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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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 sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
- BSB Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
- 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.”
- NASB Then God said, “Let Us make mankind 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 livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.”
- NLT Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God resolves to make humanity in his image to rule over creation. People uniquely bear God's likeness and represent his rule on earth.
Overview
The creation account reaches its high point as God deliberates, 'Let us make man in our image,' and grants humanity dominion over the creatures. The plural 'us' has been understood by many Christians as an early hint of the Trinity, while others see a plural of majesty or divine counsel; either way the verse sets humanity apart. Bearing God's image means humans are made to reflect his character and steward his world, a calling perfectly fulfilled in Christ, the true image of God (Colossians 1:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 30
- Col 3:10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
- Eph 4:24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
- Ps 8:4–8What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
- Gen 3:22And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
- Gen 5:1This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
- Ps 100:3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
- 2 Cor 3:18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.
- Gen 9:2–4And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
- Isa 64:8But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
- Col 1:15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
- Heb 2:6–9But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
- Jas 3:9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
- 2 Cor 4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- 1 Cor 11:7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
- Acts 17:28–29For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
- Gen 9:6Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
- Eccl 7:29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
- Acts 17:26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
- John 14:23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
- 1 Jn 5:7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
- Isa 6:8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
- Ps 149:2Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
- Ps 104:20–24Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
- Jas 3:7For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
- Gen 11:7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
- Jer 27:6And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
- John 5:17But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
- Job 35:10But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;
- Job 5:23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
- Acts 17:20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Lay
The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.
Pastoral
The beloved devotional-pastoral classic, free and public domain — warm, quotable, verse by verse.
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 1:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.