TRV
“The Creation of Mankind”· Genesis 1:26–28
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
And God H430 blessed H1288 them, and God H430 said H559 unto them, Be fruitful H6509, and multiply H7235, and replenish H4390 the earth H776, and subdue it H3533: and have dominion H7287 over the fish H1710 of the sea H3220, and over the fowl H5775 of the air H8064, and over every living thing H2416 that moveth H7430 upon the earth H776.
Complete Jewish Bible
God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.”
Berean Standard Bible
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
American Standard Version
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.
World English Bible Messianic
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruite and multiplie, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, and ouer euery beast that moueth vpon the earth.
Young's Literal Translation
And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'
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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Genesis 1:26–28.
Passage under commentGenesis 1:26–28
26¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28And 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.
We have here the second part of the sixth day's work, the creation of man, which we are, in a special manner, concerned to take notice of, that we may know ourselves. Observe,
I.That man was made last of all the creatures, that it might not be suspected that he had been, any way, a helper to God in the creation of the world: that question must be for ever humbling and mortifying to him, Where wast thou, or any of thy kind, when I laid the foundations of the earth? Job 38:4. Yet it was both an honour and a favour to him that he was made last: an honour, for the method of the creation was to advance from that which was less perfect to that which was more so; and a favour, for it was not fit he should be lodged in the palace designed for him till it was completely fitted up and furnished for his reception. Man, as soon as he was made, had the whole visible creation before him, both to contemplate and to take the comfort of. Man was made the same day that the beasts were, because 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!
II.That man's creation was a more signal and immediate act of divine wisdom and power than that of the other creatures.
The narrative of it is introduced with something of solemnity, and a manifest distinction from the rest. Hitherto, it had been said, "Let there be light," and "Let there be a firmament," and "Let the earth, or waters, bring forth" such a thing; but now the word of command is turned into a word of consultation, "Let us make man, for whose sake the rest of the creatures were made: this is a work we must take into our own hands." In the former he speaks as one having authority, in this as one having affection; for his delights were with the sons of men, Pro 8:31. It should seem as if this were the work which he longed to be at; as if he had said, "Having at last settled the preliminaries, let us now apply ourselves to the business, Let us make man." Man was to be a creature different from all that had been hitherto made. Flesh and spirit, heaven and earth, must be put together in him, and he must be allied to both worlds. And therefore God himself not only undertakes to make him, but is pleased so to express himself as if he called a council to consider of the making of him: Let us make man. The three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, consult about it and concur in it, because man, when he was made, was to be dedicated and devoted to Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Into that great name we are, with good reason, baptized, for to that great name we owe our being. Let him rule man who said, Let us make man.
III.That man was made in God's image and after his likeness, two words to express the same thing and making each other the more expressive; image and likeness denote the likest image, the nearest resemblance of any of the visible creatures. Man was not made in the likeness of any creature that went before him, but in the likeness of his Creator; yet still between God and man there is an infinite distance. Christ only is the express image of God's person, as the Son of his Father, having the same nature. It is only some of God's honour that is put upon man, who is God's image only as the shadow in the glass, or the king's impress upon the coin. God's image upon man consists in these three things: - 1. In his nature and constitution, not those of his body (for God has not a body), but those of his soul. This honour indeed God has put upon the body of man, that the Word was made flesh, the Son of God was clothed with a body like ours and will shortly clothe ours with a glory like that of his. And this we may safely say, That he by whom God made the worlds, not only the great world, but man the little world, formed the human body, at the first, according to the platform he designed for himself in the fulness of time. But it is the soul, the great soul, of man, that does especially bear God's image. The soul is a spirit, an intelligent immortal spirit, an influencing active spirit, herein resembling God, the Father of Spirits, and the soul of the world. