Who Are the 'Us' and 'Our' in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22? A Biblical Analysis of God's Plural Language

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I. Introduction to the Issue: The Identity of “Us” and “Our”

In both Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 3:22, readers encounter divine self-references in the plural: “Let us make man in our image,” and “The man has become like one of us.” These plural expressions have generated interpretive debate for centuries. The aim of this article is to examine these expressions exegetically and theologically using the Historical-Grammatical method of interpretation, remaining faithful to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and high view of Scripture. From the earliest centuries, these verses have posed the question: Who is God speaking to in these moments of divine deliberation?

Genesis 1:26–27 (UASV):

26 And God went on to say, “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 heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 3:22 (UASV):

22 Then Jehovah God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil; and in order that he may not put his hand out and take fruit also from the tree of life and eat and live forever—”

In both instances, plural pronouns—“us” and “our”—stand in apparent tension with the consistent monotheistic declarations of the Hebrew Scriptures. These passages have historically drawn various explanations, most prominently: the divine council theory, the royal or majestic plural theory, and the plurality-in-unity view within the Godhead. This article contends that the last of these offers the best interpretive solution, harmonizing with broader biblical teaching, and supported by both internal contextual evidence and related scriptural data.

II. The Language of Plurality: The Grammar of Elohim and Pronouns

The Hebrew word translated “God” in Genesis 1:26 is אֱלֹהִים (elohim), which is grammatically plural due to its “-im” ending. However, throughout the Old Testament, elohim is most frequently used with singular verbs and adjectives when referring to the true God, indicating that it functions as a singular noun in context.

The phrase “Let us make man in our image” uses a plural cohortative verb form (נַֽעֲשֶׂה, na‘aseh, “let us make”) and plural possessive pronouns (“our image,” “our likeness”), while verse 27 reverts to the singular: “God created man in his own image.” This shift from plural to singular within two verses reinforces the uniqueness of the speaker and eliminates the idea of a group of deities.

Importantly, Genesis does not use plural verbs when speaking of God’s actions; the consistent singular verbs applied to elohim argue against the polytheistic or semi-polytheistic interpretations. It also excludes the idea that elohim refers to a class of divine beings participating in creation. Therefore, the plural pronouns demand an explanation that harmonizes with strict monotheism and the use of elohim as a singular noun with plural form.

III. Rejection of the Angelic Council Interpretation

One prominent interpretation suggests that the “us” and “our” refers to God addressing a heavenly host or angelic council. This view, sometimes called the “divine council” view, borrows conceptual parallels from ancient Near Eastern literature, especially the Ugaritic texts where high gods convene with divine assemblies. However, this interpretation breaks down upon closer analysis of both the text and biblical theology.

First, Genesis 1:27 states unequivocally that man was made in God’s image, not in the image of angels or other heavenly beings. Angels are not said to be creators, nor is there any biblical support for humans being made in the image of angels. The consistent testimony of Scripture is that humans bear the image of God alone (cf. Genesis 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9). Angels are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14), and nowhere do they share in God’s act of creation.

Second, God never includes angels in decisions of this magnitude elsewhere. The concept of angelic participation in divine decrees is absent from the Old Testament. Instead, the biblical picture consistently portrays angels as agents of God’s will, not deliberative partners with God. That being the case, the angelic-council view must be rejected on both theological and grammatical grounds.

IV. Rejection of the Royal Plural Interpretation

Another suggestion is that the plural pronouns reflect a “majestic plural,” a literary device wherein a single person, especially a monarch, uses plural forms to denote dignity or greatness. This is sometimes called the “plural of majesty.” While this exists in some languages such as English or modern Hebrew, there is no firm evidence that ancient Hebrew employed such a royal plural in verbal or pronominal usage in divine self-reference.

Notably, no human monarch in the Old Testament uses plural pronouns to speak of himself in the way God does in Genesis 1:26 or 3:22. Moreover, the use of plural verbs or pronouns as a “royal we” when referring to oneself is unattested in Old Testament Hebrew. Therefore, applying the royal plural to Genesis 1:26 and 3:22 lacks linguistic foundation and must be dismissed as an anachronistic imposition.

