Wrought With Wisdom - How Solomon Understood Genesis 1v26, 3v22 & 11v7

Of particular interest in the discussion between Trinitarians and Unitarians is the much disputed text of Genesis 1:26, which reads “God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The text is accompanied by another two, very similar passages, Genesis 3:22 and Genesis 11:7. This paper aims to provide an explanation for the use of these plural pronouns by God, which appear as rarities compared with the incredibly frequent use of singular terms for Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew scriptures.

For millenia, numerous efforts have been made in an attempt to understand the use of the plural pronouns in the creation story of humanity in Genesis 1:26, the primary focus text for this paper. The main interpretive options typically listed by scholars are three plural readings: the plural of majesty, the plural of fullness, and the plural of deliberation. An additional three “address” readings are also provided: the mythological address, the earthly address, and the heavenly (or angelic) address. These views will briefly be surveyed, along with some problems identified with each. In order to determine the correct reading, a deep intertextual commentary will be explored, primarily by looking at the book of Proverbs, in order to identify a strong connection between the wisdom literature and Genesis. This will assist in deciding what God meant when he said “let us” in Genesis.