Genesis 1:26
And he is saying elohim, let us make red-one within the shadow-phantom of ourselves,43 according to our model!44 And they have climbed down45 in a fish46 of the Sea, and in a flying-one of the Dual-Heavenly-ones, and in the behemah, and in the whole of the Earth, and in the whole of the Gliding-one the Gliding-one47 upon the Earth.
צלמ- Phantom: What they made
And mighty ones is saying, "Let us make man ("adam") within the phantom shadow of ourselves, according to the model of ourselves!" And they have climbed down within a fish of the Sea, and within a flying one of the Dual Heavenly Ones, and within the Beast, and within the whole Earth, and within the whole Creeping One, the Creeping One upon the Earth!And God will say, We will make man in our image according to our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every creeping thing creeping upon the earth.
And God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.
And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of heaven, and over the cattle and all the earth, and over all the reptiles that creep on the earth.
Footnotes
| 43 | The Shadow Phantom/Illusion The preposition for “in” (-ב) is never used as a function of comparison anywhere in the Hebrew scriptures. That function belongs to -כ which is used with the next word “figure”. The suffix is possessive, “our shadow”. Strong’s #6754, tselem. “From an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom”. A shadow image. Cf. Gesenius. “A dark-one and a death-phantom [tsel]…” Job 3:5 literal “they have come in the phantom shadow [tsel] of my beam…” Genesis 19:8 literal “a man [ish] is walking himself about only in a phantom [tselem]. They are roaring only a vapor,. He is heaping up and he is perceiving not who gathers themselves!” Psalm 39:6 literal The form נעשה can be a Qal imperfect 1st person plural, meaning “we are doing” or “we are making” or a Qal perfect passive 3rd person masculine singular, meaning “he was done” or “he was made” Anything made within shadows is probably contrary to that which is made in the light. |
| 44 | Strongs’ #1823, demuth. Model, figure, form, similitude, of external appearance, figure, pattern, shape. Examples are “pattern of the altar” 2 Kin. 16:10, and “figure of adam” Ezekiel 1:5 |
| 45 | The interpretation of "to rule" is taken from the weak verb Strong’s #7287, radah. Rule, dominate, reign, have dominion. However as a third person plural form (ירדו) this contradicts the singular noun "adam." This also assumes the letter ה was dropped from רדה which is typical for weak verbs. The more obvious and grammatically fitting word here is ירד yarad "to descend" (cf. Strong's #3381) they have descended. Also verse 28. |
| 46 | Singular noun. בדגת In a female fish. This word occurs here, verse 28, Eze. 29:4-5, 47:10. The narrative of Genesis 1 is presented not in plural words as one might expect but through singular nouns. This female fish, dagat is the counterpart of the male fish, dag, which swallows Jonah. She appears in Ezekiel 47:10 as “the fish of the Great Sea.” Dagon is a (fish?) god, according to Judges 16:23. |
| 47 | Snakes Hebrew הרמש הרמש ha-remes ha-remes. The Torah gives a few unidentified variations of a definitive masculine creature “over the Earth” that play on the same words:
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