The Hebrew noun ṣeḵem / ṣelem (צֶלֶם) means image, likeness, figure, or statue. It appears about 17 times in the Old Testament. It can refer to a carved or molten image (idol), a shadow or apparition, or — most importantly — the divine image in which humanity is created. The term describes a visual representation or replica of an original.
Ṣelem is the cornerstone of the doctrine of the Imago Dei (Image of God). Genesis 1:26–27 declares three times that humanity was created in the image of God: 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.' Unlike ancient Near Eastern theology, where only the king was the image of the deity, the Bible democratizes this dignity — every human being is a divine image-bearer. This grounds human dignity, the prohibition of murder (Genesis 9:6 — 'for in the image of God has God made mankind'), and the New Testament's call to be renewed into the image of Christ (Colossians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Jesus is the perfect eikōn (image) of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).