Gendered Pronouns for God in Genesis 1:27

Genesis 1:27 reads, "And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them" ^[1]. The verse employs masculine pronouns for God ("His," "He") while describing the creation of humanity as both male and female. This grammatical pattern has generated sustained reflection on whether the pronouns reflect theological claims about God's nature or simply the conventions of Hebrew grammar.

The Hebrew Term and Its Scope

The Hebrew word ha-'adam in this verse denotes humanity collectively, not a single male individual ^[3]. Though traditionally rendered "man," the term functions generically here, encompassing both sexes. The verse's structure makes this explicit: God creates ha-'adam in the divine image, then immediately clarifies that this creation includes "a male and a female" ^[1]. Genesis 5:2 reinforces this reading, stating that God created them "male and female" and called them 'adam ^[4]. The term thus operates at two levels—referring both to humanity as a species and to the first human pair.

Grammatical Convention and Theological Implication

Hebrew grammar assigns masculine gender to nouns and pronouns for God as a linguistic default, not as a biological descriptor. The divine name Elohim, though grammatically plural in form, consistently takes singular verbs when referring to the God of Israel ^[6]. The masculine pronouns in Genesis 1:27 follow this pattern. Ancient Near Eastern languages lacked a grammatical neuter; masculine forms served for both specifically male referents and for abstract or non-gendered entities.

The verse's theological weight lies not in the pronouns applied to God but in the claim that both male and female bear the divine image. Rabbinic tradition engaged this dual creation extensively. One talmudic discussion contrasts Genesis 1:27 ("God created man") with Genesis 2:22 (the separate formation of woman from Adam's side), debating whether the initial creation was unified or dual ^[8]. The resolution turns on distinguishing God's "initial thought" from the "action"—a hermeneutical move that preserves both the unity of humanity and the distinctiveness of the sexes.

The Image and Its Bearers

The phrase "in the image of God He prepared him" applies to the collective ha-'adam, which the verse then unpacks as "male and a female" ^[1]. Neither sex alone exhausts the image; both together reflect it. This has implications for how the pronouns function. The masculine "him" in the verse's middle clause is immediately qualified by the dual "them" in the final clause, preventing any reading that would locate the image exclusively in maleness. Cross-references to Genesis 1:27 appear throughout Scripture in contexts emphasizing human dignity, divine ownership, and moral accountability—never to establish gender hierarchy ^[2].

Later biblical texts apply both paternal and maternal imagery to God (Isaiah 66:13; Deuteronomy 32:18), and wisdom literature personifies divine Wisdom as female (Proverbs 8). These literary choices coexist with the grammatical masculine without contradiction, suggesting that ancient readers distinguished linguistic gender from ontological claims. One commentary notes that God the Father is occasionally called "Lord" (a title more commonly applied to the Son), demonstrating the fluidity of divine titles and the unity of the Godhead ^[5]. The pronouns serve doxological and grammatical functions rather than delimiting divine nature.

Function in Tradition

Genesis 1:27 has anchored theological anthropology across Jewish and Christian traditions. The verse grounds human equality, the sanctity of life, and the goodness of embodied existence. The command to "be fruitful and multiply" in Genesis 1:28 applies to both male and female, as rabbinic exegesis confirms ^[7]. The pronouns for God in verse 27 have not typically been isolated as a discrete theological problem in pre-modern interpretation; attention focused instead on what it means for sexed bodies to bear a non-corporeal image. The verse's poetry—its triadic repetition and chiastic structure—elevates the creation of humanity as the climax of the creation week ^[3], with the pronouns functioning within that literary architecture rather than as independent doctrinal data.

Sources

Genesis “Genesis 1:27 (YLT) — And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them.”
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Genesis 2:7 cross-references: Genesis 1:27, Genesis 3:19, Genesis 3:23, Genesis 7:22, Numbers 16:22, Numbers 27:16, Job 4:19, Job 27:3, Job 33:4, Job 33:6, Psalms 100:3, Psalms 103:14, Psalms 139:14, Proverbs 20:27, Ecclesiastes 3:7, Ecclesiastes 3:20, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Isaiah 2:22, Isaiah 64:8, Ezekiel 37:5, Ezekiel 37:6, Zechariah 12:1, John 20:22, Acts 17:25, Romans 9:20, 1 Corinthians 15:45, 1 Corinthians 15:47, 2 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Hebrews 12:9”
Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:27: 1:27 The first poetry of Genesis reflectively celebrates God’s climactic feat in creating humankind. • human beings: This term (Hebrew ha-’adam, “the man”) is often used to denote humanity collectively (see 6:1, 5-7; 9:5-6). Though traditionally translated “man,” gender is not at issue here; both male and female are included.”
Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 5:2: 5:2 male and female . . . “human” (Hebrew ’adam): See 1:27 and study note. • blessed them: See 1:28 and study note.”
James (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on James 3:9: God--The oldest authorities read, "Lord." "Him who is Lord and Father." The uncommonness of the application of "Lord" to the Father, doubtless caused the change in modern texts to "God" (Jam 1:27). But as Messiah is called "Father," Isa 9:6, so God the Father is called by the Son's title, "Lord": showing the unity of the Godhead. "Father" implies His paternal love; "Lord," His dominion. men, which--not "men who"; for what is meant is not particular men, but men genetically [ALFORD]. are made after . . . similitude of God--Though in a great measure ma”
Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 1 (introduction): Genesis 1:1 THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. (Gen 1:1-2) In the beginning--a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Pro 8:22-23. God--the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, "Strong," "Mighty." It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead--Father, So”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 165a.69:1: The Gemara asks: And according to the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka, who says that with regard to both of them, men and women, the verse states: “And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and conquer it” (Genesis 1:28), what can be said? According to his opinion, women are exempt from only one positive mitzva that is not time bound, Torah study; why not derive other mitzvot from this case? The Gemara answers: The reason this is not a difficulty is because Torah study and the redemption of the firstbor”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 8a.9: The Gemara rejects that suggestion: No, everyone agrees that it was only one act of creation. However, one Sage holds: It is according to the initial thought that we proceed. And one Sage holds: It is according to the action that we proceed. God’s initial thought was to create man and woman as separate entities. Ultimately, they were created as one entity. That explanation is like the following. Rav Yehuda raises a contradiction. In one verse it is written: “And God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27), indicating one act of creation, and in another ver”

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