[Yahweh]: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

The Issue: Translation of the Hebrew words et asher

The Trinitarian Claim

Trinitarians claim Yahweh is here declaring that people will look up "me" whom they pierced. Since it was Jesus who suffered and was pierced, they claim this verse proves Jesus is Yahweh.

What the Evidence will Show

The facts will show that Trinitarians are not being honest with the facts. When the facts are reviewed it is quite clear that Yahweh is not the one being pierced in this passage.

Examination of the Evidence

Incoherent Translation

Let us first simply consider just what the Trinitarian translation actually says. It says "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him." It doesn't even make sense. The people are looking at the pierced person but mourning for someone else altogether. It is a ridiculous proposition. Moreover, it says that they will mourn as one mourns for a "firstborn son." Does the Bible not say that Jesus is Yahweh's firstborn son?

How the Jews and John the Apostle understood this verse

It is rather obvious the Trinitarians have mistranslated this verse when we consider the fact that John himself quotes from the Greek Septuagint version of this passage which Jews had translated before the time of Christ:

And again another Scripture says, "They shall look upon him [Jesus] whom they [the Romans] pierced." (John 19:37).

Trinitarian Translation Inconsistency

Let us also review some major translations translated by Trinitarian Greek scholars:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born. (RSV).

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and petition; and they shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a first-born. (NAB).

Now if Trinitarian Greek scholars themselves have seen fit to translate the passage in this manner, it is rather obvious there is a serious problem in using this passage as evidence in support of Trinitarian doctrine. Just as John understood the passage, neither of the above two Trinitarian translations indicate Yahweh is the one being pierced.

The Context

The context of this passage is also very revealing.

Yahweh also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh before them. And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 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 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.... In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity... And one will say to him, `What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will say, `Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.' Awake, O sword, against MY Shepherd, and against the man who stand next to me," declares Yahweh of Hosts. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.... They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, `They are My people,' And they will say, `Yahweh is my God.' "

I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).

Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. (Matthew 26:31).

Whose Shepherd? The speaker's Shepherd. The speaker is Yahweh. And Jesus is the Shepherd who was struck and his disciples scattered. Does it make any sense at all to claim that Jesus is referring to himself as "My Shepherd"? No, it is quite ridiculous. Therefore, it is absolutely conclusive that Jesus cannot be speaking here.

The Hebrew words et asher

The passage simply does not say YAHWEH was pierced. The meaning of the passage is that they will look to YAHWEH concerning that fact that they have pierced and will mourn for him, that is, YAHWEH's firstborn son: "they shall look upon Me, concerning which, they have pierced and will mourn for him."

Trinitarians have been mistranslating the Hebrew words et asher. These words are not often used together in the Hebrew Bible. Together they mean "concerning which" or "concering whom" in Hebrew and do not mean simply "whom" as Trinitarians are claiming (compare Ezek 36:27). So the passage should read, "they shall look upon Me concerning which they have pierced and will mourn for him."

They shall look upon Me, concerning which/whom, they have pierced and will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

The Trinitarian Claim

• The Trinitarian translation senselessly has the people looking upon the one being pierced but mouring for someone else altogether.



• Neither the Jews who translated this verse into Greek before the birth of Jesus, or John the apostle, understood this verse to be saying Yahweh was pierced.



• Two major Trinitarian inconsistently do not support the doctrine of the Trinity. Hence, if even they themselves are doubtful on this matter, why should we accept the other Trinitarian translation that indicates Yahweh being pierced?



• The context of the passage shows that Jesus the Shepherd is the speaker's shepherd, "MY Shepherd. It is preposterous to claim that Jesus would be referring to himself as "My Shepherd."



• The Hebrew words et asher are known to mean "concerning which" and when translated as such the passage makes perfect sense.

Call for Discernment

The Trinitarian translation is incoherently senseless. The people look upon the one who is being pierced but mourn for somebody else. Even further, the Trinitarian translation results in identifying Yahweh as Jesus and then Jesus referring to himself as "My Shepherd." It would almost be laughable if it wasn't so pitiful. Trinitarians are disingenuously mistranslating this passage to promote their doctrine. Even though the ancient Jews and the Apostle John shows us how this passage is to be understood, they continue to appeal to their nonsensical translation. Moreover, inconsistencies in their very own translations reveal their own scholars doubt the veracity of their apologetic claims. The words et asher are known to mean "concerning which/whom" and when they are translated as such the passage makes absolute sense. Therefore, the Trinitarian claim here is completely baseless.