26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. (NIV)
These two verses can be tricky depending on what translation you use. I’ve been using the New International version so far but for fun I will show you these same verses in Blue, but that will be in another popular translation called the King James Version. Popular in the early 1600s when Shakespeare was alive and everyone talked like that. Here they are:
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.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (KJV)
In the NIV it appears to read that God made both male and female in His image. In the KJV it appears to read like God only created just the men in His image and the women are not at all created in God’s image. As if they were and are mere beasts of the field and to be treated as such by men who are the real super stars. As if guys are the ones God actually likes and women are “merely” the “helpers.” In a way, this can make sense as God does indeed refer to Himself in male pronouns. However, if you look at the word helper as it is translated into Hebrew it’s the same word used in other places in scripture to describe how God is our ever present help in times. God is “where our help comes from.” Perhaps women serve as a visual reminder of this truth. God absolutely made men and women different from each other to be good at different things. Maybe it’s not a “Ha! I’m better than you!” sort of thing though. The talents may be different between men and women, but this is actually an advantage for both. Either of them can chime in on the areas where the other is not as talented. When you look at it this way, even in the KJV, it doesn’t appear that one is really lesser than the other. It’s at least equal value for sure. If you don’t believe see lots of examples of this later in scripture. Let’s keep going. Back to the NIV now. It’s always good to look at different translations because they hit differently.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
God really enjoys blessing His people. It’s amazing that He lets us mere humans, even up to this day, play an extremely small part in His very own creative process. In case you didn’t know, being fruitful and multiplying, means God wanted Adam and Eve to have sex so that they would make more humans who would learn to follow Him. God rules over every living creature first and foremost, but He gives us a small part in that process too. As long as we don’t let it all go to our heads.
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
God is even happier than before with everything He has done. The first time He uses “very good” instead of just… “good.” Obviously He has every right to be pleased with Himself.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Rest after hard work is important. If God did so, we would do well to pay attention to that. Lots more on that to come later on.
Scriptures Discussed: Genesis 1:26-31, 2:1-4 NIV KJV but mostly NIV
IIWAC Creation: Humans, God’s Image
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. (NIV)
These two verses can be tricky depending on what translation you use. I’ve been using the New International version so far but for fun I will show you these same verses in Blue, but that will be in another popular translation called the King James Version. Popular in the early 1600s when Shakespeare was alive and everyone talked like that. Here they are:
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.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (KJV)
In the NIV it appears to read that God made both male and female in His image. In the KJV it appears to read like God only created just the men in His image and the women are not at all created in God’s image. As if they were and are mere beasts of the field and to be treated as such by men who are the real super stars. As if guys are the ones God actually likes and women are “merely” the “helpers.” In a way, this can make sense as God does indeed refer to Himself in male pronouns. However, if you look at the word helper as it is translated into Hebrew it’s the same word used in other places in scripture to describe how God is our ever present help in times. God is “where our help comes from.” Perhaps women serve as a visual reminder of this truth. God absolutely made men and women different from each other to be good at different things. Maybe it’s not a “Ha! I’m better than you!” sort of thing though. The talents may be different between men and women, but this is actually an advantage for both. Either of them can chime in on the areas where the other is not as talented. When you look at it this way, even in the KJV, it doesn’t appear that one is really lesser than the other. It’s at least equal value for sure. If you don’t believe see lots of examples of this later in scripture. Let’s keep going. Back to the NIV now. It’s always good to look at different translations because they hit differently.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
God really enjoys blessing His people. It’s amazing that He lets us mere humans, even up to this day, play an extremely small part in His very own creative process. In case you didn’t know, being fruitful and multiplying, means God wanted Adam and Eve to have sex so that they would make more humans who would learn to follow Him. God rules over every living creature first and foremost, but He gives us a small part in that process too. As long as we don’t let it all go to our heads.
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
God is even happier than before with everything He has done. The first time He uses “very good” instead of just… “good.” Obviously He has every right to be pleased with Himself.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Rest after hard work is important. If God did so, we would do well to pay attention to that. Lots more on that to come later on.
Scriptures Discussed: Genesis 1:26-31, 2:1-4 NIV KJV but mostly NIV