Who are the "us" in Gen.1.26; And God said let us make man in our image and likeness.....?
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The Hebrew word translated "God" is Elohim (H430); which is also translated "gods" throughout the Hebrew canon (Ex.12:12,18:11), this is because Elohim is a plural noun. But when it is used for the God of Israel, it is in a grammatical singular sense because it governs the singular verb and adjective.
In the grammar of Gen.1:26, elohim is being used in its natural plural sense, by the plural verb "let us make", and the possessive pronoun "our". So it should read like this: And (the) gods (elohim) said let us make man in our image and likeness... these are the rebellious elohim of the divine counsel, that are suggesting that man be made in their image and likeness (1King.22:19-22;Ps.82;86.8;Dan.4.17); that's why the serpent later tempts them with the temptation, "you will be like(ness) the elohim (the gods)".
From this verse on it is the LORD God, not just Elohim (in order to make a distinction), that speaks to these (spirit beings) elohim (Gen.3:22;11:6-7; Isa.6.8); as the Most High Elohim of the divine counsel (Ps.89:5-8). Showing that God is not the one that is speaking in Gen.1.26, but rather what is being revealed is the introduction of the cosmic warfare motif.
And in response to their suggestion, it says "God made man in His own image" (not theirs), this seems to be the reason for the little poem of repetition that is in (Gen.1:27) in order catch the reader's attention on what is taking place in these verses (meditation literature).
The close context of verses 14-18, where the hosts of heaven (sun, moon, stars) are given rule over the day and night, and assigned with separating the light from the dark as God did in v.4 (delegated authority); which in ancient near eastern cosmology, the sun, moon, and stars are metaphorically used for the (elohim) gods. Who were believed to maintain the function of the cosmos. They wanted man to rule over earth as their image, instead of God they wanted the glory and worship (Deut.4.19), as they (the elohim) ruled in the heavens. Also note that spirit beings are referred to as stars throughout the scripture (Ps.148:1-3; Jud.5:20; Dan.8:10; Amos.5:26; Job.38:7; Rev.12:4,9).
Further evidence is clearly seen in Ps.8; which quotes Gen.1.28, speaking of the glory and honor that God allotted to Man over all creation ...thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou has put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen...Ps.8:6-8.
Paul's refence to Christs exaltation in Eph.1:22 quotes Ps.8 "And hath put all things under his feet" He describes these "all things" as the principalities, powers, mights and dominions; Eph.6.12 describes them as the rulers of darkness of this world, as the evil spirits in the heavens.
Well where does it mention in Ps.8, that evil heavenly ruling spirits would be included in these "all things" that are to be placed under Mans feet?
In Ps.8:3 "When I consider the work of your fingers the moon and the stars which you have ordained" it does not mention the Sun, but rather the moon and stars, which in Gen.1.14-18 where given dominion over the night (the rulers of darkness, Eph.6:12; Col.1:13).
Then in Ps.8:5 "For you made him a little lower than the elohim"; now remember that the moon and stars in Ps.8:3 are the works of Gods fingers, which are obviously part of the works of His hands, to which man has been given dominion over in Ps.8, that have been placed beneath his feet, to which Paul interprets as the evil spirits that have been placed beneath the feet of Christ; Man was made a little lower than the elohim(which the moon and stars that the psalmist was considering are meant to represent), but has now been exulted above them, above the evil spirits in the heavens (Eph.1.20-23).
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There is no mention in the narrative of any other spirit being, than God, until Genesis 3:1. Thus the narrative in Genesis 1 is to be understood only in regard to 'God' and no other. 'Elohim' is collective and may be translated by the word 'Deity'.
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Who are the "us" in Gen.1.26; And God said let us make man in our image and likeness.....?
Is this the trinity, and if it is how do we know?
A Catholic interpretation would be that this is simply a way the Holy Trinity would be speaking to themselves. Mankind was created by God and in his own image.
Only humans are uniquely created in the image and likeness of God, distinguishing them from all other earthly beings. We were made like Him so that we could be in relationship with Him—the one and only triune God. I would imagine that others Trinitarian Christian denominations like the Eastern Orthodox would see and read into this as plural sense as being a reference to the Sacred Trinity.
It makes more sense, when we actually see the fact that mankind, in the act of continuing (procreation) the human nature requires the ability of three being to create another human being: A father and mother is needed for the act of procreation and God is needed for the ensoulment of the baby’s soul in order to make it fully human and in the Image of God.
What does it mean when God said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26)?
Genesis 1 details the creation account of the all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign God. When God reaches His crowning creative act—the formation of human life—His wording changes from the impersonal “let there be” to the deliberate and intimate expression, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God’s plan for humans included giving them responsibilities on the earth: “And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26, ESV).
The original Hebrew word for “God” in Genesis 1 is the plural masculine noun Elohim. God, our Creator, chose to introduce Himself to us with a plural title. In Genesis 1:26—the first time in the Bible that God speaks about Himself—He uses the plural pronouns Us and Our. This passage is not the only instance in which God refers to Himself in plural terms (see Genesis 3:22; 11:7; and Isaiah 6:8). We find the plural Elohim more than 2,550 times in the Bible.
We know from Scripture that there is only one God, there is no other God, and He is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5, 6, 18; Mark 12:32; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5). So how can we understand the plurality of His name Elohim together with His statement, “Let Us make man in Our image?”
Bible scholars present several possible explanations:
Some believe that in Genesis 1:26 God refers to Himself and includes the heavenly assembly of angels, as in Job 1:6; 1 Kings 22:19–20; and Psalm 89:5. However, this theory falls apart because nowhere in Scripture does God say that the angels are made in His image or likeness. Another hypothesis suggests that the plural form is used to convey dignity and splendor, a language device called “plural of majesty.” Others chalk up the plural language to a technique known as “plural of deliberation,” used when a speaker consults with himself as the Lord does in Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’”
The conviction of the early church fathers was that Elohim’s statement, “Let Us make man in Our image,” communicates a complex and unified expression of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is One in three Persons: God the Father; God the Son, Jesus Christ our Savior; and God the Holy Spirit. Here in Genesis 1:26, the “Us” and “Our” indicate God the Father speaking in the fullness of His divine creative power to the Son and the Holy Spirit. A similar conversation among the Godhead is seen in Genesis 3:22: “And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.’”
Only humans are uniquely created in the image and likeness of God, distinguishing them from all other earthly beings. We were made like Him so that we could be in relationship with Him—the one and only triune God.
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