And God said, Let US make......

[Jon]

Genesis 1:26
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.

I just noticed today that it said 'us'. What do you think when you notice the 'us' in that verse?
(just wondering)

 

[CopticOrthodox]

Some people say that it means that there is more than one God. We know that's wrong, and doesn't fit with the rest of the Bible, but it would be a good criticism if we didn't have any explanation for what it means. Some say that God's refereing to Himself in the royal we (royalty always refer to themselves in the third person), but that's an English tradition, not a Hebrew one, so it dosen't bear out. The only possibility that leaves for me is the Tritinty. I know that the mystery of the Trinity wasn't revealed yet in the OT, but that doesn't mean God didn't know about it. We know that everything was created by the Father. St. John's Gospel starts "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The sam was in the begining with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." Gn 1 tells us the Spirit of God was moving (or brooding) over the waters. It's true that the word can also be rendered breath instead of Spirit, but in hindsite now knowing the Mystery of the Trinity I think it's safe to render it as Spirit in English. All three persons of the Trinity are active in the act of creation, and while it would be a long, long time before God revealed Himself to us as triune, He started the preparation right here.

 

[Jon]

<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:3</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> there be light: and there was light.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:6</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and <B>let</B> it divide the waters from the waters.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:9</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and <B>let</B> the dry land appear: and it was so.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:11</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:14</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and <B>let</B> them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:15</SPAN>
And <B>let</B> them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:20</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:22</SPAN>
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and <B>let</B> fowl multiply in the earth.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:24</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SPAN class=NavigationLinks>Genesis 1:26</SPAN>
And God said, <B>Let</B> us make man in our image, after our likeness: and <B>let</B> 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. </DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>Only 1:26 has 'us'.</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults><SUP>Genesis 1:27</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>God Said, Let us make.....</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>So God created man....</DIV>
<DIV class=SearchResults>&nbsp;</DIV>

 

[Jon]

Ok that didn't work

 

[Jon]

Genesis 1:3
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:6
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:9
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:11
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:15
And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:20
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:24
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

&nbsp;

Genesis 1:26
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.


Genesis 1:27&nbsp;So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

&nbsp;

Notice:

And God said, Let us make man...

So God created man.....

 

[Follower of Christ]

Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me, that where I am, they may be with Me also, that they may behold My glory which You gave Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
(John 17:24 LITV)



"who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation. For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible; whether thrones, or lordships, or rulers, or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him.
(Colossians 1:15-16 LITV)

 

[LewisWildermuth]

Today at 08:50 AM Jon said this in Post #1

Genesis 1:26
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.

I just noticed today that it said 'us'. What do you think when you notice the 'us' in that verse?
(just wondering)

Well there are several competing theories on this, I'll list a few that I know, I'm sure there are many more though...

1. It is a remnant of the poly-theistic leaning of the early Israelites that was later basically eradicated by Moses and the first commandment.

2. It is an early sign of the Trinity.

3. It a form of the "royal We". Basically God is so great and powerful that he refers to himself in the plural much like early kings and rulers.