Why is the plural used for God in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7, and Isaiah 6:8 all use a plural pronoun (“us” or “our”) rather than expected singular pronouns (“I” or “me”). These passages do not explain why God chose to speak that way. Based on the immediate context of Genesis 1:26–27, we can see that “us” refers to God. In Genesis 1:26, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The “us” in verse 26 must be limited to God, alone, as that’s how verse 27 limits it.

Limiting the passages to God, there are two probable explanations. The first is that God was simply using the language of majesty (known as the “plural of majesty”). This would be similar to how a king might speak about “our rule” rather than “my rule.” While plausible, perhaps a better argument is that this is the hint that God is triune. While we needed to wait until the New Testament to get the full revelation that God is one in three Persons, even in Genesis there are other examples where we clearly see a mysterious distinction between the Persons of the Godhead (Genesis 1:2; 18:1–2, 16–21).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Genesis 1:26 starts with, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’”
• Genesis 3:22 says, “Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of us ….”
• Similarly, quoting God, Genesis 11:7 says, “Come, let us go down ….”
• Additionally, Isaiah 6:8 says, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’”
• In each of the above cases, God uses a plural first-person word (“our” and “us”) when we might have expected a singular word like “I” and “me.”
• The Bible is what we call “progressive revelation.” That means that God revealed more and more about who He is, His plans, and so forth, progressively—that is, over time. These early verses with God referring to Himself with plural words gives us a hint about Him, but we need to look at future revelation to understand things more clearly.
• For starters, we know from the rest of Scripture that God could not be referring to “us” in terms of multiple gods. The Bible presents God as one God. The law of Moses states, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). God, Himself, also says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5). He also said, “Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:8). All of those verses mean that there is only one God.
• Additionally, it is also unlikely that God was referring to Himself along with other beings such as angels (like a “creation council”). That is because God is talking about making men and women in His image. In Genesis 1:26, He says, “in our image” but then in the next verse we are taught, “God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). It does not say that God created man in His and others’ image. So, the plural “us” in verse 26 must be the same reference as the singular “his” in verse 27.
• This leaves us with two plausible explanations. The first is that this is an example of the “plural of majesty.” The plural of majesty was used when a ruler or king spoke about himself in the plural form as a reference to his greatness. For example, instead of saying, “my rule,” a king might say “our rule,” even if he was speaking only about himself. Some Hebrew scholars believe this is the proper understanding of these verses. God, in His greatness, referred to Himself as “us” as other rulers did during that time.
• A second valid explanation is that these are the early peeks into God as triune. While we learn most about the Trinity from the revelation we receive in the New Testament, the concept that God was both one yet somehow a plurality of Persons was already known by Abraham’s time, long before Moses wrote Genesis 1:26.
• In Genesis 18 we have a fascinating account where Abraham overhears a conversation between Yahweh and … Yahweh! Yahweh first asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do …?” (Genesis 18:17–19) to which Yahweh replies, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry …” (Genesis 18:20–21). Though more revelation was needed before we could understand this exchange in light of the Trinity, it shows that even early revelation revealed enough to know that there was something mysterious about God’s oneness. Therefore, while Moses may not have known the details that we have with the New Testament, he could still have written “us” in Genesis 1:26 without it being a complete surprise to him.
• Genesis 1 includes a reference to “the Spirit of God … hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2; c.f., Psalm 104:30). While that’s a small detail, it shows that even in the immediate context, there was something mysterious going on, where we have “God” and “the Spirit of God” working together.
• While a preview of the Trinity seems preferable and consistent with the other hints we get in Genesis and Exodus, this passage is vague enough that either solution could explain the Genesis passages in ways that are faithful to the text. Therefore, we should not be dogmatic. In either case, this passage shows us just how great our Creator is!

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• There are no statements in the New Testament that are similar to the “let us” statements in Genesis. However, from it we get a clearer picture of God being a triune God. The clearest statement on the Trinity is probably Matthew 28:19. There, Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In this statement, the word “name” is singular and yet Jesus lists three Persons (Father, Son, and Spirit). That is consistent with the Old Testament’s statements that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4) while also potentially helping to explain mysterious passages like the “let us” ones under discussion.
• Another Trinitarian example in the New Testament is Matthew 3. “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16–17). In this passage, all three Persons of the Godhead are represented. Jesus was there, finishing His baptism; God’s Spirit was there, settling on Him; and the Father was there, speaking from heaven.
• Multiple verses in the New Testament letters reference two or three Persons of the Trinity together. One example is 2 Corinthians 13:14, which says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Verses like the Genesis passages where the plural is used for God boggle our minds even with the full revelation of Scripture. Imagine how much greater the mystery to those who only had less of God’s revelation! The reason we struggle with these passages is because we are talking about the eternal, unsearchable, and unknowable God. In contrast to Him, we are finite creatures. While we can understand three things that are kind of one, for example an egg, we have no clue what to think about God who is three in one, where each Person is distinct yet also the same essence (unlike an egg where the shell, white, and yolk are different things).

Even if God was “merely” referring to His majesty in these passages, He was still referring to Himself as the God who speaks and creation comes into existence (Genesis 1), who walks on the wind (Psalm 104:3), doing whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3), and is everywhere at once (Psalm 139:7–10) yet also particularly with believers (Matthew 28:20; John 14:16–17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 13:5). In short, God is God alone—there is none like Him (Isaiah 45:5).

What do we do with this knowledge which we can’t fully understand? We praise Him! We obey Him! We glorify Him! We remember that we are dust and thank Him for considering us and lifting us to a place of honor in His creation (Psalm 8:3–8). We marvel at how an infinite God would give finite, rebellious creatures a thought, and we wonder how such a majestic God doesn’t immediately crush us for our rebellion. Indeed, we should wonder most of all at a God who is so gracious that He willingly crushed His Son so that we might live forever through Him (Isaiah 53:5).

God is a majestic, triune God. The implication of that knowledge? We worship Him!

UNDERSTAND

• The plural language (“us,” “our”) in Genesis reflects either God’s majestic self-reference or an early hint of the Trinity.
• The Old Testament affirms God is one, so the plural does not imply multiple gods or angels.
• The New Testament clearly reveals God as triune—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—clarifying the mystery hinted at in Genesis.

REFLECT

• How does knowing that God is majestic and triune affect the way you view His power and presence in your life?
• How does the mystery of God’s oneness and plurality challenge or deepen your faith?
• How can you respond in worship and obedience to a God who is infinitely greater than you can fully understand?

ENGAGE

• How does the Old Testament use of plural pronouns for God connect to the New Testament’s revelation of the Trinity?
• How does understanding God’s triune nature impact our understanding of God’s character?
• What are practical ways we can live out worship of a majestic, triune God in our daily lives?