They Are in One, an Exegesis

The literal sense of the phrase
Is, He is in one. In the language
Of the original verses,

There is the habitual use
Of the third-person masculine
Pronoun, not only to refer

To all non-specific persons,
As has been the case in English
Up until very recently,

But also to serve as stand-in
For a collective of persons.
We have here the collective He.

The more difficult decision
Was to translate in one as is.
The context makes clear that the one

Here refers to the difficult
Situation trapping the group,
And this literal sense remains,

As translated. But the phrase hides
A pun as well. These trapped people
Are simultaneously held

And protected within the whole
Of their singular deity,
With and surrounding them always.

So, here they are, in a pickle,
And yet unified and shielded
Within the love that is the One.

They are in One. They are really
In one. The whole narrative folds
Into a phrase. They’re trapped. They’re saved.