The LORD Our Righteousness — Jeremiah 23:5–6
Chapter 1
A Rebuttal of the Trinitarian Reading of Jeremiah 23:5–6
An Examination of Theophoric Names, Reading Direction, and the New Testament Witness
Trinitarian Argument Strength: ★★☆☆☆ 2 out of 5
Surface-level appeal based on the presence of the divine name in the title, but collapses immediately when Jeremiah 33:16 gives the identical name to Jerusalem.
——————— Part One ———————
The Trinitarian Claim
1.1 — The Passage
Jeremiah 23:5–6 is one of the most common Old Testament verses that Trinitarians point to when arguing that the Messiah (Christ) is Yahuah (God). Here is the passage:
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. — Jeremiah 23:5–6 (KJV)
The key phrase is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” In Hebrew, this is YHWH Tsidkenu. The entire Trinitarian argument depends on what this phrase means.
1.2 — What Trinitarians Claim
Trinitarians argue like this: the Branch (the coming Messiah) is given the name YHWH. Since YHWH is the personal name of the Almighty, the Messiah must therefore BE Yahuah. In other words, they say the name proves that the Messiah is not just a human king but Yahuah in the flesh.
Some also try to use the Granville Sharp rule to support this reading. But that rule is a Greek grammar observation that applies to certain patterns in the New Testament. It has no power over a Hebrew title in the Old Testament. It cannot override the plain meaning of the text — especially when Jeremiah 33:16 gives the exact same name to Jerusalem.
1.3 — The Logical Problem Before We Even Open the Text
The Trinitarian argument has a basic flaw you can spot before looking at a single Hebrew word. They pull the divine name out of the phrase and apply it to the Branch on its own. That is reading backwards. The correct way to read it is to take the whole phrase together: “YHWH Tsidkenu” is the name — the complete phrase. The word tsidkenu (“our righteousness”) tells us something about what Yahuah does through this king. It does not say the king IS Yahuah.
On top of this, Hebrews 1:1–2 tells us that Yahuah (God) spoke through the prophets in the past, and only “in these last days” spoke through His Son. The Son was not the one speaking in the Old Testament — Yahuah was. The Branch in Jeremiah 23 is the one being spoken about, not the one doing the speaking.
——————— Part Two ———————
Verse-by-Verse Examination
2.1 — Verse 5: The Branch Is Raised by Yahuah
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. — Jeremiah 23:5 (KJV)
Yahuah is the one speaking. He says He will raise up a Branch for David. Right away, the relationship is clear: Yahuah is doing the raising, and the Branch is being raised. The Branch does not raise himself. If the Branch were Yahuah, then Yahuah would be raising Himself up for David — which makes no sense.
2.2 — Verse 6a: Judah Saved, Israel Secure
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: — Jeremiah 23:6a (KJV)
Everything the Branch accomplishes is described as something Yahuah does through him. Judah is saved and Israel lives in safety — not because the Branch is Yahuah, but because Yahuah’s righteousness works through this Davidic king. This is the same pattern we see all through the Old Testament. Moses freed Israel from Egypt, but Moses was not Yahuah. Joshua led them into the promised land, but Joshua was not Yahuah. Kings and judges ruled with authority that came from Yahuah, but none of them were Yahuah.
2.3 — Verse 6b: The Name
and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. — Jeremiah 23:6b (KJV)
Pay close attention to the wording: “his name whereby he shall be called.” The text does not say “he will be the LORD.” It says he will be called by a name. And that name is the full compound phrase: YHWH Tsidkenu. This is what we call a theophoric name — a name that contains the divine name but describes what Yahuah does, not the identity of the person carrying it. As we will see in Part Three, this pattern appears everywhere in the Hebrew Bible.
2.4 — Jeremiah’s Wordplay on Zedekiah
Jeremiah is doing more than just giving a title here — he is making a sharp contrast. The last kings of Judah, including Zedekiah, carried names that include the idea of “righteousness.” Zedekiah literally means “Yahuah is my righteousness.” But the whole context of Jeremiah 23 is an accusation against these rulers for being unrighteous. They failed. So when Yahuah promises a future Branch who will be called “The LORD our Righteousness,” the point is a reversal: the current kings claim righteousness in their names but do not deliver it. The coming king will actually bring it — because Yahuah’s righteousness will flow through him.
2.5 — The Hebrew Wording Supports a Title, Not an Identity
In English, the phrase “he shall be called” can sound like a direct equation — as if “being called something” means you literally ARE that thing. But in Hebrew, “name” clauses work differently. They often describe a title that is given to someone — a name that represents what people will say about Yahuah’s work through that person. It is what the community declares about Yahuah’s faithfulness, not a label that changes the person’s nature.
