Genesis 1:26-Why Does The Bible Use The Plural “Us” When God Refers To Himself?

01/19/24 • 15 min

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The Bible Difficulties and Answers Podcast

Today we dive into a really interesting verse–Genesis 1:26-why does the Bible use the plural “us” when God refers to himself. And, as you would expect, there are varying interpretations as to what this problematic verse means and its solution. We’ll explore God’s traditional Jewish explanations along with other religious groups, also, we’ll take a look at basic Hebrew grammar to help us interpret this unique way of referring to God and finally, investigate if this is the first foreshadowing of the Holy Trinity. References to items discussed on this podcast may found at the following: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI (The Big Book of Bible Difficulties from Amazon) https://a.co/d/2qtVfm7 (New Revised Standard Version of the Bible) https://crossexamined.org/wisdom-chronicle-6/ (THE WISDOM CHRONICLE) https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/who-is-us-that-god-is-talking-about-genesis1-26/ https://www.tetzetorah.com/excursus-on-genesis-1-26 https://www.equip.org/video/who-is-the-us-in-genesis-126/ https://carm.org/about-bible-verses/does-genesis-126-imply-that-there-were-multiple-gods-involved-in-creation/

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Genesis 1:14-How Could There Be Light Before The Sun Was Made?

Today we discuss Genesis 1:14-How Could There Be Light Before The Sun Was Made? In this episode we discuss how light can appear on one day of creation and the Sun and Moon appear on another day of creation. We discuss three main explanations behind this verse: 1) Astrological, 2) God as light, and 3) Creation finally becoming visible. As always I will give my thoughts on the best explanation at the end. References to items discussed on this podcast may found at the following: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI (The Big Book of Bible Difficulties from Amazon) https://www.icr.org/bible/Genesis/1/14/#:~:text=1:14%20signs.,or%20randomly%20around%20in%20space. https://www.reasonablefaith.org/podcasts/defenders-podcast-series-2/s2-creation-and-evolution/creation-and-evolution-part-2 https://www.reasonablefaith.org/podcasts/defenders-podcast-series-2/s2-creation-and-evolution/creation-and-evolution-part-4 https://www.risenjesus.com/a-refutation-of-acharya-ss-book-the-christ-conspiracy https://apologetics315.com/2014/07/book-review-navigating-genesis-a-scientists-journey-through-genesis-1-11-by-hugh-ross/ https://carm.org/other-questions/what-does-the-bible-say-about-astrology/

Next Episode

Genesis 1:27-Were Adam And Eve Real People Or Just Myths?

Today we dive into a really interesting verse–Genesis 1:27-Were Adam and Eve Real People. To outline our discussion today, I think it’s important to focus on two main areas, 1)The Scientific and Biblical explanation for an actual Adam and Eve, and 2) The equal and the special creation of just a male and female sex. As usual, I will present a number of different opinions from my research and conclude with my own thoughts. References to items discussed on this podcast may found at the following: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI (The Big Book of Bible Difficulties from Amazon) https://reasons.org/explore/publications/articles/were-they-real-the-scientific-case-for-adam-and-eve https://crossexamined.org/does-god-treat-women-like-second-class-citizens-in-the-old-testament/ https://crossexamined.org/how-to-explain-to-your-kids-why-some-people-think-gorillas-and-humans-are-equally-valuable/ https://carm.org/about-people/what-about-gender-roles-and-equality-in-genesis-1-3/ https://realfaith.com/what-christians-believe/adam-eve-real-people-not/ https://www.discovery.org/a/defining-theistic-evolution/