become like one of US, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.”
How about Isaiah 6:8? “Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who will I send? Who will go for US?”
And Isaiah answered Him: “Lord, could you explain why you are using a first-person plural pronoun here?” No. Isaiah didn’t ask that. Isaiah answered and said: “Here I am, send me.” But perhaps he often wondered about it.
Listen to Psalm 110:1 “This is the declaration of the LORD (Jehovah) to my Lord (Christ the Son): 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” Did David understand that the Father was speaking to the Son, or did he just write down what the Holy Spirit told him to write?
Isaiah 48:16 “Approach me and listen to this. From the beginning, I have not spoken in secret; from the time anything existed, I was there.” And now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit.” It looks like the Father is sending both the Son and the Holy Spirit.
There are many other Old Testament scriptures to be found that reveal the Doctrine of the Trinity. In a subsequent article, I will lay out how the Doctrine of the Trinity is easily understood with unmistakable certainly throughout the New Testament.