HEBREW WORD STUDY – SIMILAR ACTIONS – DEMUTH דמות Daleth Mem Vav Taw
Genesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love.” “The best way to know God is to love many things.” Vincent Van Gogh
Christian Hebrew scholars all teach that the word yiredu for dominion comes from the root word radah which means to exert control over something, to overpower. Did God really command the human being to overpower animals? Try that one on a lion. A rabbi once shook his head and told me: “You Christians are so one dimensional. Why can”t you see that the root word is yarad not radah. Yarad means to descend, to lower oneself and show respect. I agree with the rabbi, God did not give us his creation to exert our control and overpower his creation but to humble us, to bring us down from our lofty perch and learn a few things about God’s beauty, character, love and mercy. God’s creation is His revelation to us. It is not there for us to do with as we please, to abuse it and exert our selfish agendas with it. In fact, if we lower ourselves, show His creation respect, His creation will speak to us and communicate with us.
You find in most cultures of the world there is a respect for God’s creation. Native Americas have a culture that revolves around respecting God’s creation. Many cultures even know how to communicate with animals. It is really quite simply, you just need to love and respect God’s creation and God will speak to you through His creation.
We get so focused on that plural in Genesis 1:26: “Let us make…” and those English words “dominion over…” that we entirely miss the message in this verse. The Jewish sages see something very different in this verse than we Christians do and I believe what they see is much closer to the heart of God.
Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
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For one thing, Christians just can’t seem to get past that plural “Let us make man in our image.” Who is God talking too? Who is sharing in His creation? Let me tell you a little thing you learn or least what I teach over and over when I am teaching Biblical Hebrew. The plural is not like the plural in English. In English it means more than one thing. In Hebrew it could mean more than one thing or it could mean something that is the ultimate or greatest. We also get stuck on the word man which is adam. Yes, it is in a masculine form but another little thing about Hebrew is that just because something is masculine, does not automatically make it male. There is no neuter in Hebrew, everything is either male or female. Thus, when we translate the word adam we would more correctly call this a human being. There was no male or female human being until the female was created. Then God stopped using the word adam for the human and used the word ish for man and ishah for the woman.
So, when God created the human being this was to be the ultimate creation. Thus, he uses the plural which we say: “Let us make a human being in our image.” What God is actually saying is; “I will now make the piece de resistance called a human.” In fact, He ultimately made two pieces.
What did that mean to make us in His image and likeness? The word image in Hebrew is tselem which means an outward display. It is not so much speaking of two hands, two legs, a face with eyes a nose and mouth. God is a Spirit he does not have legs, arms, face eyes and a mouth. But an outward display or a tselem could be a display of emotion, creativity, imagination and thought processes. The word for likeness is demuth which has the preposition Kap indicating similar actions.
The Talmud explains it by saying that on the seventh day, God did not stop creating, he just passed it on to the human being to continue creating. He gave us all the tools we need to create and everything we use to create from building skyscrapers to creating vaccines to fight Covid 19. We could use our creativity and imagination to fight Covid 19 or create Covid 20. It is our choice. All other living creatures do not have an imagination or creativity, at lest not on the level of the human being. They do not have the ability to create speech as we do, they operate more on instinct. They operate according to the will of God. However, the big difference between the human and the animal world is that we have a free will. We can choose to love God or not to love Him. That is what makes the human being so special to God is that everything He creates, He loves and it loves Him in return. But the real joy of love comes when one chooses to love you in return. Only the human creature has that ability, the ability to either love God or not love Him and when we choose to love Him, that is what makes the human being so special.
Everything loves God according to the way God created it to love Him, But to us humans, He simply gave us an empty canvas on which we can paint our own expression of love to Him. As my most favorite artist in the world, Vincent Van Gogh said: “I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love.” “The best way to know God is to love many things.”
