Open the Form Guide
See the exact Genesis 1:26 form guide with morphology, clause role, and guardrails.
OpenForm Insight
How בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ Works in Genesis 1:26
A focused form insight on Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural in Genesis 1:26.
Focused term בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ bə·ṣal·mê·nū H6754 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Genesis 1:26 - BSB
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
The Question
How does בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ function in Genesis 1:26?
Short Answer
בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ is a Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural in Genesis 1:26. The form helps the reader see that "image" is not an isolated noun in the verse. It is grammatically framed as a relation to the divine speaker and belongs to the purpose of making humanity.
What the Form Is Doing
בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ appears in Genesis 1:26 as a Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural. It attaches the image term to the prepositional phrase "in Our image," with the construct form and first common plural suffix tying the phrase to the speaker's own image.
The form sits inside the purpose phrase for making humanity, so the preposition, construct noun, and suffix together identify the standard or relation in which humanity is to be made.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The form helps the reader see that "image" is not an isolated noun in the verse. It is grammatically framed as a relation to the divine speaker and belongs to the purpose of making humanity.
The preposition, construct noun, and first plural suffix shape the phrase in our image, a high-value interpretive phrase.
Translation Effect
The preposition, construct form, and suffix directly support the rendering in our image.
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not derive the whole doctrine of humanity, male and female, dominion, or divine plurality from Prep-b | N-msc | 1cp alone. The form anchors the phrase, but the passage carries the doctrine.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Do not draw theology from grammatical gender, number, or state apart from the verse.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The BSB+ row for Genesis 1:26 links the English rendering "in Our image" with בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ, Strong's H6754, and the morphology tag Prep-b | N-msc | 1cp.
When teaching Genesis 1:26, use this form to show how "image" is grammatically bound to the speaker by the construct relationship and suffix, while the verse and canon define the theological meaning.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not derive the whole doctrine of humanity, male and female, dominion, or divine plurality from Prep-b | N-msc | 1cp alone. The form anchors the phrase, but the passage carries the doctrine.
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not draw theology from grammatical gender, number, or state apart from the verse.
- Do not use the first common plural suffix by itself to settle every question about the plural speaker.