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. The soul of man, considered in its three noble faculties, understanding, will, and active power, is perhaps the brightest clearest looking-glass in nature, wherein to see God. 2. In his place and authority: Let us make man in our image, and let him have dominion. As he has the government of the inferior creatures, he is, as it were, God's representative, or viceroy, upon earth; they are not capable of fearing and serving God, therefore God has appointed them to fear and serve man. Yet his government of himself by the freedom of his will has in it more of God's image than his government of the creatures. 3. In his purity and rectitude. God's image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, Eph 4:24; Col 3:10. He was upright, Ecc 7:29. He had an habitual conformity of all his natural powers to the whole will of God. His understanding saw divine things clearly and truly, and there were no errors nor mistakes in his knowledge. His will complied readily and universally with the will of God, without reluctancy or resistance. His affections were all regular, and he had no inordinate appetites or passions. His thoughts were easily brought and fixed to the best subjects, and there was no vanity nor ungovernableness in them. All the inferior powers were subject to the dictates and directions of the superior, without any mutiny or rebellion. Thus holy, thus happy, were our first parents, in having the image of God upon them. And this honour, put upon man at first, is a good reason why we should not speak ill one of another (Jam 3:9), nor do ill one to another (Gen 9:6), and a good reason why we should not debase ourselves to the service of sin, and why we should devote ourselves to God's service. But how art thou fallen, O son of the morning! How is this image of God upon man defaced! How small are the remains of it, and how great the ruins of it! The Lord renew it upon our souls by his sanctifying grace!
IV.That man was made male and female, and blessed with the blessing of fruitfulness and increase.
God said, Let us make man, and immediately it follows, So God created man; he performed what he resolved. With us saying and doing are two things; but they are not so with God. He created him male and female, Adam and Eve - Adam first, out of earth, and Eve out of his side, ch. 2. It should seem that of the rest of the creatures God made many couples, but of man did not he make one? (Mal 2:15), though he had the residue of the Spirit, whence Christ gathers an argument against divorce, Mat 19:4, Mat 19:5. Our first father, Adam, was confined to one wife; and, if he had put her away, there was no other for him to marry, which plainly intimated that the bond of marriage was not to be dissolved at pleasure. Angels were not made male and female, for they were not to propagate their kind (Luk 20:34-36); but man was made so, that the nature might be propagated and the race continued. Fires and candles, the luminaries of this lower world, because they waste, and go out, have a power to light more; but it is not so with the lights of heaven: stars do not kindle stars. God made but one male and one female, that all the nations of men might know themselves to be made of one blood, descendants from one common stock, and might thereby be induced to love one another. God, having made them capable of transmitting the nature they had received, said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. Here he gave them, 1. A large inheritance: Replenish the earth; it is this that is bestowed upon the children of men. They were made to dwell upon the face of all the earth, Act 17:26. This is the place in which God has set man to be the servant of his providence in the government of the inferior creatures, and, as it were, the intelligence of this orb; to be the receiver of God's bounty, which other creatures live upon, but do not know it; to be likewise the collector of his praises in this lower world, and to pay them into the exchequer above (Psa 145:10); and, lastly, to be a probationer for a better state. 2. A numerous lasting family, to enjoy this inheritance, pronouncing a blessing upon them, in virtue of which their posterity should extend to the utmost corners of the earth and continue to the utmost period of time. Fruitfulness and increase depend upon the blessing of God: Obed-edom had eight sons, for God blessed him, Ch1 26:5. It is owing to this blessing, which God commanded at first, that the race of mankind is still in being, and that as one generation passeth away another cometh.
V.That God gave to man, when he had made him, a dominion over the inferior creatures, over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air.
Though man provides for neither, he has power over both, much more over every living thing that moveth upon the earth, which are more under his care and within his reach. God designed hereby to put an honour upon man, that he might find himself the more strongly obliged to bring honour to his Maker. This dominion is very much diminished and lost by the fall; yet God's providence continues so much of it to the children of men as is necessary to the safety and support of their lives, and God's grace has given to the saints a new and better title to the creature than that which was forfeited by sin; for all is ours if we are Christ's, Co1 3:22.