People wonder what their purpose in life is. They become depressed because they feel life has no meaning. Animals do not have that struggle, they know their purpose in life and they live out that purpose. God gives them a finished canvas. However, we human have to use our imagination and creativity to discover a special way to tell God that we love Him. We all have some talent or gift. For some it is music, some it is painting, sculpturing, speaking, writing, building things, using athletic abilities or creating opportunities for hospitality. The list is endless and to say you have no talent is to say God made a mistake in creating you. He gave everyone something, even if it is just a smile and a sense of determination to encourage others to more forward. You see the greatest artistic expression is found in love, there are infinite ways to love God and your neighbor. Your purpose in life is to find your special artistic expression and use it to show God how much you love Him.
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
This is mind broadening exposition. God bless you sir with fresh insight into the word of life.
All I can say is that spiritual Truth is discerned spiritually. Jesus makes a man, a man. Not even Jesus had authority but did as His Father led him. I believe that the Father is talking to Jesus and then to us, telling us not to let the giants rule over us and as far as Adam & Eve are concerned, as well as all of us, our being here is much bigger than having sex, Joe, and you are deceived to think that God’s concern for His children is to have sex and babies and then to divide the two who are meant to be One. This Oneness means everything to me and to many people who Love the Lord and what His sacrifice stands for. Thank you, Chaim, for this space to share. The deep is calling to the deep.
Great word study and commentary. I love the insights and the loving spirit in which they are shared on this website. I think the idea that humans are taught humility which engenders love as the proper response to God’s creation is a perfect revelation to gain from this section of scripture. Tselem describes a shadow created by God’s light (ohr). Rather than a dark heart which turns from God, our hearts are intended to be his dwelling place; a tent (0hel) or tabernacle for his Glory. Respect, humility, love, loyalty, compassion are his smile in our hearts…As John says, we know love because he first loved us. Demut represents behavior inspired by knowing the LORD (yada) to know by the experience of walking hand in hand.
I really love your teachings! Thank you so much. They are a real blessing. I am glad I discovered them and have gone on to buy some of your books too. God bless you richly. We miss so much from our experience as believers without the richer meaning and context..
I have submitted one of my websites, we are a Church/Cafe and Foodbank. I oversight the church, cafe and foodbank which were born out of a vision! God is good
I really like what you come up with, very good research and time devoted to your ‘craft’. Genesis 1:26 is a great scriptures along with 1:28. Let me quickly break down 1:28 a little bit into what we can understand in today’s language.
1:28 is adding two extra ‘commands’ from the Lord has He turns over this creation into our (mankind’s) hands. Literally the Lord is telling Adam and Eve to have sex with each other, become one and really enjoy your partner, (fill the world with your kind). Then the word subdue is introduced right after becoming one with your wife. Subdue is Strong’s word kabash (#3533).
If you study the differences between men and women, you’ll see that the word kabash/kibash is a ‘manly’ sort of thing to do, while the ‘have dominion’ word is more about God coming down from heaven and mixing with His creation to see how it’s doing – a feminine sort of thing to do – showing love and compassion (yes both genders do, but women do is so much better).
Both Adam and Eve were to have a part in a world that had gone wrong right from the start of their existence and to bring it into order and then manage it afterwards to keep it on the straight and narrow.
I hope I’m making sense, but look at the strong points of each gender and then look at the words the author in Genesis used to make a difference in the meanings and use of the words.
1. Become one with your wife.
2. Adam was to subdue all creation.
3. Eve is to mix and connect with all creation.
Each gender has a special strength created within us and as we walk our paths together and submit to each others strength, then we will rule and reign over the creation the Father has made for us in His perfect ways and will.
O my gosh! This is so beautiful and affirming. I am a visual artist and paint as my worship…my giving back to God the best way I know how. At times I struggle with it being enough or am I wrong. Your word brings love and delight to my soul. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much for this. I totally agree that Christian thought is in general not only one dimensional but polarized as well when it comes to cultural projections onto the holy scriptures that lacks critical thinking.
If one attempts to translate in a manner that is void of the history, culture and context of a verse/passage, it is one reason the initial work of Protestant reformers has become so fractured. Unfortunately, replacement theology is still embraced by many — but it is changing.