And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
What does Genesis 1:22 mean?
God commanded the fish and fowl to be produced. This command he himself executed.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 1:20-23 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 1:22
Blessed them. - We are brought into a new sphere of creation on this day, and we meet with a new act of the Almighty. To bless is to wish, and, in the case of God, to will some good to the object of the blessing. The blessing here pronounced upon the fish and the fowl is that of abundant increase. Bear. - This refers to the propagation of the species. Multiply. - This notifies the abundance of the offspring. Fill the waters. - Let them be fully stocked. In the seas. - The "sea" of Scripture includes the lake, and, by parity of reason, the rivers, which are the feeders of both.
Key words
- fish
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fish. Blessed them.
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And God blessed them,.
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And God blessed them,.
Context in Genesis 1
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Genesis 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.