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Historical interpretation
Five Centuries of Reception
15 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Ante-NicenePost-NiceneEarly Medieval
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Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
And from that time, ever since the blessing which was pronounced upon man's generation, Genesis 1:28 the flesh and the soul have had a simultaneous birth, without any calculable difference in time; so that the two have been even generated together in the womb, as we have shown in our Treatise on the Soul. Contemporaneous in the womb, they are also temporally identical in their birth. The two are no doubt produced by human parents of two substances, but not at two different periods; rather they are so entirely one, that neither is before the other in point of time. [On the Resurrection of the Flesh 45]
Tertullian says this concerning polygamy of the Patriarchs- As I think, moreover, each pronouncement and arrangement is (the act) of one and the same God; who did then indeed, in the beginning, send forth a sowing of the race by an indulgent laxity granted to the reins of connubial alliances, until the world should be replenished, until the material of the new discipline should attain to forwardness: now, however, at the extreme boundaries of the times, has checked (the command) which He had sent out, and recalled the indulgence which He had granted; not without a reasonable ground for the extension (of that indulgence) in the beginning, and the limitation of it in the end. [On Exortation to Chastity 6]
"And God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds and over every animal that crawls upon the earth.'" [ Gen1:28 ] Because they were blessed on this earth, it is as if this dwelling spot had been prepared for them prior to their sin. For although they had not yet sinned God knew that they were about to sin.
"Be fruitful and multiply and fill," not Paradise but "the earth," [ Gen1:28 ] and "have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds and over all the beasts." [ Gen1:28 ] But how was Adam to rule over the fish of the sea unless he were in proximity to the sea? And how was he to rule over the birds that fly throughout every region unless his descendants were to dwell in every region? And how was Adam to rule over every beast of the earth unless his offspring inhabited the entire earth?
Although Adam was created and was blessed to rule over the earth and over everything that was created and blessed in [ the earth ], God had indeed made him to dwell within Paradise. God truly manifested His fore-knowledge in His blessings and manifested His grace in the place in which He caused Adam to dwell. Lest it be said that Paradise was not created for [ Adam's ] sake, God made him dwell there in Paradise. And lest it be said that God did not know that Adam would sin, He blessed him on this earth. And everything with which God blessed Adam preceded the transgression of the commandment, lest by the transgression of him who had been blessed, the blessings of Him who gives blessing be withheld and the world be turned back into nothing on account of the folly of that one for whose sake everything had been created.
Within Paradise, therefore, God did not bless Adam because that place and all that was in it is blessed. But God blessed him on the earth first so that by the blessing with which [ His ] grace blessed beforehand, the curse of the earth, which was about to be cursed by [ His ] justice, might [ thus ] be diminished. But even though it was a blessing of promise, in that it was fulfilled after his expulsion from Paradise, it was, nevertheless, His grace that was effected, for on that same day, God made Adam dwell in the garden, clothed him with glory and made him ruler over all the trees of Paradise.
“You will rule over savage beasts.” How though, you may ask, since I have a beast within? Actually, there are a myriad, a countless number of beasts within you. You should not take offense in these words. Rage is a small beast, yet when it growls in the heart is any dog more savage? Is not the treacherous soul like fresh bait staked in front of a bear’s den? Is not the hypocrite a beast?… [Rule] then over the beasts inside you. Rule your thoughts so that you will become a ruler over all things. So the same one who provides the power to rule over all living things provides power for us to rule over ourselves.
As brute life first entered into the world and man … took something of their nature (I mean the mode of generation), he accordingly took at the same time a share of the other attributes contemplated in that nature. For the likeness of man to God is not found in anger, nor is pleasure a mark of the superior nature; cowardice also, and boldness, and the desire of gain, and the dislike of loss, and all the like, are far removed from that stamp which indicates divinity. These attributes, then, human nature took to itself from the side of the brutes.
