Primary Study
Grafted Bible Dictionary
Definition
It appears throughout the Hebrew Bible in ordinary numerical and descriptive contexts.
Shema
"The LORD our God, the LORD is one."
Linguistic Caution
• one individual
• one day
• one object
• one unified group
The word by itself does not automatically mean either "absolute unity" or "compound unity."
Its meaning must be determined by context.
Theological Significance
Later Christian discussions about the Trinity sometimes place too much lexical weight on echad itself.
The stronger theological question is how the whole biblical canon identifies the Father, Son, and Spirit while maintaining monotheism.