Devine Scripture

Genesis 1:22

What does Genesis 1:22 mean?

A plain-English look at Genesis 1:22 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Genesis 1:22 means

God blessed the newly created aquatic and avian creatures, commanding them to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." This blessing and command is the first instance of God empowering His creatures with the ability to reproduce and populate their respective environments. It reveals God's desire for a world teeming with life and His provision for ongoing creation through natural means. This command ensures the continued flourishing and diversity of these animal species throughout history.

Genesis 1:22 in context

Genesis 1 — The Six Days of Creation

The Bible opens not with an argument for the existence of God but with the announcement of his creative act. In six measured days God speaks the cosmos into being — light, sky, sea, land, plants, sun and moon, fish and birds, animals, and finally man and woman in his own image. Each act ends with the refrain, 'and God saw that it was good.' The chapter establishes God's sovereignty, the goodness of the material world, the dignity of humanity, and the rhythm of work and rest that will shape all of Scripture.

  • Creation ex nihilo
  • The image of God
  • The goodness of creation
  • Sabbath rhythm

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And God gave them his blessing, saying, Be fertile and have increase, making all the waters of the seas full, and let the birds be increased in the earth.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And God blesseth them, saying, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and the fowl let multiply in the earth:'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

AndGod blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply on the earth.

Context

After the creation of sea creatures and birds in verse 21, this verse details God's blessing upon them. This is a significant moment, as it's the first time God pronounces a blessing and issues a command for creatures to multiply and fill their habitats. This establishes the principle of procreation within the created order and sets the stage for the formal conclusion of the fifth day, recognizing the abundance of life in the waters and air.

v.21And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.

v.22This passage

v.23And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Job 40:15

    Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee; He eateth grass as an ox.

  • Psalms 107:38

    He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; And he suffereth not their cattle to decrease.

  • Genesis 1:28

    And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

  • Psalms 128:3

    Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, In the innermost parts of thy house; Thy children like olive plants, Round about thy table.

  • Proverbs 10:22

    The blessing of Jehovah, it maketh rich; And he addeth no sorrow therewith.

  • Job 42:12

    So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: and he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.

Sermon ideas from Genesis 1:22

Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.

  • What Genesis 1:22 teaches us about creation ex nihilo

  • What Genesis 1:22 teaches us about the image of god

  • What Genesis 1:22 teaches us about the goodness of creation

  • What Genesis 1:22 teaches us about sabbath rhythm

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