We know this is how it works because Jeremiah 33:16 uses the exact same clause for Jerusalem: “she shall be called The LORD our Righteousness.” Nobody thinks Jerusalem literally becomes Yahuah. The name simply means: this is the place where Yahuah’s righteousness is on display. The same is true for the Branch.
——————— Part Three ———————
The Theophoric Name Pattern
3.1 — What Is a Theophoric Name?
A theophoric name is a name that includes a reference to a deity but describes what that deity does — not the identity of the person carrying it. Hebrew culture is full of these names. Isaiah (Yeshayahu) means “Salvation of Yah” — but Isaiah is not salvation. Elijah (Eliyahu) means “My God is Yah” — but Elijah is not Yahuah. Zechariah means “Yahuah remembers” — but Zechariah is not the act of remembering. Nehemiah means “Yahuah comforts.” Daniel means “My judge is God.” Immanuel means “God is with us.” In every single case, the name talks about Yahuah while being given to a human person.
3.2 — Places, Altars, and Objects Called YHWH
This pattern goes beyond people. Abraham named the mountain where he almost sacrificed Isaac “YHWH Yireh” (“The LORD will provide” — Genesis 22:14). Nobody says the mountain is Yahuah. Moses built an altar and called it “YHWH Nissi” (“The LORD is my banner” — Exodus 17:15). Nobody says the altar is Yahuah. Gideon built an altar and called it “YHWH Shalom” (“The LORD is peace” — Judges 6:24). Nobody says the altar is Yahuah. Ezekiel says the future Jerusalem will be called “YHWH Shammah” (“The LORD is there” — Ezekiel 48:35). Nobody says the city is Yahuah.
Every time a compound name includes YHWH, it tells us something about what Yahuah does in connection with the person, place, or thing. It never turns the bearer into Yahuah. To claim it works differently in Jeremiah 23:6 is to make up a rule that is broken by every other example in Scripture.
3.3 — Jeremiah 33:16 — The Killer Parallel
This is the single strongest piece of evidence against the Trinitarian reading, and it comes from the same book, just ten chapters later:
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. — Jeremiah 33:16 (KJV)
The exact same name — YHWH Tsidkenu — is given to Jerusalem. Think about that. If the Trinitarian logic is right — that having this name makes you Yahuah — then Jerusalem is also Yahuah. That is absurd. The name describes what Yahuah does through the thing that carries the name. Yahuah works His righteousness through the Messianic king, and Yahuah works His righteousness through Jerusalem. Neither the king nor the city IS Yahuah.
Even the Ellicott commentary, which was written by Trinitarian scholars, admits this: “It is significant that in Jeremiah 33:16 the same name is given to Jerusalem. There it is clearly not the predicate of the city, but that which she takes as her watchword.” If it does not make Jerusalem into Yahuah, it does not make the Branch into Yahuah either. That one verse alone destroys the argument.
3.4 — A Modern Analogy
Here is a simple way to think about it. If a hospital is named “God’s Healing Hand,” nobody would say the hospital is God. The name describes what God does through the hospital. If a charity is called “The Lord’s Mercy,” nobody would say the charity is the Lord. The name tells us that the Lord’s mercy operates through that organization. “The LORD our Righteousness” works the same way — it tells us that Yahuah’s righteousness flows through the king who carries this title.
3.5 — The Full Tetragrammaton Is Never a Personal Name
Jewish scholars have pointed out an important detail: when a person in the Bible has a name that includes part of the divine name, the full four-letter name YHWH is never used as part of their everyday name. Personal names use short forms like Yah (as in Isaiah, Zechariah, Nehemiah) or Yeho (as in Jehoshaphat, Jehoram). The full YHWH only shows up in titles given to places, altars, and prophetic designations — never as a personal name for a human being. This tells us that “YHWH Tsidkenu” is a prophetic title about what Yahuah does through the Branch, not a personal name saying the Branch is Yahuah.
3.6 — Royal “Righteousness” Names
The Bible has a pattern of connecting “righteousness” language to kings and rulers. Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.” Adonizedek means “lord of righteousness.” Zedekiah means “YHWH is my righteousness.” None of these names make the ruler into Yahuah. They describe the ruler’s connection to divine righteousness. Jeremiah is doing the same thing: Judah’s current kings have failed to deliver righteousness, but the coming Branch will succeed — because the righteousness he brings belongs to Yahuah and is supplied through his reign.
3.7 — The Jewish Reading Confirms Agency, Not Identity
Jewish interpreters have always read “YHWH Our Righteousness” as a statement about what Yahuah provides through the Branch — not a claim that the Branch literally is Yahuah. This is the same conclusion we already reached from Jeremiah 33:16. A city or a king can carry a divine-name title because it is the place or the person where Yahuah’s saving righteousness is put on display. The name honors Yahuah. It does not replace Him with the person carrying it.
