Plural Pronouns in Genesis 1:26

The plural language associated with the image of God—“let us make humankind in our image”—has drawn much attention. Common interpretations include the following options.

Plurality within God—The Trinity

The expression may point to plurality within God. However, while Christians may observe the Trinity in this language, an ancient Israelite or Jew would never have presumed this. Furthermore, the language does not specify—or limit—the plurality to three persons. Elsewhere in the Old Testament, divine plurality language occurs in contexts that—if read as Trinitarian language—would result in its members being corrupt and wicked (e.g., Psa 82).

Plural of Majesty

The expression may be an example of the “plural of majesty,” a grammatical use of the plural that points to a fullness of attributes and powers. However, the plural of majesty is not used with pronouns or verbal forms. Since the verbal form is present in Genesis 1:26 and its parallel in Genesis 11:7 (“let us go down and confuse their language”), the plural of majesty does not represent a coherent explanation.

Self-Deliberation on God’s Part

With reference to Isaiah 6:8 (“whom shall I send and who will go for us?”), the plural language in Genesis 1:26 may be an expression of self-deliberation or self-encouragement—akin to the “editorial we.” This interpretation sees the plurality only in rhetorical terms; it describes the way someone might deliberate within him or herself over some decision.

However, this view may not work with the image as God’s representative. Neither does it cohere with Psalm 8 (which hearkens back to Genesis 1:26), which says in Hebrew that humanity was created a little lower than elohim (Psa 8:5). In this case, the word elohim is to be taken as a plural—as demonstrated by its citation in Hebrews 2:7, where the writer quotes the passage from the Septuagint, which renders elohim as “angels.” It makes little sense to connect the plurality with angels in Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2, yet have Genesis 1:26 as only self-referential.

An Announcement to the Heavenly Host

The most likely explanation for the plurality in Genesis 1:26 is that God—the lone speaker—is announcing His intention to create humankind to the members of His heavenly host (Psa 82; 89:5–8).

People regularly use this sort of language. For example, a mother might announce to her family, “let’s make dinner”—and then proceed to do so herself, without their involvement. Assuming the presence of an audience, or “heavenly host,” makes better sense of the plural pronouns than self-reference. This also represents the most coherent explanation for other plurality language in the Old Testament (Gen 11:7; Isa 6:8). God among His heavenly host is a familiar biblical description (e.g., Deut 33:1–2; Psa 68:17; 1 Kgs 22:19–23).

This interpretation raises the question of whether angels were also created in the image of God, and whether they took part in the work of creation. However, since the verbs of creation in Genesis 1:26–27 are grammatically singular, the angels did not participate in the creation of humankind. The singular suffix (“so God created humankind in his image”) indicates this as well.

Furthermore, angelic beings are also divine imagers—representatives of their Creator. Just as human beings reflect God’s image on earth, angelic beings reflect God’s image in their own realm: the spiritual world. They do God’s bidding in their own sphere of influence. In both the Old Testament and New Testament, angelic beings are described with administrative terminology, such as “prince” (Dan 10:13, 20–21), “thrones” (Col 1:16), “rulers” (Eph 3:10), and “authorities” (1 Pet 3:22; Col 1:16). First Kings 22:19–23 provides an illustration of the heavenly bureaucracy at work. In addition, Job 38:7–8 indicates that angelic beings were created before the foundations of the earth were laid, thus before humans existed. God’s decision to make humans as representatives of Him and His will on earth mirrors what He did in the spiritual world. God’s heavenly servants work as He would, in His place, in His name. The same would be true on earth.

Ultimately, the plural language in Genesis 1:26 is most likely God announcing the decision to His angelic imagers that, as things are in the heavenly realm, so they will be on earth.

Michael S. Heiser

Further Reading

The Image of God

Image of God CLBD

Genesis 1:26 Genesis 1–11:26 (NAC)