In Genesis when God says let US make man in our image, with whom was he speaking, and why do you think so?

Question

Hey Supergur didn't it read that God created just by speaking the words, and all things came into being? Didn't say anything about the angels helping!

Answer 1

God the Father spoke to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. As others have stated, this is the Trinity.

As far as the "image" part of your statement, I have heard it meant that God created man and woman to have a mind to know Him, a heart to love Him, and a will to choose whether or not to obey Him. That sounds mighty good to me.

Answer 2

I have studied this for a long time now. I have started to form an understanding of ancient Hebrew over the year and from the Hebrew words used, and their possible means, I think that this is a major translation misunderstanding.

(KJS) Gen 1:26 Reads: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..."

The first thing we need to look and is the word "God" here. The original word used is elohiym, a Canninite word which means the basic equivalent "gods, kings, rules, or great ones." It root is from the main Canninite god "El" but it seems that slowly the name El became the general singular term for divine entities. Once the word El, used as a name, became uncommon it was used in plural forms such as elohiym, meaning "all the gods."

Since I am unaware of any Hebrew words that mean divine being, it is likely that while in contact with the Canninite culture they picked up the word from common interactions and a means of refering to the Hebrew god in general terms. It is possible that the word being plural is not the intension of the Hebrews to convey multiple gods, but instead is meant to convey ultimate singularity. For example, if say someone asks a Hebrew who their gods were, they could have easily answered, "My gods are Yahweh, and he is one." The uses of the term elohiym I have found in non biblical sources seem to suggest that its use could possibly be used to convey the idea of "ALL the gods," or "ALL the power(or authority) of the gods". So for a Hebrew to say that their god is "ALL the power of the gods" in one singular god would be quite a statement.

The second thing about this verse is the word "said." This word is "amar," which can mean to speak, to answer, to command, to think, to tell, to call, to promise. It might be more accurate to translate it "And God commanded..." However I feel the word "said" is a perfectly acceptable way of conveying the idea that the Creator just decided that the man would exist and the verses that tell us this, in the bible, are told as if it were a story.

Finally the translations "us" and "our" are likely errors connected to the word elohiym being plural and are related errors of concept.

Answer 3

Some say the angels. The northern kingdom of Isreal abandoned strict monotheism in view of God as king of the Heavenly Host. But it could be nothing more than a grammatical peculiarity. The word "God" is "Elohim," which has a plural ending. Perhaps the plural ending clashed with the singular pronouns in the ears of the author.

Answer 4

it is my belief that he was talking to a Mother god. Some believe he was talking to Jesus. But if that were so then all people would be males since there would have been no female to make an image of.

In the ancient gnostic beliefs, god was both male and female, both yet neither. Its like the Ying and Yang of Asian belifs. It represents balance. Male and Female, dark and light, knowledge and wisdom. God the Father is balanced by Mother God. His mirror and equal. The love between the two is the Holy Spirit. Love so strong it becomes its own sacred entity.

My interpretation of that verse: "And we shall make them in OUR image, male and female we shall create them" It seems obvious to me that the creator who was talking was talking to a co-creator. And one was male and one was female, that's why man was created male and female in the image of God, because God is male and female.

It couldnt have been God and Jesus, cuz then all humans wouldve been male. Two males cannot create life, if that were the case then the only people to "be fruitful and multiply" wouldve been two men. and as we all know, the bible says two men together is an abomination.

Answer 5

Many people are confused about the phrase 'let us make man' found in Genesis 1:26, "And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Adherents of the doctrine of Trinity assert that because "let us" is plural, this means that God was speaking to two other gods, thus supporting the false doctrine that there are three persons in the Godhead - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are not three persons, but three manifestations of One God.

Let us study verse 27, which recounts the actual Creation. It says, "So God created man in His own image..." Take note that the Bible says, "God created man into His own image." It does not say, 'So they created man in their own images'
Back To Top

Many instances in the Bible tell us that the Lord is always accompanied by His angels. It has ever been so, since the beginning. God was with His angels even during the Creation. When the Lord said "let us" in verse 26, He was speaking to His angels - not with two other two gods.

Why did the Lord say, 'let us' make man in our own image?

Because angels are also made according to God's image. They are spirit, but they can also manifest in the flesh. The Word of God reveals that angels periodically presented themselves before the Lord.

* Job 1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." These sons of God are angels who are able to manifest themselves in human flesh.
* Job 2:1, "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord."

In Job 2:8, God reminds Job of the Creation: was he there with God and His angels during the Creation?

Job 38:7, "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

For further proof that God is always accompanied by two or more angels, let us read Genesis 18:1-2, "And the Lord appeared unto Him in the plains of Mamre. And he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them. He ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground."

Answer 6

He is speaking to Christ.

It says: In the beginning was the word (Christ) and the word was with God (the Father) and the word was God (son of God). without him was not anything made that was made - John 1.......

In other words, without christ, there was nothing made that was made.......

God said: "Let there be-!" and Christ proceeded to do the things which God had said. - He came unto us as a Carpenter! Let that tell you something!

where it is written, "Let us make man in our image".... You must realize that the image of God is not as the body of man, He is spirit. Therefore the image of God must be spirit. It is within each individual man according to Luke 17:21. It is said: The kingdom of God is within you. - that we are the temple of the Holy spirit which we have of God - 1 Corinth 6:19.

I assure you, He was talking to Christ..... They are as mirrors. the reflections of the generations of men are symbolic of the work between these two. There is a word where God speaks to Christ saying: "My spirit shall not always strive with men as he is also flesh....... so the smaller reflections as minute as they may seem, until the eye can see no more, is the last generation which is hard to see clearly when......

I assure you: He was talking to Christ!!! (John 1:1)


Your sister,
Ginger

Answer 7

I read an oral tradition written by mortals long after the fact.
The gist is holy enough but the translation isn't something the
Bible writers recieved as Mosus did engraved on stone. I'm inclined to think so because reader was obliged to inquire.
When you next hear our Lord I'd expect less qualifications

Answer 8

Some say the angels.

Some use this as support for the Trinity.

Some use this as support for a pantheistic, polytheistic, or deistic god.

Personally, I think that God was just talking to himself (kinda like a mad scientist or a Bond villain spelling out their plans out loud). He hadn't created anyone else to talk to yet--he was actually creating us because he was lonely.

Answer 9

Salam,
The angels didn't do such anything of the sort. The Lord was creating Adam, and he made him as he seen fit! Your father THOUST IN HEAVEN AS HE IS ON EARTH! ADAM!

He didn't have to talk to anything, that is dialog made by mankind. That is clear, the Lord needs not explain what he creates.

Answer 10

The Trinity was involved here. The Godhead speaking amongst themselves.