It's one of those verses that’s sparked endless debate and contemplation throughout Jewish history.
The Hebrew there is, of course, "Na'aseh adam b'tzalmeinu kidmuteinu" — and that plural "us" has always been a head-scratcher.
Philo of Alexandria, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher who beautifully blended Greek philosophy with Jewish thought, grapples with this very question in his writings. In what’s known as The Midrash of Philo, he offers a fascinating interpretation. Was God, perhaps, conversing with a plurality of beings?
Or, Philo ponders, is God speaking to His own virtues? He imagines these virtues as instruments, tools almost, that God employed to create the universe and everything within it. It's a powerful image, isn't it? God using His own inherent goodness as the building blocks of creation.
But then Philo throws us another curveball. He says that the word "as" in the verse is like an enigma, a similitude, a comparison. It hints at something, but doesn't necessarily declare dissimilarity.
Think about it. What is intelligible and good—and even what is its opposite—is known to God in a way that is fundamentally different from how humans understand it. The way we inquire, the way we comprehend, the very things we investigate and perceive—all are different for us than they are for God. Virtue itself, Philo suggests, has a capacity to comprehend these things that surpasses our own.
He goes on to say that among humans, these things are merely similitudes, forms, and images. But among the gods—and here he's using the language of his time, steeped in Hellenistic thought—they are prototypes, models, indications, and far more manifest examples of things that are, to us, somewhat obscure.
It’s a beautiful way of saying that the divine realm holds the true, unadulterated essence of everything we perceive as shadows here on Earth.
Ultimately, Philo concludes that the "unborn and uncreated Father" – referring to God – joins Himself to no one except with the intention of extending the honor of His virtues.
So, what does it all mean? Maybe it means that the "us" isn't about a literal council of divine beings, but about God's own multifaceted nature. It's about the infinite potential within the Divine, the boundless capacity for goodness and creation. It's a reminder that even the most fundamental questions of our faith can lead us down paths of profound philosophical and spiritual exploration. And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly the kind of conversation God wants us to have.