New English Translation
Genesis 1:26
26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then 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 livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Context of Genesis 1:26
24God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.” 27God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:26 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Let us makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- in our imageצֶ֫לֶםtselem · imageH6754
- after our likenessדְּמוּתdemûth · likenessH1823
- and let them have dominionרָדָהrâdâh · to ruleH7287
- over the fishדָּגָהdâgâh · fishH1710
- of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- and over the fowlעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- of the airשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and over the cattleבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
- and over all the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and over every creeping thingרֶ֫מֶשׂremeώ · creepingH7431
- that creepethרָמַשׂrâmaώ · to creepH7430
- upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
Cross-references for Genesis 1:26
- Genesis 3:22And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
- Genesis 11:7Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.”
- Job 35:10But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator, who gives songs in the night,
- Psalms 100:3Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
- Psalms 149:2Let Israel rejoice in their Creator! Let the people of Zion delight in their king!
- Isaiah 64:8Yet, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor.
- John 5:17So he told them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.”
- John 14:23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.
- 1 John 5:7For there are three that testify,
- Genesis 5:1This is the record of the family line of Adam. When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God.
- Genesis 9:6“Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God has made humankind.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:29This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.
- Acts 17:26From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live,
- 1 Corinthians 11:7For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.
Commentaries on Genesis 1:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26And God said, Let us make man - It is evident that God intends to impress the mind of man with a sense of something extraordinary in the formation of his body and soul, when he introduces the account of his creation thus; Let Us make man. The word אדם Adam, which we translate man, is intended to designate the species of animal, as חיתו chaitho, marks the wild beasts that live in general a solitary life; בהמה behemah, domestic or gregarious animals; and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24-31Verses 24-31 - VIII. The Sixth Day 24. בהמה behēmâh “cattle; dumb, tame beasts.” רמשׂ remeś “creeping (small or low) animals.” חוּה chayâh “living thing; animal.” חוּת־חארץ chayatô -chā'ārets “wild beast.” 26. אדם 'ādām “man, mankind;” “be red.” A collective noun, having no plural number, and therefore denoting either an individual of the kind, or the kind or race itself. It is connected in etymology with אדמה 'ădāmâh “the red soil,” from which…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-28Verses 26-28 Man was made last of all the creatures: this was both an honour and a favour to him. Yet man was made the same day that the beasts were; his body was made of the same earth with theirs; and while he is in the body, he inhabits the same earth with them. God forbid that by indulging the body, and the desires of it, we should make ourselves like the beasts that perish! Man was to be a creature different from all that had been hitherto made…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26Let Us make: This statement is more personal than the earlier command, "Let there be" (for example, 1:3, 6). Us: The use of the plural pronoun here has several possible explanations: It may refer to the Trinity (one God who exists forever in three persons). It may be a plural form used to show God’s greatness. It may describe God speaking to himself (a kind of inner council). It may describe God speaking with his heavenly court (angels). The idea of the…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. The last stage in the progress of creation being now reached--God said, Let us make man--words which show the peculiar importance of the work to be done, the formation of a creature, who was to be God's representative, clothed with authority and rule as visible head and monarch of the world. In our image, after our likeness--This was a peculiar distinction, the value attached to which appears in the words being twice mentioned. And in what did this…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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