Genesis 1:22
And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
While it seems like a simple command for animals to reproduce, God’s blessing here is foundational for all future life; it’s not just about population growth, but about the very capacity for life to continue and flourish through generations. This blessing is the divine empowerment for life to self-perpetuate, setting the stage for the world to be filled with the diversity we see today.
This verse comes at the end of the fifth day of creation, after God has already created the vast oceans and the birds of the air. The preceding verses describe God bringing forth abundant sea creatures and flying birds, and this blessing is given to them to ensure the continuation and multiplication of these life forms. It sets the stage for the creation of land animals and humans on the sixth day, emphasizing God's creative power and His intention for life to flourish.
Ever wondered why life seems to burst forth everywhere? It starts with a divine command and a blessing.
In Genesis 1:22, we see God's creative power extending to life itself. After creating the creatures of the sea and sky, God doesn't just leave them to exist; He actively blesses them. This blessing isn't a passive wish but an active impartation of power and purpose. The words, 'Be fruitful and multiply,' are a direct mandate for life to flourish and perpetuate itself. This isn't just about population growth; it's about the inherent capacity for life to reproduce and fill its designated spaces, a core aspect of God's design for His creation.
Creation wasn't a one-off event. God designed life with continuity in mind from the very start.
The Genesis account emphasizes that God's creation was intentional and purposeful. When God commanded the sea creatures and birds to 'fill the waters' and 'multiply on the earth,' He was embedding a principle of propagation into their very being. This wasn't random; it was a blueprint for the continuation and diversity of life. Each species was given the capacity to reproduce 'after its kind,' ensuring that life would not only exist but thrive and spread across the globe as intended.
Understand the original words
barak · Hebrew Verb
To bestow favor, power, or success upon a creature; in creation, it specifically empowers life to reproduce and fulfill its purpose.
parah · Hebrew Verb
The biological or spiritual capacity to bear fruit or produce offspring, fulfilling the divine mandate to increase.
rabah · Hebrew Verb
To increase in number or magnitude, often associated with the expansion of God’s creation or His people.
mala · Hebrew Verb
To occupy space completely or to replenish; it implies a state of abundance and the completion of a designated area.
This passage echoes the 'be fruitful and multiply' command, extending it to humanity and giving them dominion over creation, establishing a pattern of divine blessing for increase and stewardship.
Leviticus 26:9This verse directly references God's promise to make His people fruitful and multiply, drawing a clear line from the initial creation blessing to the covenant blessings for Israel.
Psalm 104:24-25This psalm celebrates the vast diversity of God's creation, including the teeming life in the sea and the winged birds, directly reflecting the abundance brought forth on the fifth day.
Matthew 13:31-32Jesus uses the metaphor of the mustard seed, which grows into a large plant capable of sheltering birds, illustrating the principle of small beginnings leading to abundant growth, a concept inherent in God's blessing for multiplication.
John 21:11The miraculous catch of 153 large fish highlights God's ability to provide abundance and exceed human expectations, showcasing His power that was also at work in the initial blessing of the seas to be filled.
gillGenesis 1:22: "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."
And God blessed them,.... With a power to procreate their kind, and continue their species, as it is interpreted in the next clause, saying, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas: and these creatures do multiply exceedingly, and vast quantities there are of them in the mighty waters, though the consumption of some sorts of them is ver…
calvinGenesis 1:1-31: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Terra autem erat informis et inanis; tenebraeque erant in superficie voraginis, et Spiritus Dei agitabat se in superficie aquarum.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Et dixit Deus, Sit lux. Et fuit lux.
And God saw the light, that it was good:…
While it seems like a simple command for animals to reproduce, God’s blessing here is foundational for all future life; it’s not just about population growth, but about the very capacity for life to continue and flourish through generations. This blessing is the divine empowerment for life to self-perpetuate, setting the stage for the world to be filled with the diversity we see today.
This verse comes at the end of the fifth day of creation, after God has already created the vast oceans and the birds of the air. The preceding verses describe God bringing forth abundant sea creatures and flying birds, and this blessing is given to them to ensure the continuation and multiplication of these life forms. It sets the stage for the creation of land animals and humans on the sixth day, emphasizing God's creative power and His intention for life to flourish.
This verse comes at the end of the fifth day of creation, after God has already created the vast oceans and the birds of the air. The preceding verses describe God bringing forth abundant sea creatures and flying birds, and this blessing is given to them to ensure the continuation and multiplication of these life forms. It sets the stage for the creation of land animals and humans on the sixth day, emphasizing God's creative power and His intention for life to flourish.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Genesis 1:22 is available in the Sola app.
erets · Hebrew Noun
The physical world, the dry land, or a specific territory; it stands in contrast to the heavens and the sea as the habitation of man.
"And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”" — While it seems like a simple command for animals to reproduce, God’s blessing here is foundational for all future life; it’s not just about population growth, but about the very capacity for life t…
