In The Image Of God, Follow Up

Q

Thank God for the bountiful knowledge He has given you.

I have a question that is similar to the question today regarding the meaning of “In The Image Of God”. I was listening to a popular radio show a couple of days ago and man of the Jewish faith, possibly a Rabbi, mentioned that in the Torah the meaning of “in His image” actually translates as “in His shadow”. I’m just curious as to what you think.

A

The Hebrew word translated image in Genesis 1 comes from a root meaning “to shade” and that’s where the idea of a shadow comes from. But it shouldn’t be understood in the way we use the phrase “in his shadow” today. A shadow is literally an image of something, and that’s the intended meaning. The word is used 17 times in the Old Testament and is never translated shadow.