There are two ways to “increase”: in the body and in the soul. The soul increases by education, progressing toward completion; the body increases (by growing) from small to large. He told, therefore, the senseless animals to increase by the development of the body. But to us he said “increase” in the inner person along ways which lead toward God. This was what Paul did, in his stretching out toward what lay ahead and forgetting what lie behind. This is godly increase.
Let no one think that we depreciate marriage as an institution. We are well aware that it is not a stranger to God’s blessing.… But our view of marriage is this: that while the pursuit of heavenly things should be a man’s first care, yet if he can use the advantages of marriage with sobriety and moderation, he need not despise this way of serving.
So, after saying “male and female he made them” as though to bestow a blessing on each of them, he goes on, “God blessed them in the words, ‘Increase and multiply, fill the earth and gain dominion over it, and have control of the fish of the sea.’ ” Behold the remarkable character of the blessing! I mean, those words, “increase and multiply and fill the earth,” anyone could see are said of the brute beasts and the reptiles alike, whereas “gain dominion and have control” are directed to the man and woman. See the Lord’s loving kindness: even before creating them, he makes them share in this control and bestows on them the blessing. “Have control” the text says, “of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all the cattle, the whole earth and all the reptiles creeping on the earth.” Did you notice the definitive character of this authority? Did you notice all created things placed under the control of this particular being? So no longer entertain casual impressions of this rational being but rather realize the extent of the esteem and the Lord’s magnanimity toward it and be amazed at his love beyond all telling.
One is completely right to ask in what sense we should understand the union of male and female before sin, as well as the blessing that said “Increase and multiply, and generate and fill the earth.” Should we understand it in a physical manner or spiritually? For we are permitted to understand it spiritually and to believe that it was changed into sexual fecundity after sin. For there was first the chaste union of male and female, of the former to rule, of the latter to obey, and there was the spiritual offspring of intelligible and immortal joys filling the earth, that is, giving life to the body and ruling it. That is, man so held [the body] subject that he experienced from it no opposition or trouble. We should believe that it was this way, since they were not yet children of this world before they sinned. For the children of this world generate and are generated, as the Lord says, when he shows that we should relatively disregard this carnal generation in comparison with the future life that is promised to us.
If one should ask why it was necessary that a helper be made for man, the answer that seems most probable is that it was for the procreation of children, just as the earth is a helper for the seed in the production of a plant from the union of the two. This purpose was declared in the original creation of the world: “Male and female he made them. And God blessed them and said, ‘Increase and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.’ ” This reason for creation and union of male and female, as well as this blessing, was not abrogated after the sin and punishment of man. It is by virtue of this blessing that the earth is now filled with human beings who subdue it. Although it was after the expulsion of the man and woman from paradise that they came together in sexual intercourse and begot children, according to Scripture, nevertheless I do not see what could have prohibited them from honorable nuptial union and “the bed undefiled” even in paradise. God could have granted them this if they had lived in a faithful and just manner in obedient and holy service to him, so that without the tumultuous ardor of passion and without any labor and pain of childbirth, offspring would be born from their seed. In this case, the purpose would not be to have children succeeding parents who die. Rather those who had begotten children would remain in the prime of life and would maintain their physical strength from the tree of life that had been planted in paradise. Those who would be born would develop to the same state and eventually, when the determined number would be complete, if all live just and obedient lives, there would be a transformation. Thus without any death their natural bodies would receive a new quality since they obeyed every command of the spirit that ruled them. With the spirit alone vivifying them, without any help from corporeal nourishment, they would be called spiritual bodies. This could have been if the transgression of God’s command had not merited the punishment of death.
