Genesis 1:26-28 explains that God created human beings in his own image, male and female, and gave them a calling to care for the earth and rule over its creatures on his behalf. The passage is the climax of the sixth day of creation, the moment when God’s work reaches its high point with the making of people.
Written at the opening of the Bible, these verses set the foundation for everything the rest of Scripture says about who people are and what they are for. They come right after God forms the land animals and before the account turns to the garden and the first man and woman.
26 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 birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 (WEB)
Genesis 1:26-28 Summary
God speaks in a kind of deliberation, saying “Let us make man in our image” and describing the authority people will hold over the fish, the birds, the livestock, and the creeping things. Then the text narrates the act itself: God creates humanity, male and female, in his image. The passage ends with God blessing them and giving them a command to multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.
The argument moves from intention to creation to commission. First God announces the purpose, then he carries it out, and finally he gives the people a mission and a blessing that equip them to live it out.
Context of Genesis 1:26-28
Genesis is the first book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses and written for the people of Israel as they were shaped into a nation. The book opens by telling the story of the world’s origins in a way that establishes God as the one true Creator, sovereign over everything that exists.
The verses immediately before this passage describe God filling the earth and waters with living creatures, and the verse after it shows God giving plant food to humans and animals alike. Verse 31 closes the sixth day by declaring that everything God made was very good, so the making of people sits inside a larger picture of a world pronounced good from start to finish.
Genesis 1:26-28 Verse by Verse
Psalm 8:4-6
4 What is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him? 5 For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet…
(WEB)
This psalm marvels that God would care for human beings and grant them a place of honor and authority within creation. It echoes the dominion language of Genesis and deepens the wonder of why people hold such a place.
James 3:9
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God.
(WEB)
James points out that the same tongue can bless God and curse people made in his likeness. The verse uses the image of God in Genesis as the reason every person deserves respect and honest, kind speech.
A Prayer Based on Genesis 1:26-28
Lord, thank you for making me in your image and for seeing my life as good before I had done anything to earn it. Help me remember that the people around me carry the same dignity, and let me treat them with the honor that belongs to those you have made. Show me how to care for the work and the world you have entrusted to me, using my hands and my time for your purposes. When I am tempted to measure myself by my productivity or by how others see me, remind me whose I am. Thank you for the blessing you have spoken over my life. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that humans are made in God’s image?
It means people reflect God’s character in ways no other creature does, including reason, moral awareness, creativity, and the capacity for relationship. This image is shared by every human being and gives each person inherent worth. It is not something people earn or can lose through their actions.
Does “dominion” in Genesis 1:28 mean people can do whatever they want with creation?
No, the dominion described here is a role of stewardship, not unchecked control. People are called to rule as God’s representatives, which means caring for creation with the same wisdom and goodness that God shows. Read in the wider Bible, this authority is always tied to responsibility before God.
Why does the passage mention male and female together?
Verse 27 states that God created humanity as male and female, and both are equally image-bearers of God. The text presents men and women as partners in the blessing and mission God gives in verse 28. This shared calling is a foundation for their equal dignity.
