← Trinity
The Trinity Files

"Like One of Us" — Genesis 1:26, 3:22, and 11:7

Nazaryah
10 min read
Genesis Trinity Divine Council Hebrew Grammar Plural Speech Yahuah Proof Text LXX

Trinitarian Argument Strength: ★★☆☆☆ 2 out of 5 — The plural “us” is real in the Hebrew grammar, but the text never identifies who is included in that plural. Three well-established readings fit the grammar without requiring a Trinity.

Part One — Framing the Problem

1.1 — What Trinitarians Claim

There are three places in the book of Genesis where Yahuah (God) uses the word “us” or “our” when speaking. Trinitarians treat these three passages as a cluster. They argue that the plural language proves there is more than one person inside Yahuah. Here are the three verses they point to:

  • Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
  • Genesis 3:22: “Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.”
  • Genesis 11:7: “Let us go down, and there confound their language.”

The Trinitarian argument is simple. They say: “Yahuah is speaking. He says ‘us.’ Therefore there must be more than one person inside Yahuah.” They then connect these verses to later Trinitarian doctrine and argue that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all present in these conversations.

1.2 — The Problem Before We Even Open the Text

Not one of these three verses names who the “us” is. Not one. The text says “us” but never says “Father, Son, and Spirit.” That identification has to be imported from outside Genesis. The Hebrew grammar confirms there is a plural. It does not confirm there is a Trinity.

Think of it this way. If a king says to his court, “Let us go to war,” the word “us” proves the king is speaking to others. It does not prove those others are all kings. It does not even prove they are the same kind of being. The plural tells you someone else is present. It does not tell you who that someone is.

Even many careful Trinitarian scholars admit this. They do not treat these verses as standalone proofs of the Trinity. Instead, they call them “hints” or “compatible with later revelation.” That is an honest admission that the text itself does not make the case.

1.3 — The Hebrews 1:1–2 Control Point

Hebrews 1:1–2 says that Yahuah spoke through prophets in the past, but “in these last days” He spoke through His Son. This means the Son was not the one speaking in Genesis. If the Son was already speaking as Yahuah in Genesis 1, then there is no “new” revelation in the last days. Hebrews makes a time distinction: prophets first, Son later. That distinction collapses if the Son was already active as one of the “us” in Genesis.

Part Two — Verse-by-Verse Examination

2.1 — Genesis 1:26–27: “Let Us Make Man in Our Image”

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” — Genesis 1:26–27 (KJV)

Pay close attention to what happens between verse 26 and verse 27. In verse 26, the language is plural: “Let us make” and “our image.” But in verse 27, the language switches to singular: “So God created man in his own image.” Not “their” image. Not “our” image. His own image.

This switch is critical. If the “us” in verse 26 meant co-equal persons of a Trinity, you would expect verse 27 to say “They created man in their image.” But it does not. The actual creation is attributed to Yahuah alone, in the singular. The plural language in verse 26 looks like an announcement made in the presence of a court, while the actual act belongs to one Yahuah.

2.2 — Genesis 3:22: “The Man Has Become Like One of Us”

“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.” — Genesis 3:22 (KJV)

The comparison is about moral discernment — knowing good and evil. Yahuah says the man has crossed a line and now possesses something that belongs to the realm above him. Yahuah announces this to the beings in His presence.

If the “us” were the Trinity, the verse would be saying: “The man has become like one of the three persons of the Godhead.” But that creates a category problem the heavenly-court reading does not. Did the man become like the Father? Like the Son? Like the Spirit? The Trinity reading cannot answer this. The divine council reading answers it naturally.

2.3 — Genesis 11:7: “Let Us Go Down and Confuse Their Language”

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language.” — Genesis 11:7 (KJV)

This is court language. A king has assessed a situation and now announces his decision to act. The “us” fits naturally as Yahuah speaking to His heavenly agents — the angels who carry out divine judgments throughout Scripture.

And then the very next verse: “So the LORD scattered them abroad” (Genesis 11:8). Not “they scattered.” The announcement was plural. The action was singular. The pattern is the same in all three passages: Yahuah deliberates in the presence of others, then Yahuah alone acts.

Part Three — What the Hebrew Meant to Its Hearers

3.1 — The Hebrew Words Are Genuinely Plural

The grammar is not in dispute. In Genesis 1:26, the verb naʿaśeh (“let us make”) is first-person plural. The suffixes on “image” and “likeness” (-nû, meaning “our”) are also plural. In Genesis 3:22, kəʾaḥad mimmennu means “like one from us” — the suffix -nu is first-person plural. In Genesis 11:7, both verbs are first-person plural.

So the plural is real. The question is: who is included in that plural? And on that question, the grammar is silent. It does not name Father, Son, and Spirit. It does not name anyone at all.

