Berean Standard Bible
Genesis 1:21
21So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
- New International Version (NIV)So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Context of Genesis 1:21
19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 1:21 word by word
וַיִּבְרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִ֖ם הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים וְאֵ֣ת כָּל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַֽחַיָּ֣ה׀ הָֽרֹמֶ֡שֶׂת אֲשֶׁר֩ שָׁרְצ֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־ע֤וֹף כָּנָף֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃Read the interlinear
- Soאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- createdבָּרָאbârâ' · to createH1254
- the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- sea creaturesתַּנִּיןtannîyn tannîym · serpent: monsterH8577
- and everyכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
- thingנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: animalH5315
- that movesרָמַשׂrâmaώ · to creepH7430
- whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- teemedשָׁרַץshârats · to swarmH8317
- according to their kindsמִיןmîyn · kindH4327
- wingedכָּנָףkânâph · wingH3671
- birdעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- thatכִּיkîy · forH3588
- goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
Cross-references for Genesis 1:21
- Genesis 6:20Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive.
- Genesis 7:14they and every kind of wild animal, livestock, crawling creature, bird, and winged creature.
- Genesis 8:19Every living creature, every creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves upon the earth—came out of the ark, kind by kind.
- Job 7:12Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that You must keep me under guard?
- Job 26:5The dead tremble— those beneath the waters and those who dwell in them.
- Psalms 104:24How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
- Ezekiel 32:2“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’
- Jonah 1:17Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
- Jonah 2:10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
- Matthew 12:40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
- Genesis 8:17Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”
- Genesis 9:7But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”
- Exodus 1:7but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
- Exodus 8:3The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls.
- Genesis 1:18to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Commentaries on Genesis 1:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21And God created great whales - הגדלים התנינם hattanninim haggedolim . Though this is generally understood by the different versions as signifying whales, yet the original must be understood rather as a general than a particular term, comprising all the great aquatic animals, such as the various species of whales, the porpoise, the dolphin, the monoceros or narwal, and the shark. God delights to show himself in little as well as in great things: hence he…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20-23Verses 20-23 - VII. The Fifth Day 20. שׁרץ shārats “crawl, teem, swarm, abound.” An intransitive verb, admitting, however, an objective noun of its own or a like signification. נפשׁ nephesh “breath, soul, self.” This noun is derived from a root signifying to breathe. Its concrete meaning is, therefore, “that which breathes,” and consequently has a body, without which there can be no breathing; hence, “a breathing body,” and even a body that once had…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-25Verses 20-25 God commanded the fish and fowl to be produced. This command he himself executed. Insects, which are more numerous than the birds and beasts, and as curious, seem to have been part of this day's work. The Creator's wisdom and power are to be admired as much in an ant as in an elephant. The power of God's providence preserves all things, and fruitfulness is the effect of his blessing.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Unlike pagan beliefs that the great sea creatures existed from the beginning along with God, the Bible teaches that God created them. God has complete power and authority over them. The Hebrew word tanninim (“sea creatures”) can also refer to: crocodiles (Ezekiel 29:3), powerful monsters (Jeremiah 51:34), or the sea creature Leviathan (Isaiah 27:1; compare Job 41:1–34).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2320. moving creature--all oviparous animals, both among the finny and the feathery tribes--remarkable for their rapid and prodigious increase. fowl--means every flying thing: The word rendered "whales," includes also sharks, crocodiles, &c.; so that from the countless shoals of small fish to the great sea monsters, from the tiny insect to the king of birds, the waters and the air were suddenly made to swarm with creatures formed to live and sport in their…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 1:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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