At times the Manichaeans also ask, “In what sense did man receive power over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven and all the cattle and wild animals? For we see that men are killed by many wild animals and that many birds harm us when we want to avoid them or to capture them, though we often cannot. In what sense then did we receive power over these?” On this point they should first be told that they make a big mistake when they consider man after sin, when he has been condemned to the mortality of this life and has lost that perfection by which he was made in the image of the God. But even man’s state of condemnation involves such power that he rules many animals. For though he can be killed by many wild animals on account of the fragility of his body, he can be tamed by none, although he tames very many and nearly all of them.
Far be it then from us to believe that the couple that were placed in paradise would have fulfilled through this lust, which shamed them into covering those organs, the words pronounced by God in his blessing: “Increase and multiply and fill the earth.” For it was only after man sinned that his lust arose; it was after man sinned that his natural being, retaining the sense of shame but losing that dominance to which the body was subject in every part, felt and noticed, then blushed at and concealed that lust. The nuptial blessing, however, whereby the pair, joined in marriage, were to increase and multiply and fill the earth, remained in force even when they sinned. Yet it was given before they sinned, for its purpose was to make it clear that the procreation of children is a part of the glory of marriage and not of the punishment of sin.
Indeed being in himself the universal union of all, [Christ] has started with our [sexual] division and become the perfect human being, having from us, on our account and in accordance with our nature, everything that we are and lacking nothing, “apart from sin,” and having no need of the natural intercourse of marriage. In this way he showed, I think, that there was perhaps another way, foreknown to God, for human beings to increase, if the first human being had kept the commandment and not cast himself down to an animal state by abusing his own proper powers. Thus God-made-man has done away with the difference and division of nature into male and female, which human nature in no way needed for generation, as some hold, and without which it would perhaps have been possible.
And He blessed them and said: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. For indeed, this multiplication of humans and filling of the earth could only be accomplished through the union of man and woman. Yet, if the human race grows and multiplies by the blessing of God, how much more worthy of a curse are those who forbid marriage and condemn the arrangement of the heavenly decree as if it were devised by the devil? Therefore, marriages should not be condemned, which were established by the grace of the heavenly blessing for the propagation of the human race and the filling of the earth; but rather, virginity is more to be honored and is worthy of greater blessing, which, after the earth has been filled with people, desires in chastity of mind and body to follow the Lamb wherever He goes—that is, the Lord Jesus in heaven—and to sing a new song, which no one else can sing. For God and our Lord, who in the beginning of the nascent world formed the woman from the side of the man to teach that the earth was to be filled by their mutual union, Himself in the end of the age took a man from the flesh of a Virgin, free from all contamination, filled with the fullness of all divinity, to prove that He valued the glory of virginity more than marriage.
And rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that move upon the earth. It is rightly asked for what use man received dominion over the fish, birds, and all the animals of the earth, or to what uses and comforts these were created for man, if he had never sinned: to whom, as the following scripture declares, these were not given for food but only the herbs and fruits of trees were granted in the first condition, unless it is to be said that God foresaw that man would sin and become mortal by sinning, whom He created immortal, and therefore originally provided those comforts for him by which mortal fragility could be sustained, namely either food from them, or clothing, or aids for work or travel. And it is not worth asking why man also does not now rule over all animals; for after man did not want to be subject to his Creator, he lost dominion over those which his Creator had subjected to his authority. Finally, we read as a testimony of the first creation that the birds provided service to the holy and humbly serving men of God, the jaws of beasts withdrew and the venom of serpents was not able to harm.
After the transgression, … to prevent the wearing out and destruction of the race by death, marriage was devised that the race of men may be preserved through the procreation of children.But they will perhaps ask, What then is the meaning of “male and female” and “Be fruitful and multiply”? In answer we shall say that “Be fruitful and multiply” does not altogether refer to the multiplying by the marriage connection. For God had power to multiply the race also in different ways, if they kept the precept unbroken to the end. But God, who knows all things before they have existence, knowing in his foreknowledge that they would fall into transgression in the future and be condemned to death, anticipated this and made “male and female,” and bade them “be fruitful and multiply.”