V. Plurality in Unity: Internal Communication within the Godhead

The most coherent interpretation within a conservative, evangelical framework is that the plural pronouns reflect intra-Trinitarian communication—a divine self-deliberation among distinct persons of the one true God. This view is consistent with biblical monotheism while also allowing for a plurality of persons within the Godhead, a concept that is fully revealed in the New Testament, though dimly foreshadowed in the Old.

Genesis 1:26 is not a record of a conversation with created beings but rather of divine self-consultation, reflecting plurality within the one divine essence. This correlates with later revelation where the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons, coequal in deity, sharing the divine nature. Though the full doctrine of the Trinity is not expounded in Genesis, its roots are found in this use of plural pronouns.

VI. Scriptural Corroboration for a Plurality within God

Several other Old Testament texts hint at plural distinctions within the Godhead:

In Genesis 19:24, we read: “Then Jehovah rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Jehovah out of the heavens.” This verse contains two uses of the divine name in close proximity, suggesting a distinction in persons.

In Psalm 110:1, David writes: “Jehovah says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Jesus cites this passage (Matthew 22:44) to indicate that David was referring to two distinct persons—Jehovah and another Lord (the Messiah).

In Isaiah 48:16, the speaker—who claims divine prerogatives—says: “And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, with his Spirit.” Here we observe a threefold reference: the Lord God, the speaker (a divine figure), and His Spirit.

These passages, while not full expositions of Trinitarian doctrine, fit the framework of a plurality within the one God, a framework into which Genesis 1:26 and 3:22 comfortably fit.

VII. The Role of the Son in Creation

Scripture repeatedly affirms that the Son of God, prior to his incarnation, was active in the creation of all things. John 1:3 states: “All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that has come into being.”

Colossians 1:15-16 adds:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, because all things in the heavens and on the earth were created by him, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

Hebrews 1:2 likewise tells us that God “has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the ages.”

The most theologically detailed Old Testament reference is found in Proverbs 8:22–31, where wisdom is personified as a master craftsman. While some have attempted to limit this passage to poetic personification, the New Testament uses similar language for Christ himself. 1 Corinthians 1:24 refers to Christ as the “wisdom of God.” In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is called “the beginning of the creation by God,” echoing Proverbs 8:22, “Jehovah produced me as the beginning of his way.”

Thus, the Son was actively involved with the Father in the creation of the world, harmonizing perfectly with the plural “Let us make man” and “man has become like one of us.”

VIII. Genesis 3:22: “Man Has Become Like One of Us”

This second usage of “us” in Genesis 3:22 further reinforces the concept of internal divine discourse. After the fall, Jehovah God says: “The man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.” Again, angels are not in view here. Nowhere are angels said to know good and evil in a moral judicial sense comparable to God. This knowledge is not about moral awareness in a generic sense but about experiential and judicial knowledge of moral categories—a prerogative reserved for the Creator.

By choosing to defy God’s command, Adam and Eve tried to establish moral autonomy. In that sense, they sought equality with God in determining good and evil for themselves (cf. Genesis 3:5). God’s comment reflects that their action brought a tragic imitation of divine prerogatives, hence the somber declaration: “man has become like one of us.”

This does not suggest divine insecurity but underscores the seriousness of man’s rebellion. The divine “we” again shows internal deliberation within the Godhead, a consistency of communication not shared with creatures, emphasizing that the divine persons are engaged in redemptive and judicial decisions from the beginning.

IX. Summary of Key Interpretive Findings

The plural pronouns in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22 are best understood not as references to angels or as majestic plurals but as communications within the Godhead—an early indication of the Trinitarian distinctions that would later be fully revealed in the New Testament. The passages align with other Old Testament texts that hint at divine plurality within unity, and they harmonize perfectly with the New Testament revelation of the role of the Son in creation.

There is no contradiction or theological error in the biblical text. Instead, there is a progressive unfolding of revelation, beginning in the earliest chapters of Genesis and culminating in the clear New Testament affirmations about the nature of God.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).