Genesis 1:26

What does Genesis 1:26 mean?

On the sixth day of creation in Genesis 1, God makes humankind as the final act of creation. Instead of “Let there be”, he says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Verse 27 adds that he made them “male and female”, and both are given dominion, a responsibility for the earth and its creatures.

How can I apply Genesis 1:26 today?

Every person you meet bears God's image, including the ones who annoy you. Let that change how you speak to a coworker, a stranger or a family member today. And since dominion means responsibility, take one small step to care for the world entrusted to us, such as wasting less or tending something living.

In context · Genesis 1:24–28

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Topics

Faith