“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
My Notes
What Does Genesis 1:27 Mean?
The creation of humanity is described with a unique intensification. God created everything else by speaking. But for humanity, the language becomes personal: God created man in his own image. The threefold repetition — created, image of God, created — underscores the significance.
"Image of God" (imago Dei) is one of the most consequential concepts in all of theology. It means human beings carry something of God in them — not physically, but in their capacity for relationship, creativity, moral reasoning, and self-awareness. You are a representation of God in the world.
"Male and female created he them" establishes that both sexes equally bear God's image. This was radical in the ancient world. The image of God isn't limited to one gender. Both carry it fully.
This verse is the theological foundation for human dignity, equality, and worth. Every person — regardless of ethnicity, status, ability, or age — bears the image of God. Every violation of human dignity is, at its root, a violation of something sacred.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean to you personally to be made in the image of God?
- 2.How does 'male and female created he them' speak to the equal dignity of both genders?
- 3.How would treating every person as an image-bearer change your daily interactions?
- 4.Where have you lost sight of your own image-bearing worth? What caused that?
Devotional
In the image of God. That's not a description of what you've achieved. It's a description of what you are. Before you did anything, before you proved anything, before you succeeded or failed at anything — you were made in the image of God.
That means your worth isn't earned. It's inherent. It was built into you at the level of creation, before performance entered the picture.
Male and female created he them. Both. Equally. The image of God isn't a masculine thing or a feminine thing. It's a human thing. And both expressions of it are necessary to reflect who God is.
What would change if you treated every person you encountered today as an image-bearer? The person who frustrates you. The person you disagree with. The person you'd rather not see. They carry the same image you do.
And what would change if you treated yourself that way? The voice that says you're not enough, that you're too broken, that you've lost whatever value you once had — that voice is arguing against Genesis 1:27. You were made in the image of the most creative, powerful, loving being in existence. That's still true.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
So God created man in his own image,.... Which consisted both in the form of his body, and the erect stature of it,…
- VIII. The Sixth Day 24. בהמה behēmâh, “cattle; dumb, tame beasts.” רמשׂ remeś, “creeping (small or low) animals.”…
We have here the second part of the sixth day's work, the creation of man, which we are, in a special manner, concerned…
The reiteration of the principal words in the clauses of this verse has something of the rhythm of poetry. Repetition…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture