What does Genesis 1:27 mean when it says male and female created he them?
Genesis 1:27 means that when God created Adam, both male and female were within him. The phrase 'male and female created he them' points to that original unity, not to Eve's separate creation, which Scripture records many verses later, after this summary statement about man in God's image.
In [s406]-[s408], the text reads, 'So God created man in his own image... Male and female created he them.' Les explains that when God created Adam, both the male and female were within Adam, so 'them' points to male and female within the one man, not to Eve existing separately. He notes that Eve's creation does not come until quite a few verses later. To confirm this, he turns to Genesis chapter 5, calling it a recap and summarization. There, Genesis 5:1 says, 'This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.' Les also stresses analyzing every word, because casual reading misses much.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.