The Meaning of Genesis 1:26 Explained

Genesis 1:26

KJV: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

YLT: And God saith, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that is creeping on the earth.'

Darby: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.

ASV: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And God  said,  Let us make  man  in our image,  after our likeness:  and let them have dominion  over the fish  of the sea,  and over the fowl  of the air,  and over the cattle,  and over all the earth,  and over every creeping thing  that creepeth  upon the earth. 

What does Genesis 1:26 Mean?

Study Notes

make man in our image
Man. Genesis 1:26 ; Genesis 1:27 gives the general, Genesis 2:7 ; Genesis 2:21-23 the particular account of the creation of man. The revealed facts are:
(1) Man was created not evolved. This is
(a) expressly declared, and the declaration is confirmed by Christ Matthew 19:14 ; Mark 10:6 ,
(b) "an enormous gulf, a divergence practically infinite" (Huxley) between the lowest man and the highest beast, confirms it;
(c) the highest beast has no trace of God-consciousness--the religious nature;
(d) science and discovery have done nothing to bridge that "gulf."
(2) That man was made in the "image and likeness" of God. This image is found chiefly in man's tri-unity, and in his moral nature. Man is "spirit and soul and body" 1 Thessalonians 5:23 .
"Spirit" is that part of man which "knows" 1 Corinthians 2:11 and which allies him to the spiritual creation and gives him God-consciousness. "Soul" in itself implies self-consciousness life, as distinguished from plants, which have unconscious life. In that sense animals also have "soul" Genesis 1:24 . But the "soul" of man has a vaster content than "soul" as applied to beast life. It is the seat of emotions, desires, affections Psalms 42:1-6 . The "heart" is, in Scripture usage, nearly synonymous with "soul." Because the natural man is, characteristically, the soulual or physical man, "soul" is often used as synonymous with the individual, e.g. Genesis 12:5 . The body, separable from spirit and soul, and susceptible to death, is nevertheless an integral part of man, as the resurrection shows; John 5:28 ; John 5:29 ; 1 Corinthians 15:47-50 ; Revelation 20:11-13 . It is the seat of the senses (the means by which the spirit and soul have world-consciousness) and of the fallen Adamic nature. Romans 7:23 ; Romans 7:24 .
us , Genesis 11:7

Context Summary

Genesis 1:20-31 - Man Creation's Crown
Creation reveals God's nature, as the picture the artist. His eternal Power and Godhead are visible in His works. See Romans 1:20. And all things and beings were made through Jesus Christ. Consider Colossians 1:15-16. The hands of the Son of God wove the blue curtains above us and filled them with luminaries. The seas are His and He made them, and filled them with living creatures. The woodlands are the outcome of His mind, and He filled them with flowers and birds. He taught them to live without care. He filled the tiny heart of the mother-bird with love to her young and blessed her. His are the cattle on a thousand hills. He molded the red earth into His own likeness and made Man. We were made to have dominion. See Psalms 8:6-8. Ask Him to put all things, especially all the evil things of your heart, under your feet. The world is good, and if you were good, you would find it so. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 1

1  God creates heaven and earth;
3  the light;
6  the firmament;
9  separates the dry land;
14  forms the sun, moon, and stars;
20  fishes and fowls;
24  cattle, wild beasts, and creeping things;
26  creates man in his own image, blesses him;
29  grants the fruits of the earth for food

What do the individual words in Genesis 1:26 mean?

And said God let Us make man in Our image according to Our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־ הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־ הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־ הָאָֽרֶץ

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֱלֹהִ֔ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה  let  Us  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אָדָ֛ם  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ  in  Our  image 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: צֶלֶם 
Sense: image.
כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ  according  to  Our  likeness 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: דְּמוּת  
Sense: likeness, similitude adv.
וְיִרְדּוּ֩  and  let  them  rule 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רָדָה 
Sense: to rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down.
בִדְגַ֨ת  over  the  fish 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: דָּגָה  
Sense: fish.
הַיָּ֜ם  of  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
וּבְע֣וֹף  and  over  the  birds 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֹוף  
Sense: flying creatures, fowl, insects, birds.
הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם  of  the  air 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙  and  over  the  livestock 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּהֵמָה  
Sense: beast, cattle, animal.
וּבְכָל־  and  over  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וּבְכָל־  and  over  every 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ  creeping  thing 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֶמֶשׂ  
Sense: creeping things, moving things, creeping organism.
הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ  that  creeps 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָמַשׂ  
Sense: to creep, move lightly, move about, walk on all fours.
הָאָֽרֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.