——————— Part Four ———————
The New Testament Witness
4.1 — The Righteousness of Yahuah Through the Messiah
If the name “YHWH Tsidkenu” means that Yahuah is the source of righteousness and the Branch is the one who delivers it, we should expect the New Testament to say the same thing. And it does — over and over.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. — 1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV)
Paul says Yahuah (God) made the Messiah “unto us righteousness.” The righteousness comes from Yahuah. Yahushua (Jesus) is the one who delivers it to us. Paul does not say the Messiah IS Yahuah. He says Yahuah used the Messiah to bring us righteousness. That is exactly what the name in Jeremiah 23:6 means.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)
We become “the righteousness of God in him.” The righteousness belongs to Yahuah. The Messiah is the way we receive it. Paul keeps the two separate: Yahuah is the source, the Messiah is the channel.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. — Romans 3:21–22 (KJV)
The righteousness belongs to Yahuah. It comes to us through faith in Yahushua the Messiah. Yahuah owns the righteousness; the Messiah delivers it. This is the exact same idea that Jeremiah packed into one Old Testament name.
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. — Philippians 3:9 (KJV)
Paul says it plainly: the righteousness is “of God.” It comes through the Messiah, but it belongs to Yahuah. Every New Testament passage about righteousness says the same thing: Yahuah is the source, the Messiah is the agent. This is the meaning of a theophoric name — not a claim that the Messiah is Yahuah.
4.2 — The Consistent Pattern of Agency
Hebrews 1:1–2 tells us that Yahuah spoke through prophets in the past and through His Son in these last days. The Son did not do the speaking in the Old Testament — Yahuah did. The Son is the appointed heir through whom Yahuah now speaks and acts. This is the same relationship we see in Jeremiah 23: Yahuah raises a Branch, and through that Branch, Yahuah’s righteousness is established. The Branch carries Yahuah’s authority, wears a name that honors Yahuah, and delivers Yahuah’s righteousness to the people — all without being Yahuah.
——————— Part Five ———————
Summary and Conclusion
5.1 — What the Text Actually Says
Jeremiah 23:5–6 is a promise from Yahuah to raise up a righteous Davidic king. This king will bring justice, salvation, and safety to the people. He will carry the title “The LORD our Righteousness” — a name that tells us Yahuah is the source of righteousness, not a name that turns the king into Yahuah. We know this because Jeremiah 33:16 gives the exact same name to Jerusalem, and nobody claims a city is Yahuah. Every theophoric name in the Old Testament — YHWH Yireh, YHWH Nissi, YHWH Shalom, YHWH Shammah, Immanuel — works the same way: they describe what Yahuah does, not the identity of the bearer.
Jeremiah’s own wordplay strengthens this further. The title “YHWH Our Righteousness” is a direct contrast with Zedekiah and the failed kings whose names claimed righteousness but whose reigns delivered the opposite. The Hebrew wording allows the name to function as a banner — a public declaration of what Yahuah provides through His appointed king — not an equation of identity. Jewish interpreters have always read it this way. And the New Testament confirms it: Yahuah’s righteousness comes through the Messiah (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:21–22; Philippians 3:9), but the Messiah is always the agent, never the source.
5.2 — What the Trinitarian Reading Requires
To hold the Trinitarian view of this passage, you have to accept all of the following: that a divine name inside a compound title makes the bearer literally Yahuah — even though this rule is broken by every other theophoric name in the Bible. That Jeremiah 33:16 should be ignored, even though it gives Jerusalem the identical name. That the Granville Sharp rule (a Greek grammar principle) can override a Hebrew title in the Old Testament. That every New Testament passage which separates Yahuah’s righteousness from the Messiah’s role should be set aside. That Hebrews 1:1–2 does not mean what it says about the Son not speaking in the Old Testament. And that the long tradition of Jewish and Hebrew scholarship is wrong about how theophoric names work. That is a lot to assume for a single verse — especially one that Jeremiah himself explained by giving the same name to a city.
5.3 — Conclusion
The Branch is not Yahuah. The Branch is the king that Yahuah promised to raise up for David — a king through whom Yahuah’s righteousness will be established on earth. His name tells us about Yahuah, not about the king’s nature. Mountains, altars, cities, prophets, and kings all carry names that include YHWH without being YHWH. The Messiah is no exception.
As Yahuah declared through Moses:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. — Deuteronomy 6:4 (KJV)
Yahuah is one. He has always been one. The Messiah is His appointed king — not a second Yahuah.
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If the name “The LORD our Righteousness” makes the Branch into Yahuah, then Jerusalem is also Yahuah — because Jeremiah 33:16 gives her the exact same name.