EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Genesis 1:21
21God made big animals to live in the sea. He made every different kind of living thing that filled the sea. He made every different kind of bird to fly in the sky. God looked at what he had made. He 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
19Evening passed and then it was morning. That was the fourth day. 20God said, ‘The waters will become full with many living things. Birds will appear and fly above the earth, all across the sky.’ God made big animals to live in the sea. He made every different kind of living thing that filled the sea. He made every different kind of bird to fly in the sky. God looked at what he had made. He saw that it was good. 22God blessed the animals and the birds. He said to them, ‘Give birth to many young ones, so that you grow in number. Fill all the water in the seas. The birds also should become very many, all across the earth.’ 23Evening passed and then it was morning. That was 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- createdבָּרָאbârâ' · to createH1254
- greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- whalesתַּנִּיןtannîyn tannîym · serpent: monsterH8577
- and every livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
- creatureנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: animalH5315
- that movethרָמַשׂrâmaώ · to creepH7430
- which the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- brought forth abundantlyשָׁרַץshârats · to swarmH8317
- after their kindמִיןmîyn · kindH4327
- and every wingedכָּנָףkânâph · wingH3671
- fowlעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
Cross-references for Genesis 1:21
- Genesis 6:20Bring two of every different kind of bird, two of every different animal and two of every different living thing that moves along the ground. All these will come to you. You will take care of them so that they will stay alive.
- Genesis 7:14With them was every different kind of wild animal and every different kind of farm animal. They also had with them every kind of living thing that moves along the ground. Every different kind of bird and other flying things were there too.
- Genesis 8:19All the living animals also went out of the ship. The birds and the living things that move across the ground all went out. Every different kind of animal came out of the ship, each of them in its own group.
- Job 7:12Why do you have to watch me, God, like a guard? Do you think that I am a dangerous monster from the sea?
- Job 26:5Dead people shake with fear. They are under the deep waters.
- Psalms 104:24Lord, you have made very many different things! You were very wise in the way that you have made them all. The earth is full of the living things that you have made.
- Ezekiel 32:2‘Son of man, sing a funeral song about Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Say this to him: “You have shown your power among the nations, like a strong lion. But really you are a monster who lives in the sea. You live in the rivers of your country. You beat the water with your feet. The water of your streams becomes dirty.
- Jonah 1:17But the Lord sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was inside the fish's stomach for three days and three nights.
- Jonah 2:10Then the Lord told the great fish to spit Jonah out from its stomach. So it dropped Jonah onto the shore.
- Matthew 12:40Jonah stayed inside a big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will remain in the ground for three days and three nights.
- Genesis 8:17Bring every different kind of living animal out of the ship. Bring out the birds, the animals, and the living things that move across the ground. Now they may give birth to young ones again. They can grow in number all over the earth.’
- Genesis 9:7But as for you, you should give birth to many children so that you become very many people. There will be many people and they will live all over the earth.’
- Exodus 1:7But the Israelites had many children, so they grew into a very large family. They became very powerful. They were everywhere in the whole country.
- Exodus 8:3The Nile river will be full of frogs. The frogs will go into your house. They will jump into your bed. They will go into the houses of your servants. They will go into the houses of your people. They will jump into your ovens and into your dishes.
- Genesis 1:18They were to rule over the day and night. They were to make the time of light separate from the time of dark. God looked at what he had made. He 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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