Who is the us that God is talking about in Genesis 1:26?

Bible Question:

I was reading my Bible today and I had a question about something in Genesis. In chapter 1, verse 26 it states “Then God said, 'Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life- the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.'” My first question is who is the “us” that God is talking about and who was He talking about when He said they would be created to be like “ourselves,” Who is the “us” and “ourselves?” Then in verse 27 it says God created male and female, and then in Chapter 2, verses 18-22 Scripture talks about God making woman. I don't understand that.

Bible Answer:

Genesis 1:26 describes the creation of man. But who is the “us” that God is talking about in Genesis 1:26? Here is the verse.

Then God said, “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 sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26 (NASB)

The answer to the question follows.

Who Is The Us

Who Is The Us?

Genesis 1:26 surprises us when we read “Then God said, “Let Us make . . .” Then we are surprised again when we read “in Our image,” and “according to Our likeness.” The two words “us” and “our” in this verse are plural. The same expression occurs two more times. The second time is in Genesis 3:22. It says,

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” Genesis 3:22 (NASB)

The third time it occurs is in Genesis 11:7,

“Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” Genesis 11:7 (NASB)

Therefore, what is the meaning of “Us.” There are a two major explanations of the meaning of “Us.”

Jewish Tradition

The first is a traditional Jewish explanation. It says the “Us” reveals that God called a meeting with the angels and asked them for advice.[1] There are two fundamental problems with this view. The first problem is that the Bible never says that God did that. That is just a guess. The second problem is why would God, who is greater in wisdom and knowledge than the angels, ask them for advice about creating man?

Pularity of God

A second explanation is that the “Us” refers to a plurality of Gods. The cults give this explanation. But the Bible repeatedly states that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29;Titus 2:5). Isaiah 44:6 strongly states that there is no other God. That is, there is only one God.

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.'” Isaiah 44:6 (NASB)

The Trinity

The third explanation is that God is a Trinity. That is the only view that satisfies the “Us” in the passage. The study series Jesus Is God explains the concept of the Trinity. It reveals that God is one. Then it demonstrates from Scripture that Jesus was God in the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Spirit is also God. A study in the Solid Roots discipleship series titled, “Who Is God?” explains the Trinity also. That is, there is overwhelming biblical support for the concept of the Trinity.

Who Is The Our and Own?

In Genesis 1:27 we also see the word “own.” This is important since the phrases “in His own image” (besalmo) and “in the image of ” (beselem) are all singular. How can we explain the plural “Us” in verse 26 and a singular “own” in verse 27? The answer to this question is that the Trinity is talking. It is common in Scripture to find a conversation within the Trinity (Psalm 2:7; Psalm 45:7; Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 11:27; John 8:42; and John 17:24).

Genesis 1:27 is a summary of God’s creation of mankind on the sixth day. In chapter 2, we have a flash-back and more explanation about the events on the sixth day.

Conclusion:

God desired that man would be like Him. When Genesis 1:26 reveals that God made man in God’s image, that means He gave man a will, emotion, and intelligence. We were made for His glory (Isa. 43:7). Since the fall our moral character has turned evil; but by depending on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, we can be declared to be holy and have the Holy Spirit start changing us,