Genesis 1:22

Genesis 1:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

Context of Genesis 1:22

20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So 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. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.

Genesis 1:22 word by word

וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֗וּ וּמִלְא֤וּ אֶת־הַמַּ֙יִם֙ בַּיַּמִּ֔ים וְהָע֖וֹף יִ֥רֶב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• blessedבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
• them, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Be fruitfulפָּרָהpârâh · be fruitfulH6509
• and multiplyרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• and fillמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• in the seasיָםyâm · seaH3220
• and let fowlעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
• in the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for Genesis 1:22

• Genesis 1:28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
• Genesis 8:17Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”
• Genesis 9:1Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
• Genesis 30:27But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”
• Genesis 35:11And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.
• Leviticus 26:9“ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.
• Job 40:15“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
• Job 42:12The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.
• Psalms 107:31Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
• Psalms 128:3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
• Psalms 144:13Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;
• Proverbs 10:22The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

Commentaries on Genesis 1:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Let fowl multiply in the earth - It is truly astonishing with what care, wisdom, and minute skill God has formed the different genera and species of birds, whether intended to live chiefly on land or in water. The structure of a single feather affords a world of wonders; and as God made the fowls that they might fly in the firmament of heaven, Genesis 1:20, so he has adapted the form of their bodies, and the structure and disposition of their plumage, for…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. 22God blessed them: This blessing orders and enables them to do what God has said (see “Blessing” Theme Note). fill the waters of the seas … let the birds multiply on the earth: These instructions explain the blessing. The fish and birds can reproduce because of God's command. It is not through pagan ceremonies, as some of Israel’s neighbors believed.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 1:22

• Benedictions
• Birds
• Fish
• God
• Propagation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Appear
• Beginning
• Bless
• Call
• Create
• Darkness
• Divide
• Earth

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