 McIntosh argues that the theory neatly sidesteps a number of common objections to three-self theories: here, God is a self and not merely a group or a composite object which is less than a self. In contrast with three-self theories, as a literal self, personal pronouns may be literally used of him. And this group which is a “he” can have the divine attributes which imply being a self, such as omniscience and moral perfection. (See sections  2.4,  2.5.) It also, McIntosh argues, either falsifies or casts doubt on the key premise in Tuggy’s divine deception argument against three-self theories (175–7, 180; see section  2.3.)  Following some Old Testament scholars, McIntosh claims that ancient Israelites recognized many groups, including their own nation, as literal (group, functional) persons. He argues that this belief explains a number of oddities in the Old Testament, such as the idea of group guilt, apparent beings which seem in some sense to be extensions of Yahweh’s personhood, and texts which switch easily between singular and plural subjects (177–80).