Some Trinitarians will use this passage in an attempt to prove that there are actually two Yehovahs. This is sometimes supported by mentioning that there was an angel, or a representative, or some person being called Yehovah speaking to Abraham at this time. Since it is also claimed by Trinitarians that this figure is a pre-human Elohim the Son, it is asserted that we observe two Yehovahs here: one on earth, and one in heaven.
While this verse contains two references to the name Yehovah (the LORD), it is does not say there are two Yehovahs. Bible readers should shudder at the thought of more than one Yehovah. The Scriptures have made this impossible: “You alone are Yehovah” (Neh 9:6), “Yehovah is one” (Deut 6:4), “He is Elohim, there is no one else besides him” (Mk 12:32, Deut 4:35), and so on.
Modern readers must not misunderstand Hebrew prose and do something frightful like saying there is more than one Yehovah. This language in Genesis is simply saying that Yehovah rained down fire from the same Yehovah. What we are encountering here is simply a construct of the Hebrew language. Elsewhere we read that:
“Abraham took.. every male among the men from Abraham’s house” (Gen 17:23)
Here Abraham took from Abraham. But there are not two Abrahams.
“Then Solomon assembled… unto Solomon” (1 Kings 8:1)
There are not two Solomons.
“when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah… to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam” (1 Kings 12:21).
There are not two Rehoboams.
Therefore in Genesis 19:24 when Yehovah rains down fire from Yehovah, we must ask if it is really the text itself or a far-reaching search for Trinitarian dogma that drives a recognition of two distinct Yehovahs? There are other interesting Hebrew constructs to consider when approaching this language:
Ezekiel says “And the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of Elohim into Chaldea” (Ez 11:24).
Two Spirits?
Lamech says “For I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me” (Gen 4:23).
Two murdered youths?
We must not belabor Hebrew speech with the thought-forms of later Christian philosophy. Yeshua himself never attested that Yehovah consists of more than one personality: “Yehovah our Elohim is one Lord” (Mark 12:29ff); "You [Father] are the only true Elohim" (John 17:3).
Furthermore, a consideration of the law of agency will be useful in understanding Genesis 19. The Bible demonstrates that there were angels and men who were called “Elohim” and “Yehovah” as they operated in Elohim's place. For example, the angel in the burning bush who was both addressed as and spoke as Yehovah (Acts 7:30), the angel who wrestled Jacob who was called Elohim (Hos 12:4), Moses who was called Elohim (Ex 7:1), and more.
Yeshua also directly speaks of this principle, that Elohim's messengers were addressed and described as Elohim: "He called them Elohim to whom the word of Elohim came" (John 10:36). This explains the messenger (angel) standing before Abraham being addressed as Elohim; a messenger who speaks as Yehovah and is called by his name.