Old Testament Yahweh Texts Applied to Jesus

The New Testament writers take sentences about the LORD, Yahweh, and say them of Jesus. Hebrews 1:10Hebrews 1:10 · King James VersionAnd, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:Hebrews 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source addresses the Son with the prayer of Psalm 102. Romans 10:13Romans 10:13 · King James VersionFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Romans 10:13 · King James VersionOpen source and Acts 2:21Acts 2:21 · King James VersionAnd it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.Acts 2:21 · King James VersionOpen source use Joel’s “whoever calls on the name of the LORD” of calling on the Lord Jesus. That is identity, not a loose illustration.

Key Points

• Psalm 102:25–27Psalms 102:25–27 · King James Version^102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. ^102:26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: ^102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.Psalms 102:25–27 · King James VersionOpen source is a prayer to the LORD who laid the foundation of the earth. Hebrews 1:8–12Hebrews 1:8–12 · King James Version^1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ^1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. ^1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: ^1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; ^1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.Hebrews 1:8–12 · King James VersionOpen source says “unto the Son he saith,” and then quotes that prayer.
• Joel 2:32Joel 2:32 · King James VersionAnd it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.Joel 2:32 · King James VersionOpen source says whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be delivered. Romans 10:13Romans 10:13 · King James VersionFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Romans 10:13 · King James VersionOpen source quotes it of the Lord the reader confesses, and Romans 10:9Romans 10:9 · King James VersionThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.Romans 10:9 · King James VersionOpen source has just named Jesus.
• Acts 2:21Acts 2:21 · King James VersionAnd it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.Acts 2:21 · King James VersionOpen source quotes the same Joel line, and Acts 2:36Acts 2:36 · King James VersionTherefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.Acts 2:36 · King James VersionOpen source says God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ.
• Psalm 68:18Psalms 68:18 · King James VersionThou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.Psalms 68:18 · King James VersionOpen source says the LORD ascended and received gifts. Ephesians 4:8Ephesians 4:8 · King James VersionWherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.Ephesians 4:8 · King James VersionOpen source says he gave gifts, and applies the ascent to Christ.
• Isaiah 45:23Isaiah 45:23 · King James VersionI have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.Isaiah 45:23 · King James VersionOpen source is the LORD’s oath that every knee will bow to him. Philippians 2:10–11Philippians 2:10–11 · King James Version^2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ^2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:10–11 · King James VersionOpen source says that at the name of Jesus.
• John 12:41John 12:41 · King James VersionThese things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.John 12:41 · King James VersionOpen source says Isaiah saw his glory, after quoting Isaiah 6. 1 Peter 3:151 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen source says sanctify the Lord God, where Isaiah 8:13Isaiah 8:13 · King James VersionSanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.Isaiah 8:13 · King James VersionOpen source says sanctify the LORD of hosts.
• Hosea 11:1Hosea 11:1 · King James VersionWhen Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.Hosea 11:1 · King James VersionOpen source and Matthew 2:15Matthew 2:15 · King James VersionAnd was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.Matthew 2:15 · King James VersionOpen source are a different kind of line: Israel called out of Egypt, then the child Jesus. That is pattern. The rows above are the LORD’s own words set on the Son.

The Lines

The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Acts 2:21 reads “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” (13) The Greek is τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου, “the name of the Lord.” Joel’s Hebrew is the name of the LORD. Peter’s sermon spends the next verses on Jesus, risen and at the right hand. Who Is Jehovah? is how that translation handles the name. The Greek word in Acts and Romans is Lord, and the person the chapters identify is Jesus.

Ephesians 4:8Ephesians 4:8 · King James VersionWherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.Ephesians 4:8 · King James VersionOpen source does not copy Psalm 68:18Psalms 68:18 · King James VersionThou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.Psalms 68:18 · King James VersionOpen source word for word. The psalm says he received gifts among men. Paul says he gave gifts unto men. The ascent is the same event Paul then explains: he that ascended is the one who descended, which is Christ. The verb “gave” is Paul’s application of the spoil to the ministers he lists in the next verses. It is still the LORD’s ascent, said of the Son.

Repurposing, and Typology

A real objection is that the New Testament sometimes takes an Old Testament sentence about Israel, or about a servant, and sets it on Jesus without claiming that the earlier sentence was already a speech about the Son’s identity. Hosea 11:1Hosea 11:1 · King James VersionWhen Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.Hosea 11:1 · King James VersionOpen source says, when Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. Matthew 2:15Matthew 2:15 · King James VersionAnd was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.Matthew 2:15 · King James VersionOpen source says the child’s return from Egypt happened so that this word might be fulfilled. Hosea is talking about the exodus of the nation. Matthew is talking about Jesus. That is a pattern: the son Israel, then the Son. It is not a claim that Hosea 11 was a conversation about the infant in Bethlehem and about nobody else.

Isaiah 49:6Isaiah 49:6 · King James VersionAnd he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.Isaiah 49:6 · King James VersionOpen source says it is a light thing that the servant should raise up the tribes of Jacob, and that the LORD will also give him for a light to the Gentiles. Acts 13:47Acts 13:47 · King James VersionFor so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.Acts 13:47 · King James VersionOpen source has Paul and Barnabas quote that line of their own mission. The servant song is larger than the two missionaries. The apostles use it. They do not say Isaiah 49 was written as a biography of Paul.

Those two uses are typology and application. The table above is a different move. Hebrews does not say the Son is like the God of Psalm 102. It says the Father says the psalm’s “thou, Lord” to the Son. John does not say Isaiah’s vision illustrates Jesus. It says Isaiah saw his glory. Philippians does not say every knee bows the way it bows to the LORD. It puts the LORD’s oath on the name of Jesus, to the glory of God the Father. Identity is the writer saying this person is the one the older sentence addressed. Pattern is the writer saying this person repeats a shape in Israel’s story. Both happen in the New Testament. They are not the same claim.

Did Jesus Exist Before He Was Born? is the rock in the wilderness and John 8:58. Psalm 110: Who Is David’s Lord? is a messianic psalm whose first word is the divine name and whose second lord is H113. That psalm is not in this table, because the New Testament quotes it as David’s words about the Messiah at the right hand, not as a sentence that already said “you, Yahweh” to Jesus.

The Christian Claim

Jesus is the LORD the prophets spoke of, and he is the Son the Father addresses. That is one God, not two. The Trinity is the confession. Does 1 Corinthians 8:6 Mean Only the Father Is God? is the verse that keeps “one God, the Father” and “one Lord, Jesus Christ” in a single sentence. The rows in the table are why the second title is not a lower god.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Every Old Testament Quotation Mean Jesus Is Yahweh?

No. Matthew’s use of Hosea 11:1 is the child repeating Israel’s path out of Egypt. Hebrews’ use of Psalm 102 is the Father speaking the Creator’s praise to the Son. The page separates those.

Why Does Ephesians 4:8 Say “Gave” When the Psalm Says “Received”?

Paul applies the ascended LORD’s gifts to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers he names next. The change of verb is in the letter. The person who ascended, in Paul’s next sentence, is Christ.

Keep Reading

• Who Is Jehovah?
• Does Jehovah Belong in the New Testament?
• Messianic Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled
• What Is the Deity of Christ?
• Did Jesus Exist Before He Was Born?