Gerald Janzen grouped interpretations of the word , echad, in  into two sorts: a word that says something about God (for example, "One" or "Unique") or a word that says something about God's claim on Israel (for example, "alone").
Gerald Janzen distinguished between two types of interpretations of the word "echad": those emphasizing God as a singular entity ("One" or "Unique"), and those highlighting God's exclusive claim over Israel ("alone").