―And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven,
which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased‖. (Luke 3:22)
Before we continue, please read the section ―Y‘shua and Jewish Education‖ under ―Matt 13:55-58: Is not this
the carpenter's son?‖ to get a better understanding of the fourth Jewish lifecycle.
In Rabbinic literature, a reference is made to ―a voice from heaven‖ called ―Bat Kol‖; which literally means a
―daughter of a voice‖. This is understood to be an oracle, a declaration of the Divine Will. Many people use
these verses to establish the doctrine of the Trinity, but this has absolutely nothing to do with that. Perhaps
an over-simplification of its description is to say that the Bat Kol is heaven‘s public address system.
It is important to remember that the people witnessing these events were Jews, and things were being done
so that they would understand what was happening. It was not written for our Hellenistic mindset. If we want
to understand these things, we have to learn to think like a First Century Jew.
My beloved Son
From the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanach – Old Covenant):
(7) I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten
thee.
(8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession.
(9) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
(10) Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
(11) Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
(12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in him‖. (Psalm 2:7-12)
From the Rabbinic Writings:
―Our rabbis have taught that this concerns the Messiah-King..‖. (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki)
―If it [Psalm 2] be interpreted of the Messiah, the matter is clear‖. (Aben Ezra)
―Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (May he reveal
himself speedily in our days!), "Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee", as it is said, I will tell of the
decree etc. this day have I begotten thee, ask of me and I will give the nations for thy inheritance‖.
(Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a)
The Exegesis:
―And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened
unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from
heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased‖. (Mat 3:16-17)
(1) ―And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an
high mountain apart,
(2) And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as
the light.
(3) And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
(4) Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
(5) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him‖. (Matt 17:1-5)
(1) ―Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
(2) (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
(3) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh;
(4) And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead: (Rom 1:1-4)
Technical note on the translation, "kiss the Son":
Some scholars dispute the translation, ―kiss the Son‖. They claim that this in an unwarranted rendering of the
Hebrew phrase ―nashqu bar‖, translated by Christians in order to apply the passage to Y‘shua. The Tanakh –
The Holy Scriptures: The new JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew text, translates nashqu