Credible Theories
Hebrew Bible · Genesis 1:26; 2:7

'Let us make man in our image'

ReferenceGenesis 1:26; 2:7
Writtenc. 900–450 BCE (two sources)
SetCreation of humans
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

A group designs humans on their own template, from earth material plus something of their own. The same recipe as Atrahasis: clay plus a god's blood.

What scholars say

The plural is usually read as God speaking to his heavenly council.

Council of gods Looks like technology

Quick answers about Genesis 1:26

Where is Genesis 1:26 found?

Genesis 1:26; 2:7 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Genesis 1:26 written?

c. 900–450 BCE (two sources).

What do scholars say about Genesis 1:26?

The plural is usually read as God speaking to his heavenly council.

Rabbit holes in this passage

TextAtrahasisThe Babylonian epic where overworked gods strike, humans are made from a slain god's blood and clay, and the Flood is sent to silence them.

Sources

  1. King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with ApocryphaPrimary text
  2. Atra-hasis, ed. and trans. W. G. Lambert and A. R. Millard, Atra-hasis: The Babylonian Story of the Flood (Oxford, 1969)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated