Genesis 1:30

30 And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven,^[a] and to everything that moves upon the earth in which [there is] life [I am giving] every green plant as food." And it was so.

Genesis 1:30 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 1:30

And to every beast of the earth
Wild or tame, the cattle on a thousand hills; God took care and provided for these, being all his creatures, and designed to answer some end or other by their creation:

and to every fowl of the air;
that flies in it;

and to every creeping thing upon the earth;
even the meanest and lowest insect:

wherein there is life;
or "a living soul"; that has an animal life, which is to be supported by food:

[I have given] every green herb for meat;
the leaves for some, and seed for others; and here is no mention made of flesh; and perhaps those creatures which are now carnivorous were not so at their first creation:

and it was so;
every creature, both man and beast, had food suitable to their nature and appetite, and a sufficiency of it.

(From ( Romans 5:12 ) , it is certain that up until the fall no animal ate other animals, otherwise there would have been death before Adam's first sin, which is said to be the cause of death. Ed.)

Genesis 1:30 In-Context

28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth."

29 And God said, "Look--I am giving to you every plant [that] bears seed which [is] on the face of the whole earth, and every kind of tree {that bears fruit}. They shall be yours as food."

30 And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven, and to everything that moves upon the earth in which [there is] life [I am giving] every green plant as food." And it was so.

31 And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, [it was] very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "the sky"