The “New Testament” claims that Yeshua is the Son of God—an inconceivable and offensive claim in the eyes of Judaism. How could the holy, eternal Creator of the universe have a human son? Did He defile Himself to procreate with humans? Did He father biological offspring as in Greek myths and pagan religions? Yet despite such cynical ad hominems and red herrings—and regardless of whether one is prepared to believe that Yeshua is indeed that very Son—the concept of God having a son is actually not so unbelievable. It is, in fact, deeply rooted in the history of Israel and in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Perhaps the Scripture’s most clear and unambiguous statements concerning God’s son is found in Exodus 4:22-23, where Moses is being instructed by God what to say to Pharaoh upon returning to Egypt. God tells Moses,

“And you must say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what Adonai has said, “My son, My firstborn is Yis’rael. And I say to you: send out My son, that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to send him out, look! I will be killing your son, your firstborn.”’”

According to the Torah, God does indeed have a son, and that son is the people of Israel. And not only does God call Israel His son, He also calls them His firstborn.
But in what sense is Israel God’s son? The answer is in Adonai’s threat to Pharaoh.

The firstborn son is unique among all children—he is the direct heir of the father, specially-treasured, and forever irreplaceable in the father’s heart and mind. By likening Israel to Pharaoh’s son, God is expressing His singular love and protection for Israel, but also an expectation for the future that only the firstborn of a father can fulfill. So in the same way that a threat to Pharaoh’s son is a threat to Pharaoh’s future kingdom, a threat to God’s son is an incitement against God’s kingdom. In Genesis 12:3, God promised to Israel’s patriarch Abraham, “blessed in you will be all the families… of the earth.” It was the fulfillment of this promise that was at stake in God’s dealings with Pharaoh—the fulfillment of a promise from a Father to a son.

Israel, then, is God’s son in the sense that He has a special love for Israel—as a father to his firstborn male child. God’s expectation for Israel as the inheritors of His promise is that they will carry on in His name. His hope is that, by acting according to His teachings, His son’s future would be fulfilled.

In addition to God calling Israel His son, he also referred the same way to King David. In Psalm 2:2, David, speaking in the third person, tells of the kings of the earth coming against Adonai and his anointed (Hebrew: משיח, mashiyach), whom God then calls in verse 6, “My King upon Zion.” Then in verse 7, David, now speaking in first person, says of himself,

“Adonai has said to me, ‘You are My son; today I have brought you forth.’”

The Hebrew here for “brought you forth” is the same word that is normally used to refer to childbirth. But while a woman “brings forth” a child through the act of childbearing, and a father “brings forth” through the act of fathering the child, in this instance, “bring forth” is being used metaphorically. This especially makes sense, given that God has called David his son. God is bringing David forth into a season of victory over the nations that are set against him.

David’s sonship, however, does not end with him. When God makes His covenant with David, He promises the establishment of David’s kingly line—and, therefore, His sons—forever. In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, God says to David,

“I will raise up your seed after you… and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house [the Temple] for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be to Me for a son…. And your house and your kingdom will be made steadfast before your face forever; your throne will be being established forever.”

Embedded with the covenantal promise of David’s eternal throne comes also the promise of eternal sonship, beginning with David’s son Solomon. As God reiterates the promise to establish an everlasting kingdom through David’s line, God says specifically of Solomon, “I will be a father to him, and he will be to Me for a son.”

The concept of God having a human son, then, is clear and well-established in the Hebrew Scriptures. He calls not only Israel his son, but David and then Solomon—to whom He also says He will be a father. God establishes with David that as long as his descendants sit on Israel’s throne, Israel’s king will always be a son of God.

And yet, the line of kings would eventually be cut off, as Israel and Judah were successively conquered by the nations. What would this mean for Israel and David’s eternal kingdom? What would it mean for the expectation of God’s anointed son? Would there arise another Son who would fulfill the Father’s promise?

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!