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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Summary
Genesis 1:28 records God's inaugural blessing and comprehensive commission to humanity immediately following their creation in His image. This foundational decree establishes humanity's unique dignity, purpose, and delegated authority within the created order. It outlines a dual mandate: the "Procreative Mandate" to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth," extending human presence and God's image across the globe; and the "Cultural Mandate" to "subdue it and have dominion" over creation, calling humanity to responsible stewardship, development, and benevolent governance of the earth and its creatures as God's vice-regents. This verse defines humanity's original calling to flourish and steward creation in partnership with God.
Context
Literary Context
This pivotal verse appears at the culmination of the sixth day of creation, directly after the creation of humankind—male and female—in God's very image in Genesis 1:27. Having brought forth all of creation through His Word, God now turns His attention to His crowning creation, bestowing upon them a singular blessing and a comprehensive commission. The preceding verses establish God as the sovereign Creator, bringing forth an ordered cosmos. Humanity, uniquely created in the image of God, is set apart from the rest of creation, not merely as another creature but as God's representative on earth. Genesis 1:28, therefore, is not an arbitrary command but the logical outflow of humanity's unique status and identity as imago Dei, setting the stage for the entire narrative of human history, establishing humanity's relationship with God, with one another, and with the rest of the created world. It is the divine blueprint for human flourishing and responsibility in a pre-fall world.
Historical & Cultural Context
The ancient Near East, where the book of Genesis originated, often featured creation myths that depicted gods struggling for power or creating humanity for servile purposes. In stark contrast, the Genesis account presents a singular, sovereign God who creates an orderly cosmos and intentionally places humanity at its pinnacle, not as slaves, but as co-regents. The concept of "dominion" (Hebrew: radah) would have resonated with the idea of kingship, but uniquely, this kingship is delegated to all humanity, male and female, collectively. The commands to "be fruitful and multiply" and "fill the earth" reflect a divine desire for flourishing and expansion, a stark contrast to the often-harsh realities of ancient life where high infant mortality and limited resources made population growth a blessing. This divine blessing and mandate set the stage for a unique relationship between humanity and creation, distinct from surrounding cultures that might deify nature or exploit it without ethical considerations.
Key Themes
Genesis 1:28 contributes significantly to several major theological and narrative themes within the broader book of Genesis and the Bible as a whole. It powerfully articulates the theme of Divine Blessing and Favor, demonstrating God's benevolent posture towards His creation, especially humanity. It is central to the theme of Humanity's Unique Dignity and Purpose as the imago Dei, highlighting their distinct role as God's representatives. The verse introduces the Procreative Mandate, emphasizing the sanctity of life and the importance of family for the expansion of God's image-bearers. Crucially, it establishes the Cultural Mandate, calling humanity to active, responsible stewardship and development of creation, echoing the later command to tend and keep the Garden. This foundational command sets up the narrative tension that unfolds after the Fall in Genesis 3, where humanity's ability to fulfill these mandates is corrupted, yet the underlying divine purpose remains.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
From a primitive root meaning "to kneel," this word implies an active bestowal of divine favor, power, and enablement. It signifies God's delight in His creation and His desire for humanity's success and prosperity, providing the inherent capacity to fulfill the subsequent commands. It is an act of divine empowerment, enabling humanity to participate in God's ongoing creative work.
A primitive root meaning "to tread down," "to conquer," or "to bring into subjection." This term signifies humanity's responsibility to actively engage with the earth, harnessing its potential, cultivating its resources, and developing its inherent capacities. It implies bringing order out of potential chaos, developing creation for human flourishing and God's glory, not through exploitation but through responsible management.
