Who Was God Talking To In Genesis 1:26?

Who was God talking to in Genesis 1:26 when he said, “Let Us make man in Our image…”?

Introduction

The book of Genesis records the beginning of times and how everything on earth came to be.

The Bible says God created the heavens and the earth and everything within it by the words of His mouth, portraying Him as the one and only creative force.

From Genesis 1:3-25, God gave a direct command, decree, or declaration when creating.

For example, in Genesis 1:3, “God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” That shows God acting independently.

However, there was a switch in language and the use of pronouns when God wanted to create man in Genesis 1:26.

It says, “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.”

Using “us” and “our” creates a picture of multiple creators.

That has been a subject of debate amongst Bible scholars and Christians about who was with God during creation or who He was referring to.

The Bible expressly states that there is only one God, no other God, and He alone made all things (Nehemiah 9:6, Isaiah 66:2).

If that is the case and the Bible emphasizes that God is not the author of confusion, who was God talking to in Genesis 1:26?

There are a few interpretations of Genesis 1:26.

Let’s discuss some.

Who was God talking to in Genesis 1:26?

Majestic plural

The majestic plural, also known as the “royal we” or “pluralis maiestatis” in Latin, is the use of a plural pronoun such as “we” or “our” to address or refer to one person.

It is often used by monarchs, rulers, or other figures of authority to convey power, greatness, prestige, or a sense of authority.

So, instead of saying, “I have decreed…”, a king might say, “We have decreed …”

That was what God did in Genesis 1:26 when He said, “Let Us make man in Our image.”

 God also used this same grammatical form in Genesis 3:22; Genesis 11:7; and Isaiah 6:8.

These four verses emphasize God’s divine sovereignty, the key decision maker and final authority in the universe.

One of God’s most common names in the Old Testament, Elohim reflects the majestic plural. “Elohim” is a plural noun, meaning “gods” in Hebrew.

The singular form of Elohim is Eloah. However, in the Bible, it is often used as a singular noun to refer to God, the One true God of Israel.

Therefore, God was not speaking to anyone in Genesis 1:26 but Himself.

He was referring to Himself as the creative force of the universe, with the power and authority to create man in His likeness.

His choice of words also solidifies the idea that He was speaking to Himself.

Man was created in the image of God alone. Genesis 5:1-2 confirm that God made man, male and female, in His image and likeness, not in the image of gods or angels.

The singular pronoun was expressly used in that instance.

Other verses that prove that we were all created in the image of God are Genesis 9:6, James 3:9, and Psalm 8:3-8.

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Trinity

The Trinity is a concept in Christian theology that refers to the triune nature of God, including God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity does not rule out the fact there’s only one true God.

Instead, it shows the three personalities or dimensions through which God operates or manifests Himself.

For example, God the Father is the Almighty God, the invisible One (1 Timothy 1:17).

God the Son is Jesus Christ or God in the flesh.

This dimension of God is visible and lived amongst men, yet He was not an ordinary man but God.

Jesus speaking in John 10:30, says, “I and My Father are one.”

God the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of God living in believers today, filling them with divine power and God’s Wisdom and connecting them to God (Acts 2:17, Matthew 28:19, John 14:16-17)

Therefore, it can be said that when God was about to create man, He used “us” and “we” to refer to the remaining personalities in the Trinity, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Man has a body, soul, and spirit.

These three dimensions are quite related to the Trinity.

The body is the physical dimension of man like Jesus was the physical dimension of God when He was on earth.

Man’s soul is the invisible dimension part of man, just as the Father cannot be seen.

Man’s spirit is what connects man with God, just as the Holy Spirit.

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Speaking to angels

The third widely held interpretation of Genesis 1:26 is that God was speaking to His angels when He was about to make man.

Angels are celestial beings and have been right from the beginning of times.

For example, Lucifer, the devil, is an angel who rebelled against God with one-third of the angels in heaven before they were defeated and cast down into the earth (Revelation 12:7-9, Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-18).

Although the Bible didn’t give a specific time, the war in heaven happened to be able to ascertain whether it was before or after the creation period.

It is, however, assumed that it was before the creation because Bible records that the serpent or the devil came into the Garden of Eden, deceived Eve, and made her eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3).

As such, the angels were around before the creation of man.

However, there are debates that angels were created and not creators themselves.

Nehemiah 9:6 says, “You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all.The host of heaven worships You.”

The host of heaven are angels, created by God.

So, God cannot consult them before creating man.

God created the angels to carry out specific divine assignments, including worshiping Him (Psalm 148:1-2, Revelation 19:6-7, Revelation 4:6-11).

Therefore, God and angels are not on the same level.

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