So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
What does Genesis 1:27 mean?
Man was made last of all the creatures: this was both an honour and a favour to him.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 1:26-28 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 1:27
Created. - Man in his essential part, the image of God in him, was entirely a new creation. We discern here two stages in his creation. The general fact is stated in the first clause of the verse, and then the two particulars. "In the image of God created he him." This is the primary act, in which his relation to his Maker is made prominent. In this his original state he is actually one, as God in whose image he is made is one. "Male and female created he them." This is the second act or step in his formation. He is now no longer one, but two, - the male and the female.
Key words
- created
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So God created man in his own image,.
- image
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So God created man in his own image,.
- image
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So God created man in his own image,.
Context in Genesis 1
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Genesis 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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