A primitive root meaning "to tread down," "to rule," or "to govern." This grants humanity a unique authority and oversight over the animal kingdom and, by extension, the entire created order. This dominion is not tyrannical but benevolent, reflecting God's own wise, loving, and orderly governance. As God's vice-regents, humanity is called to exercise this authority with care, wisdom, and responsibility, mirroring the character of the Creator.
Verse Breakdown
"And God blessed them,"
This opening phrase signifies a divine impartation of favor, power, and enablement. It underscores that humanity's ability to "be fruitful" and "subdue" is not inherent but a gift from the Creator, rooted in His good intentions and provision. This blessing is foundational, indicating God's delight in His creation and His desire for humanity's success and prosperity.
"and God said unto them,"
This highlights the direct, personal nature of God's address to humanity. Unlike other aspects of creation that come into being by divine fiat, humanity receives a direct commission, emphasizing their unique relationship with the Creator and their capacity for understanding and obedience.
"Be fruitful, and multiply,"
This is the first direct command given to humanity, often termed the "Procreative Mandate." The Hebrew words denote abundant increase and growth. This command is not merely biological but profoundly theological, reflecting God's desire to fill the earth with His image-bearers, thereby extending His presence, glory, and delegated authority through the proliferation of human life.
"and replenish the earth,"
The King James Version's use of "replenish" here means "to fill completely" in 17th-century English. The Hebrew word simply means "to fill" or "to be full." Thus, the command is to fill the earth with the multiplying human population, establishing human presence, culture, and God's delegated rule across the globe. It signifies the expansion of the imago Dei throughout the created order.
"and subdue it:"
This is often referred to as the "Cultural Mandate." It signifies humanity's responsibility to actively engage with the earth, harnessing its potential, cultivating its resources, and developing its inherent capacities. This involves agriculture, engineering, science, art, and all forms of cultural development that bring order, beauty, and utility out of the raw material of creation. It is about bringing order out of potential chaos, developing creation for human flourishing and God's glory.
"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."
This grants humanity a unique authority and oversight over the animal kingdom and, by extension, the entire created order. This dominion, however, is not tyrannical but benevolent, reflecting God's own wise, loving, and orderly governance. As God's vice-regents, humanity is called to exercise this authority with care, wisdom, and responsibility, ensuring the well-being of creation, mirroring the character of the Creator who entrusts them with this sacred trust. It is a delegated kingship, intended to reflect God's own perfect rule.
Literary Devices
Genesis 1:28 employs several key literary devices that amplify its significance. The most prominent is Repetition, particularly of the phrase "And God blessed them, and God said unto them," which underscores the divine origin and authority of the commands that follow. This repetition emphasizes the intentionality and directness of God's interaction with humanity. The verse also features Parallelism in its commands: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" forms a cohesive unit, as does "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." This structural parallelism highlights the dual aspects of the human mandate: procreation and stewardship. Furthermore, the passage functions as a Divine Commission or Mandate, a formal declaration of purpose and authority, setting out humanity's role as God's vice-regents. The comprehensive scope of the dominion—over "fish," "fowl," and "every living thing that moveth upon the earth"—uses Merism to indicate total authority over all categories of animal life, implying authority over the entire created order.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Genesis 1:28 is inextricably linked to Genesis 1:27. Humanity's capacity to "be fruitful, multiply, fill, subdue, and have dominion" flows directly from being created in God's image. This verse defines what it means to live out the imago Dei—to reflect God's own creative, ordering, and sustaining character in the world. Humans are unique among creation, endowed with rationality, morality, and the capacity for relationship with God, enabling them to fulfill this divine mandate. This passage establishes humanity's original vocation as co-laborers with God in the ongoing development and stewardship of creation. It points to a purposeful existence rooted in divine command, encompassing both procreation (the Procreative Mandate) and cultural development (the Cultural Mandate). Every sphere of human activity, from family life to scientific endeavor, finds its root in this divine commission.
Reflection and Application
Genesis 1:28 continues to shape our understanding of human purpose and responsibility today. For believers, this verse calls us to:
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "subdue" and "have dominion" give humanity permission to exploit the earth?