3.2 — What an Ancient Hebrew Hearer Would Have Understood

An ancient Hebrew listener would have heard this plural language and immediately thought of the heavenly court. The concept of Yahuah sitting among His heavenly council is one of the most well-established ideas in the Hebrew Bible:

  • Psalm 89:7 — Yahuah is “greatly to be feared in the assembly of the holy ones.”
  • 1 Kings 22:19 — Yahuah on His throne with the host of heaven around Him.
  • Job 1:6; 2:1 — The “sons of God” presenting themselves before Yahuah.
  • Daniel 7:10 — “Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.”

This is the world the Hebrew reader lived in. When they heard Yahuah say “Let us,” they pictured a throne room — a king addressing His court before He acts. They did not picture three co-equal persons debating among themselves. That concept did not exist in Hebrew thought until centuries after these texts were written.

Part Four — Supporting Evidence

4.1 — The Divine Council in Scripture

One thing must be perfectly clear: Yahuah does not take counsel from anyone. He does not ask for advice. Everything Yahuah does flows from His own righteousness. So when Scripture shows Yahuah speaking in the presence of His heavenly court, the picture is a king issuing commands — not a committee taking votes. Yahuah announces His will. The angels receive their assignments.

In 1 Kings 22:19–22, the prophet Micaiah sees Yahuah on His throne with the entire host of heaven. Yahuah declares what He intends to do. A spirit comes forward and offers to carry it out. Yahuah commissions the spirit to go. This is a throne-room scene where the King sends His agents. It is not a boardroom where equals brainstorm together.

4.2 — The Singular-Plural Pattern Across All Three Passages

One of the strongest arguments against the Trinitarian reading is the pattern that repeats in all three Genesis passages:

  • Genesis 1:26 says “Let us make.” Genesis 1:27 says “God created.” Plural announcement, singular action.
  • Genesis 3:22 says “one of us.” Genesis 3:23 says “the LORD God sent him.” Plural reference, singular action.
  • Genesis 11:7 says “Let us go down.” Genesis 11:8 says “the LORD scattered them.” Plural announcement, singular action.

Every single time, the follow-up verse reverts to the singular. If these were three co-equal persons acting together, the text should say “they created,” “they sent him,” “they scattered.” But it never does. The pattern is consistent: Yahuah announces in the presence of His servants, then Yahuah alone performs the act.

4.3 — The LXX: What the Ancient Jewish Translators Show

The Septuagint was translated by Jewish scholars around 282 BC — centuries before Christianity. These translators were not Trinitarians. They had no reason to insert plurality for theological purposes. In Genesis 1:26, the LXX preserves the plural: poiēsōmen (“let us make”). In Genesis 3:22, the LXX also preserves the plural. The Greek translators translated it honestly — but they also did not interpret it as a Trinity. Jewish tradition consistently understood this as divine council language.

4.4 — The New Testament Never Quotes These Verses as Trinity Proof

Not a single New Testament author ever quotes Genesis 1:26, 3:22, or 11:7 as evidence for the Trinity. If these were clear proofs that multiple divine persons were present at creation, you would expect the apostles to point to them. Their silence is not an accident. It is evidence.

Part Five — Summary and Conclusion

5.1 — What the Text Actually Says

In three separate passages, Genesis records Yahuah using plural speech. The Hebrew grammar confirms the plural is real. However, in every single case, the very next verse reverts to the singular. Yahuah alone creates. Yahuah alone sends Adam out. Yahuah alone scatters the nations. The consistent pattern is: plural announcement in the presence of a court, followed by singular action from the one true Yahuah.

5.2 — What the Trinitarian Reading Requires

To read the Trinity into these passages, the Trinitarian must assume: that the “us” refers to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even though the text never names them; that the Son was active and speaking in Genesis, even though Hebrews 1:1–2 says the Son spoke only in “these last days”; that the singular-to-plural switch in all three passages should be ignored; and that not a single New Testament writer ever thought to quote these verses as Trinity evidence despite using the Old Testament constantly.

5.3 — Conclusion

The three “us” passages in Genesis are among the most frequently cited Trinitarian proof texts in the Torah. They are also among the weakest. The plural language is real, but the identification of that plural is not in the text. The divine council reading fits the Hebrew grammar, matches the immediate context, and is confirmed by every heavenly-court scene in the Hebrew Bible.

“Shma Yisrael, Yahuah Eloheinu, Yahuah Echad” — “Hear, O Israel: Yahuah our God, Yahuah is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

If “Let us make” in Genesis 1:26 proves the Trinity, then “Let us go down” in Genesis 11:7 proves the Trinity needed a group meeting before confusing languages — and the very next verse attributes the act to Yahuah alone, destroying the argument it was meant to build.