So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

GENESIS 1:27KJV
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Genesis 1:27 (KJV)

What does Genesis 1:27 mean?

Genesis 1:27 says that God created human beings in His own image, making both male and female as a reflection of Himself. This verse highlights that every person, regardless of gender, shares a special likeness to God.

In the setting of Genesis 1, the verse is part of the creation account, where God is described as making the world and everything in it. The focus here is on humanity’s unique place in creation, as God intentionally forms people to bear His image. This statement is addressed to anyone reading or hearing the story, emphasizing the dignity and value given to all humans from the very beginning.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 1:27

  • God (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim): This is a plural form often used for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing majesty and greatness.
  • Created (בָּרָא, bara): This verb is used in the Hebrew Bible only for God’s creative activity, suggesting a unique, divine act that humans do not perform.
  • Man (אָדָם, adam): This word can mean “humanity” or “mankind” in general, not just a single male individual.
  • Image (צֶלֶם, tselem): This word means “image” or “likeness,” pointing to a resemblance or reflection, not a physical copy. It suggests that humans share certain qualities or capacities with God, such as reason, creativity, or moral awareness.
  • Male (זָכָר, zakhar) and Female (נְקֵבָה, neqevah): These words make it clear that both men and women are equally included in being made in God’s image.

Why Genesis 1:27 matters

  • Genesis 1:27 corrects the idea that only certain people or only men reflect God’s image; it clearly states that both male and female are included.
  • This verse sets the foundation for human dignity and equality, showing that every person has worth because they are made in God’s image.
  • By placing this statement at the start of the Bible’s story, Genesis 1:27 shapes the way readers understand all human relationships and responsibilities in the rest of the text.

Where else these words appear

“image” Hebrew H6754 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 1:26 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.
  • 1 Samuel 6:5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
  • Psalms 73:20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

“female” Hebrew H5347 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
  • Leviticus 4:28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
  • Leviticus 27:5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

“created” Hebrew H1254 · used in 46 verses

  • Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  • Psalms 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
  • Isaiah 45:12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

“male” Hebrew H2145 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
  • Leviticus 12:7 Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.
  • Deuteronomy 4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,