Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 1:26-28

"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 birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." — Genesis 1:26-28 (ASV)

Man was made last of all the creatures; this was both an honor and a favor to him. Yet man was made the same day that the beasts were; his body was made of the same earth as theirs, and while he is in the body, he inhabits the same earth with them. God forbid that by indulging the body and its desires, we should make ourselves like the beasts that perish!

Man was to be a creature different from all that had been made until then. Flesh and spirit, heaven and earth, were to be joined together in him. God said, Let us make man. Man, when he was made, was to glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Into that great name we are baptized, for we owe our being to that great name. It is the soul of man that especially bears God's image.

Man was made upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29). His understanding saw divine things clearly and truly; there were no errors or mistakes in his knowledge. His will consented at once, and in all things, to the will of God. His affections were all well-ordered, and he had no bad appetites or passions. His thoughts were easily brought to and focused on the best subjects.

Thus holy, thus happy, were our first parents in having the image of God upon them. But how this image of God on man has been defaced! May the Lord renew it on our souls by his grace!