No. While the words imply control and authority, the context of humanity being created in God's image and God's own benevolent rule over creation, as seen in Psalm 103:19, indicates that human dominion is meant to be a reflection of God's wise, loving, and orderly governance. It is a call to responsible stewardship, cultivation, and care, not reckless exploitation. Humanity is a vice-regent, entrusted with creation, not a tyrant with absolute rights over it.
Is the command to "be fruitful and multiply" still binding on all people today?
The general principle of valuing life and the family remains, but the specific command to "fill the earth" (which is now largely populated) is understood in a broader sense. For individuals, the New Testament introduces the value of singleness for the sake of the kingdom (compare Matthew 19:10-12). However, the underlying truth that human life is a blessing and that humanity is to extend God's presence and glory through spiritual fruitfulness and discipleship remains.
How does The Fall (Genesis 3) affect humanity's ability to fulfill these mandates?
The Fall did not revoke the mandates, but it corrupted humanity's ability to fulfill them perfectly. Sin introduced toil, pain, and conflict into both the Procreative and Cultural Mandates, as seen in Genesis 3:16-19. Childbearing became painful, and working the ground became laborious. Dominion became prone to tyranny and exploitation, and stewardship became marred by selfishness. Yet, the original calling remains, now pursued in a fallen world and in need of redemption through Christ.
What is the difference between the "Procreative Mandate" and the "Cultural Mandate"?
The "Procreative Mandate" ("be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth") primarily concerns the biological and social expansion of humanity through family and population growth. It emphasizes the sacredness of life and the extension of God's image through human generations. The "Cultural Mandate" ("subdue, have dominion") concerns humanity's active engagement with and development of the natural world, creating culture, science, art, and order from creation's raw potential. Both are intertwined aspects of humanity's original purpose to reflect God's creative and ordering character.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Genesis 1:28, though given in a pre-fall context, finds its ultimate meaning and redefinition in Jesus Christ. As the true and perfect Imago Dei (compare Hebrews 1:3), Christ embodies what it means to perfectly reflect God's image and perfectly fulfill the mandates given to humanity. Adam failed to perfectly exercise benevolent dominion, succumbing to temptation and bringing creation under a curse. Christ, the "last Adam" (as described in 1 Corinthians 15:45), perfectly fulfills the dominion mandate. He demonstrates true dominion over nature (calming storms, walking on water, as seen in Mark 4:39), over disease, and over spiritual forces, not through force but through divine authority and redemptive love. His kingship is the benevolent, righteous rule that humanity was always meant to exercise. Through His redemptive work on the cross and His resurrection, Christ begins the process of restoring humanity's ability to fulfill the original mandates. The curse on creation is ultimately reversed in Him, and the toil associated with the mandates is transformed into purposeful labor for God's kingdom. Believers, united with Christ, are empowered by the Holy Spirit to once again "be fruitful" (spiritually, bearing the fruit of the Spirit) and to "subdue" and "have dominion" in a way that reflects God's character, working for the flourishing of creation and humanity in a fallen world, anticipating the New Creation. The command to "fill the earth" is ultimately fulfilled in the New Creation, where the redeemed humanity, a vast multitude from every tribe and nation (as envisioned in Revelation 7:9), will perfectly inhabit and worship God in a renewed heavens and earth (as described in Revelation 21:1-4). In the resurrection, the "procreative mandate" gives way to a spiritual "fruitfulness" in the Kingdom (as Jesus teaches in Matthew 22:30). The "cultural mandate" finds its eschatological fulfillment in the eternal city, the New Jerusalem, where human culture, purified and perfected, is brought into the presence of God (as seen in Revelation 21:24-26). Christ is the one through whom all things are being reconciled and brought to their intended glorious end, including humanity's original calling to rule and reign with Him (as promised in Revelation 22:5).