Genesis 1:28

28 And God blessed them and God sayd vnto them. Growe and multiplye and fyll the erth and subdue it and have domynyon over the fysh of the see and over the foules of the ayre and over all the beastes that move on the erth.

Genesis 1:28 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 1:28

And God blessed them
The man and the woman he had made, with all the blessings of nature and Providence; with all the good things of life; with his presence, and with communion with himself in a natural way, through the creatures; and particularly with a power of procreating their species, as follows;

and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth:
if this is not an express command, as the Jews understand it, for marriage and procreation of children, it seems to be more than a bare permission; at least it is a direction and an advice to what was proper and convenient for the increase of mankind, and for the filling of the earth with inhabitants, which was the end of its being made, ( Isaiah 45:18 ) . This shows that marriage is an ordinance of God, instituted in paradise, and is honourable; and that procreation is a natural action, and might have been, and may be performed without sin,

and subdue it;
the earth; not that it was in the hands of others, who had no right to it, and to be conquered and taken out of their hands; but is to be understood of their taking possession, and making use of it; of their tilling the land, and making it subservient to their use:

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 face of
the earth;
which was giving them an universal and unlimited dominion over all the creatures; of which see an enumeration in ( Psalms 8:6-8 ) .

Genesis 1:28 In-Context

26 And God sayd: let vs make man in oure symilitude ad after oure lycknesse: that he may have rule over the fysh of the see and over the foules of the ayre and over catell and over all the erth and over all wormes that crepe on the erth.

27 And God created man after hys lycknesse after the lycknesse of god created he him: male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them and God sayd vnto them. Growe and multiplye and fyll the erth and subdue it and have domynyon over the fysh of the see and over the foules of the ayre and over all the beastes that move on the erth.

29 And God sayd: se I have geven yow all herbes that sowe seed which are on all the erth and all maner trees that haue frute in them and sowe seed: to be meate for yow

30 and for all beastes of the erth and vnto all foules of the ayre and vnto all that crepeth on the erth where in is lyfe that they may haue all maner herbes and grasse for to eate and even so it was.