Genesis 9:1-7

1 And God blessed Noe and his sons, and said to them, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and have dominion over it.

2 And the dread and the fear of you shall be upon all the wild beasts of the earth, on all the birds of the sky, and on all things moving upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea, I have placed them under your power.

3 And every reptile which is living shall be to you for meat, I have given all things to you as the green herbs.

4 But flesh with blood of life ye shall not eat.

5 For your blood of your lives will I require at the hand of all wild beasts, and I will require the life of man at the hand of brother man.

6 He that sheds man's blood, instead of that blood shall his own be shed, for in the image of God I made man.

7 But do ye increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and have dominion over it.

Genesis 9:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 9

In this chapter we have an account of God's blessing Noah and his sons, being just come out of the ark, with a renewal of the blessing of propagating their species, and replenishing the earth, the dominion over the creatures, and a freedom from the fear of them; with liberty to eat flesh, only it must not be eaten with blood; with a providential care and preservation of their lives from men and beasts, by making a law that that man or beast should die that shed man's blood, Ge 9:1-6 and after repeating the blessing of procreation, Ge 9:7 mention is made of a covenant God made with Noah, his sons, and all the creatures, that he would drown the world no more, the token of which should be the rainbow in the cloud, Ge 9:8-17 the names of the sons of Noah are observed, by whom the earth was repeopled, Ge 9:18,19 and seem to be observed for the sake of an event after recorded; Noah having planted a vineyard, and drank too freely of the wine of it, lay down uncovered in his tent, which Ham seeing, told his two brothers of it, who in a very modest manner covered him, Ge 9:20-23 of all which Noah being sensible when he awoke, cursed Canaan the son of Ham, and blessed Shem and Japheth, Ge 9:24-27 and the chapter is concluded with the age and death of Noah, Ge 9:28,29.

Footnotes

• [a] Gr. hands.
• [b] Gr. herbs of grass.