Genesis 1:28

Genesis 1:28 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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 fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
• New International Version (NIV)God 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.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill 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 moves on the earth."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Context of Genesis 1:28

26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness! Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the flying creatures of the sky, over the livestock, over the whole earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the land.” 27God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the land, and conquer it. Rule over the fish of the sea, the flying creatures of the sky, and over every animal that crawls on the land.” 29Then God said, “I have just given you every green plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the whole land, and every tree, which has the fruit of a tree yielding seed. They are to be food for you. 30Also for every wild animal, every flying creature of the sky and every creature that crawls on the land which has life, every green plant is to be food.” And it happened so.

Genesis 1:28 word by word

וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• blessedבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto them, Be fruitfulפָּרָהpârâh · be fruitfulH6509
• and multiplyרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• and replenishמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and subdue itכָּבַשׁkâbash · to subdueH3533
• and have dominionרָדָהrâdâh · to ruleH7287
• over the fishדָּגָהdâgâh · fishH1710
• of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• and over the fowlעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
• of the airשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and over every living thingחַיchay · aliveH2416
• that movethרָמַשׂrâmaώ · to creepH7430
• upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776

Cross-references for Genesis 1:28

• Genesis 1:22Then God blessed them by saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas. Let the flying creatures multiply on the land.”
• Genesis 8:17Every animal that is with you of all flesh, including the flying creatures, livestock and every crawling creature that crawls on the land, bring out with you, and let them swarm in the land and be fruitful and multiply upon the land.”
• Genesis 9:1God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the land.
• Genesis 17:16And I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son from her. I will bless her and she will give rise to nations. Kings of the peoples will come from her.”
• Genesis 22:17I will richly bless you and bountifully multiply your seed like the stars of heaven, and like the sand that is on the seashore, and your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.
• Genesis 24:60and they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your seed possess the gate of those who hate him.”
• Genesis 26:3Live as an outsider in this land and I will be with you and bless you—for to you and to your seed I give all these lands—and I will confirm my pledge that I swore to Abraham your father.
• Genesis 33:5His eyes glanced up and he saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” “The children whom God has graciously given your servant,” he said.
• Genesis 49:25from the God of your father who helps you, and Shaddai who blesses you, with blessings of heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of breasts and womb.
• Leviticus 26:9“I will turn toward you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you.
• 1 Chronicles 4:10Jabez called out to the God of Israel, saying, “If only You would greatly bless me, and enlarge my territory. Let Your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I might not suffer pain.” Adonai granted what he asked.
• 1 Chronicles 26:5Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth, (for God had blessed him).
• Job 42:12So Adonai blessed Job’s latter days more than at his beginning. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys.
• Psalms 107:38He blesses them, they multiply greatly, and He does not let their herds diminish,
• Psalms 127:1A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless Adonai builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless Adonai watches over the city, the watchman stands guard in vain.
• Psalms 128:3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house. Your children will be like olive saplings around your table.

Commentaries on Genesis 1:28

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28And God blessed them - Marked them as being under his especial protection, and gave them power to propagate and multiply their own kind on the earth. A large volume would be insufficient to contain what we know of the excellence and perfection of man, even in his present degraded fallen state. Both his body and soul are adapted with astonishing wisdom to their residence and occupations; and also the place of their residence, as well as the surrounding…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24-31Verses 24-31 - VIII. The Sixth Day 24. בהמה behēmâh “cattle; dumb, tame beasts.” רמשׂ remeś “creeping (small or low) animals.” חוּה chayâh “living thing; animal.” חוּת־חארץ chayatô -chā'ārets “wild beast.” 26. אדם 'ādām “man, mankind;” “be red.” A collective noun, having no plural number, and therefore denoting either an individual of the kind, or the kind or race itself. It is connected in etymology with אדמה 'ădāmâh “the red soil,” from which…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-28Verses 26-28 Man was made last of all the creatures: this was both an honour and a favour to him. Yet man was made the same day that the beasts were; his body was made of the same earth with theirs; and while he is in the body, he inhabits the same earth with them. God forbid that by indulging the body, and the desires of it, we should make ourselves like the beasts that perish! Man was to be a creature different from all that had been hitherto made…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28God blessed them: See study note on 1:22; also see 17:16; 48:16; Deuteronomy 7:13. said: God speaks directly and intimately to humans. We are caretakers of his shared authority. subdue it; rule: As representatives of God's rule, humans are responsible for taking care of the world God created and managing it (see also Genesis 9:2; Psalm 8:5–8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2828. Be fruitful, &c.--The human race in every country and age has been the offspring of the first pair. Amid all the varieties found among men, some black, some copper-colored, others white, the researches of modern science lead to a conclusion, fully accordant with the sacred history, that they are all of one species and of one family (Ac 17:26). What power in the word of God! "He spake and it was done. He commanded and all things stood fast" [Psa 33:9]…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 1:28

• Adam
• Benedictions
• Birds
• Eve
• Fruits
• God
• Man
• Propagation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Adam
• Appear
• Beginning
• Call
• Create
• Darkness
• Divide

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