Anthropomorphism
Introduction
Does Hashem Have a Body?
Many verses in Tanakh attribute to Hashem physical properties, including body parts,1 human emotions,2 and actions.3
Perhaps the most explicit verse is Bereshit 1:26-27:
(כו) וַיֹּאמֶר אֱ-לֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכׇל הָאָרֶץ וּבְכׇל הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל הָאָרֶץ. (כז) וַיִּבְרָא אֱ-לֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ בְּצֶלֶם אֱ-לֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם.
(26) 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.' (27) And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
These verses tell us that Hashem created humanity in His image and likeness, suggesting that since we have a body and Hashem created us like Him, He also must be corporeal.
There are other verses which suggest that Hashem is physical but does not necessarily have a body. In Devarim 4:24 and 9:3 it says that Hashem is a burning fire.4
However, many philosophers and exegetes are troubled by these verses, since the notion of Hashem's physicality seems to negate the concept of Hashem's perfection. According to these philosophers a physical body is inherently limited and therefore this clashes with the idea that Hashem is an unlimited being.