--- title: Let Us Make Man — The Isaiah 44:24 Trap url: https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/genesis1-26-let-us/ markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/genesis1-26-let-us.md type: argument perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching topics: [Deity of Christ, Holy Spirit] challenges: [Jesus Is a Created Being, The Holy Spirit Is an Impersonal Force] verses: [Isaiah 44:24, Genesis 1:26, Job 33:4, Proverbs 8:30, Colossians 1:15-17, Genesis 1:2, John 1:1, Proverbs 8:22, Deuteronomy 6:4, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 3:22, Genesis 11:7, Isaiah 6:8, John 1:3, Genesis 1:1] strength: Strong tone: Good attribution: Sam Shamoun / Hank Hanegraaff / Wayne Grudem added: '2026-04-03' last_reviewed: '2026-04-04' index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt --- # Let Us Make Man — The Isaiah 44:24 Trap *Genesis 1:26 / Isaiah 44:24 / Job 33:4* ## Doorstep Question > "In Genesis 1:26 God says 'Let us make man in our image.' Who do you think the 'us' refers to? Now read Isaiah 44:24 — Jehovah says he created 'alone' and 'by myself.' If Jehovah created alone, how can a separate created being be the 'us' in Genesis 1:26?" ## JW Claim God was speaking to Jesus, his first creation and 'master worker' (Proverbs 8:30). Before creating anything else, Jehovah created a powerful spirit being who later became known as Jesus, and by means of Jesus 'all other things were created' (Colossians 1:16 NWT). The 'us' may also include the angels. ## Strategy Start by reading Genesis 1:26 together in the NWT — the plural 'us' and 'our' are preserved even in their translation. Ask who the 'us' refers to. They will say Jesus (pre-human) or possibly angels. Then turn to Isaiah 44:24 in the NWT: Jehovah says he created 'all by myself' and 'alone.' The trap is simple: if Jehovah created alone, then whoever the 'us' is cannot be a separate created being — or Isaiah 44:24 is false. The 'us' must be internal to God himself. Reinforce by noting Genesis 1:2 already has the Spirit of God present at creation, and Job 33:4 credits the Spirit with making humanity. This opens the door naturally to discussing the deity of Christ (John 1:1–3) and the personhood of the Holy Spirit. ## Key Insight God said 'Let us make man' (Genesis 1:26) but also says he created 'alone' and 'by myself' (Isaiah 44:24). Under JW theology — where Jesus is a separate created being — these two verses flatly contradict each other. The 'us' must be internal to God, not an external helper. ## JW Responses & Counters ### Response 1 **JW says:** "God was speaking to Jesus, his first creation and master worker." **Counter:** Isaiah 44:24 says Jehovah created 'alone' and 'by myself.' If Jesus is a separate created being who helped, then God did not create alone — and Isaiah 44:24 is wrong. You cannot have both. Either Jehovah was not truly alone, which contradicts Isaiah, or the 'us' must be someone who is part of Jehovah himself. ### Response 2 **JW says:** "The 'us' could include the angels who were present at creation." **Counter:** Nowhere in Scripture are angels credited with participating in creation. Angels are not made in God's image, and humans are not created in the image of angels. Verse 27 says 'God created man in His own image' — singular, God's image alone. If God was speaking to angels, why does the text say humanity bears God's image, not the image of God and angels? And again, Isaiah 44:24 rules out any external helper — angel or otherwise. ### Response 3 **JW says:** "It's a 'plural of majesty' — like a king saying 'we decree.'" **Counter:** Hebrew scholars note that the plural of majesty does not appear in first-person speech in the Old Testament. Kings in the Hebrew Bible say 'I', not 'we.' There is no parallel for this in OT Hebrew. And even if it were majestic plural, it does not explain 'our image' — who else shares God's image? ### Response 4 **JW says:** "This doesn't prove the Trinity — it's just a conversation between two beings." **Counter:** We agree it is a conversation. The question is: who is the other party? Isaiah 44:24 eliminates any external created being. Genesis 1:2 already has the Spirit of God present at creation. Job 33:4 says the Spirit 'made' humanity. John 1:3 says through the Word 'all things were made.' Three persons, all credited with creation, yet God says he created 'alone.' That is the Trinity — not three gods, but one God who is internally plural. ### Response 5 **JW says:** "Colossians 1:16 says Jesus was used to create 'all other things' — proving he is separate." **Counter:** The word 'other' does not appear in the Greek text of Colossians 1:16. The NWT inserts it in brackets. Without that insertion, the text says 'all things were created through him and for him' — language that describes God, not a creature. Things are created 'for' the Creator, not 'for' a fellow creature. ### Response 6 **JW says:** "Proverbs 8:22–30 shows that Wisdom (Jesus) was 'brought forth' before creation as a separate being." **Counter:** Proverbs 8 is widely recognised as a personification of wisdom as a literary device, not a literal pre-incarnate being. If Proverbs 8 is literal, then Wisdom is female ('she' throughout), was 'brought forth' (not created), and was playing and rejoicing (vv. 30–31) — none of which fits the JW model of Jesus as a pre-human angel. ## What to Avoid Don't rely on Genesis 1:26 alone as a standalone Trinity proof-text — most scholars acknowledge it is a hint, not a proof. The strength comes from combining it with Isaiah 44:24. Also avoid the 'echad' (compound unity) argument for Deuteronomy 6:4 as a primary point — some Hebrew scholars dispute its significance. Use it only as supporting evidence. ## Homework Read Genesis 1:1-2:3 so you have the whole creation account in mind, and note that the Spirit is already present in 1:2. Then read Isaiah 44:24 in the NWT yourself and memorise "all by myself" and "alone." Practise the doorstep question aloud and let them answer "who is the us?" before you turn to Isaiah. Prepare for the most likely replies: Jesus as "master worker" from Proverbs 8:30 (read Proverbs 8:22-31 so you know its "she" and its rejoicing), and Colossians 1:16, where you should check the bracketed "other" in the NWT for yourself. ## Next Moves - ['A God' = Polytheism](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/john1-polytheism.md) - [Colossians 1 — Inserted 'Other'](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/colossians1-other.md) - [The Holy Spirit Is a Person, Not a Force](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/holy-spirit-personhood.md) - [Jehovah Created Alone — So Jesus Must Be Jehovah](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/isaiah44-creator.md)