I have heard that the word ‘made’ in Genesis, actually means appointed in
Hebrew not made (to make). Does this means that God could have created,
appointed, Adam from an already upright walking species and formed it with
dust into what we now know as Humans?

My Hebrew dictionary defines the word asa as to do, to make, to be done, a
generic action. Some of the translations of the Hebrew word, including the
number of times they are translated that way are, do (405), did (286),
made (270), make (161), doing (61), does (55), follow (39), prepare (30),
celebrate (25), deal (24), built (22), obey(22), maker (21), show (21),
carry out (20), be done (18) and so forth. Way down the list, asa is
translated as appointed four times

Anyone claiming this word means appointed, not made, is clearly not
correct. Asa is translated as made far more often than as carry out (which
seems to me similar to appoint). It is not translated as appointed only
four times in the NIV (for example in 1 Sam 12:6). As with any attempt to
translate from one language to another, the context determines the word to
be used. In the context of Genesis 1:26, ‘let us make man’ seems to fit
better than ‘let us appoint man.’ Genesis chapter one describes God making
the earth, the heavenly bodies, and life. In the same way and using the
same word, it describes God making man. If God merely appointed mankind,
did he merely appoint the universe? Did he merely appoint life itself? If
so, who made the universe and who made life?

It is best to let the Bible and its context speak for itself. Is it
possible to interpret Genesis 1:26 to mean that God took an
already-evolved very intelligent descendent of the apes and put his Spirit
into that being, making the first true human being? I suppose we cannot
absolutely rule out this interpretation. Perhaps God would have struggled
to describe this in terms which his audience of Jewish people would have
understood. This may be true, but to be honest, it is a bit of a stretch
to interpret Genesis chapter one in this way. I personally do not
interpret the passage this way, but am willing to be undogmatic on the
point. You may be right. In the end, I am not sure that any truly
essential doctrine is irreversibly effected by the exact means God chose
to create the first human beings. I would caution you to not force your
own pre-conceived notion onto your interpretation of the Bible, but leave
you to decide what you believe on this question.

John Oakes, PhD