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The Septuagint 1.26 · 1.26

Let us make man

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καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ᾽ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ᾽ ὁμοίωσιν· καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

Word by word

καὶkaìandεἶπενeîpensaidhotheθεόςtheósGodΠοιήσωμενPoiḗsōmenLet us makeἄνθρωπονánthrōponmanκατ᾽kat᾽according toεἰκόναeikónaimageἡμετέρανhēmetéranourκαὶkaìandκαθ᾽kath᾽according toὁμοίωσινhomoíōsinlikeness·καὶkaìandἀρχέτωσανarkhétōsanlet them ruleτῶνtôntheἰχθύωνikhthýōnof the fishτῆςtêstheθαλάσσηςthalássēsof the seaκαὶkaìandτῶνtôntheπετεινῶνpeteinônof the birdsτοῦtoûtheοὐρανοῦouranoûof heavenκαὶkaìandτῶνtôntheκτηνῶνktēnônof the cattleκαὶkaìandπάσηςpásēsallτῆςtêstheγῆςgêsof the earthκαὶkaìandπάντωνpántōnallτῶνtôntheἑρπετῶνherpetônof the creeping thingsτῶνtôntheἑρπόντωνherpóntōncreepingἐπὶepìuponτῆςtêstheγῆςgêsthe earth.

The setting

The council-like plural “Let us make” (unique in the chapter — every other command is a divine singular) has drawn commentary since antiquity: a plural of majesty, an address to a heavenly court, or (for Christian readers) a hint of plurality within God. κατ᾽ εἰκόνα, “according to [our] image”, is the phrase behind the entire biblical doctrine of the imago Dei; ἀρχέτωσαν gives humankind dominion over every other creature just named.

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The Septuagint 1.26 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/septuagint/1.26/