Genesis 1:26–28
God makes human beings in his image, male and female, and blesses them
Study it word by word26And Elohim said, “Let us make the human being 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 creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27And Elohim created the human being in his image; in the image of Elohim he created him; male and female he created them.
28And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every animal that creeps on the earth.”
In its context
24And Elohim said, “Let the earth bring forth living beings according to their kind: livestock and creeping things and animals of the earth according to their kind.” And it was so.
25And Elohim made the animals of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good.
…
29And Elohim said, “Look, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that has fruit yielding seed; it will be food for you.
30And to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that creeps on the earth, that has life, I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Its words in the original
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- אֱלֹהִיםelohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- נַעֲשֶׂהnaase· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- אָדָםadam· human being, man, Adam
The Hebrew word "adam". It has three uses: (1) humanity in general, men and women alike: "human beings" (Genesis 1:27); (2) a particular man; in Genesis 2-4, the first man, "the man"; (3) the personal name of that first man, "Adam". In Hebrew "adam" sounds like "adamah", the ground he was formed from (Genesis 2:7).
- צַלְמֵtsalme· image
Image: something that represents another, that shows what he is like. The human being was made "in the image of God", the only creature of which this is said. It does not mean that God has a body or that the human being is a god. In other passages the same word names statues and idols, which the Bible forbids.
- דְמוּתֵdemute· likeness
Likeness, resemblance; form, model; "like". It goes with "image": the human being was made to be like God in some way and to represent him, without being equal to him.
- יִרְדּוּyirdu· rule, have dominion
Rule, have dominion over something; tread down.
- דְגַתdegat· fish
Fish; everything that lives in the water (a collective word).
- יָּםyam· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- עוֹףof· bird
Bird; any creature that flies. It is usually singular with a collective sense: "the birds".
- שָּׁמַיִםshamayim· heavens, sky
The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".
- בְּהֵמָהbehema· livestock, beast
Four-footed animal, above all livestock and domestic animals; sometimes all animals in contrast with human beings.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- רֶמֶשׂremes· creeping thing
Creeping things: animals that move along the ground or glide, reptiles and small animals. From the same root as "creep".
- רֹמֵשׂromes· creep, move
Move along the ground or glide: creep, crawl. It is said of small land animals and also of those that move in the water.
- יִּבְרָאyivra· create
Create: make something new exist. In its basic form this verb is used in the Hebrew Bible only when God is the one acting. In other forms it means "clear, cut down" (a forest) or "fatten".
- זָכָרzachar· male
Male; a man, or a male animal.
- נְקֵבָהnekeva· female
Female; a woman, or a female animal.
- יְבָרֶךְyevarech· bless, kneel
Bless. When God blesses, he gives good: life, children, fruit, prosperity. When a person "blesses God", he gives him nothing: he praises and thanks him. Between people, it is wishing the other the good that comes from God; also greet. The root also means kneel.
- פְּרוּperu· be fruitful
Bear fruit; be fruitful, have descendants.
- רְבוּrevu· multiply, increase
Become many, increase in number or amount; multiply. In the causative form, make many, do much.
- מִלְאוּmilu· fill, be full
Fill or be full; also fulfill or complete (a time, a word given).
- כִבְשֻׁchivshu· subdue
Subdue, bring under one's control and authority: of the earth, master it; of peoples, subjugate them; also force, bring into bondage.
- חַיָּהchaya· living, animal, life
Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".