Genesis 9:7 · Bible study
Genesis 9:7 Commentary: Be Fruitful and Multiply
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
After the flood, God repeats the command to be fruitful and multiply, grounding humanity's new start in the Noahic covenant.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God renews the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply, commanding Noah and his sons to repopulate the earth after the flood, with an emphasis on abundance through the verb “swarm.”
- Key words: Sharats (swarm, teem) intensifies the command beyond Genesis 1:28; parah (be fruitful); ravah (multiply).
- Main debate: Whether this is primarily a command or a promise, most commentators see it as both (command and blessing).
- Theological theme: The continuity of God’s purposes despite judgment; the sanctity of human life made in God’s image; the cultural mandate to fill the earth.
- Best use: Preaching on new beginnings, God’s faithfulness, the value of life, and the Christian responsibility to build culture and community.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And ye, be fruitful and multiply, teem in the earth, and multiply in it.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And ye, be fruitful and multiply: swarm on the earth, and multiply on it.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But increase you and multiply, and go upon the earth and fill it.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas vosotros fructificad, y multiplicaos; procread abundantemente en la tierra, y multiplicaos en ella.
Mas vós frutificai, e multiplicai-vos; procriai abundantemente na terra, e multiplicai-vos nela.
Et vous, soyez féconds et multipliez, répandez-vous sur la terre et multipliez sur elle.
Seid fruchtbar und mehrt euch und regt euch auf Erden, daß euer viel darauf werden.
Maar gijlieden, weest vruchtbaar, en vermenigvuldigt; teelt overvloediglijk voort op de aarde, en vermenigvuldigt op dezelve.
Voi dunque crescete e moltiplicate; spandetevi sulla terra, e moltiplicate in essa”.
A wy rozradzajcie się, i rozmnażajcie się, rozpładzajcie się na ziemi, i mnóżcie się na niej.
вы же плодитесь и размножайтесь, и распространяйтесь по земле, и умножайтесь на ней.
你們 要生養 眾多，在地上 昌盛 繁茂。」
And now, be fertile and have increase; have offspring on the earth and become great in number.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 9:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that verse 7 reaffirms the original creation mandate given in Genesis 1:28, now spoken to Noah and his sons as the new patriarchs of a depopulated world. Barnes notes that the grant of increase is “the same as at first, but expressed in ampler terms.” Calvin emphasizes that the words contain not just a command but also a promise: God is encouraging their “dejected minds” after the trauma of the flood. Gill observes that the command is repeated “in stronger terms” because only four men remained, making the multiplication of life an urgent necessity. Matthew Henry sees it as part of God’s blessing, assuring Noah of His good-will. The language is more emphatic than in Genesis 1, using the Hebrew verb sharats (“swarm, teem”), a term applied elsewhere to the swarming of creatures, now directed at humans to stress abundant, rapid filling of the earth. The command is set within the Noahic covenant, which includes the prohibition of murder (vv. 5, 6), underscoring that human life, made in God’s image, must be protected even as it multiplies.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God commands Noah and his sons to repopulate the earth, reaffirming the creation mandate after the flood.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The nature of the command | It is a reaffirmation of the creation mandate from Genesis 1:28. | Some traditions emphasize it as a literal command to have biological children; others interpret it more broadly as the cultural mandate to be productive and fill the earth in various ways (including spiritual fruitfulness). |
| Command versus blessing | The words contain both a directive and a promise of God’s enabling. | Calvin and others stress the promissory aspect, while some readers focus more on the imperative, viewing it as a duty. |
| Applicability today | This passage grounds the value of human life and the continuation of the human race. | Christians differ on whether verse 7 commands all people to have children (Catholic, Orthodox, and many Protestant traditions affirm marriage and procreation as good, but not mandatory for all) or if it was specifically for Noah to repopulate the earth. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The flood had wiped out every living thing except Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark. When the waters receded, only eight people stood on the renewed earth: Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their three wives. The earth was empty, barren of human life outside this single family. God had just made a covenant with Noah (Gen 9:1, 17), promising never again to destroy all flesh by flood. Within that covenant, He restores the blessing of procreation.
The command to “be fruitful and multiply” echoes the original words to Adam and Eve (Gen 1:28). But the cultural situation could not be more different. Adam and Eve stood in an unspoiled garden with a perfect creation. Noah and his family emerged into a world scarred by judgment. The covenant includes new permissions and protections: the right to eat meat (v. 3), the prohibition of eating blood (v. 4), and the institution of capital punishment for murder (v. 6). The command to multiply is thus part of establishing a new social order. Human life, bearing God’s image, must be both fruitful and secure.
The Hebrew verb sharats appears in verse 7. It normally describes the teeming of small creatures like fish and insects (Gen 1:20, 21). Applied here to humans, it stresses an abundant, almost swarming multiplication. It is a forceful call to repopulate the earth quickly. The repetition of “multiply” (twice) reinforces the urgency. The command is not a mere suggestion; it is part of God’s design for humanity to fill the earth, a design that judgment did not cancel.
Historically, this passage has been read as the founding charter for human culture after the fall. The earth is to be filled by people who know God’s covenant and honor His image. The command looks forward to the table of nations in Genesis 10, where the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth spread out and populate the world.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Genesis 9:7. The Hebrew text is stable across the major manuscripts.
Reception History
In early Christian tradition, this verse was seen as the renewal of God’s original blessing after judgment. Church fathers like Augustine used it to affirm the goodness of marriage and procreation over against ascetic movements that denigrated the body. In medieval interpretation, it contributed to the idea of the “threefold multiplication” (of children, of good works, and of the body of Christ). Reformed theologians such as Calvin and the Geneva Bible commentators emphasized the cultural mandate: humanity is called to fill the earth and develop its potential. In modern biblical theology, the verse is often connected to the broader theme of redemption: even after severe judgment, God restores His creation purposes. The command remains a touchstone for discussions on human dignity, the value of family, and the Christian calling to be active in society.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God restores His original purpose. After judgment, God does not abandon His plan for humanity. He renews the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply. This shows that the human project continues under grace.
- God’s command carries a promise. Calvin called this “not a bare precept, but also a promise.” God does not command what He will not empower. Noah and his family could trust that God would bless their efforts to repopulate the earth.
- Multiplication is tied to the protection of life. Immediately before this command, God forbids murder and establishes capital punishment (vv. 5, 6). Increasing life must go hand in hand with honoring life, because every person bears God’s image.
Five-point outline
- Context of new beginnings: The flood has passed; Noah steps onto a cleansed but empty earth.
- Divine repetition: God repeats the original command to Adam and Eve, confirming that human purpose has not changed.
- Stronger language: The inclusion of “swarm” and the double “multiply” underscore the urgency of repopulation.
- Covenant connection: This command is part of the Noahic covenant, God’s unconditional promise to sustain the world until the end.
- Ethical dimension: The surrounding laws (meat, blood, murder) show that a fruitful society must be a just society.
Illustration hooks
- Rebuilding after disaster: Think of a community after a hurricane or wildfire, slowly returning and rebuilding. Every new structure and every new child is a sign of hope that life goes on.
- Starting a family after a loss: The joy of a newborn after a miscarriage or the death of a loved one. God’s command to Noah is a reminder that sorrow does not have the final word.
- Gardening after a drought: When rain finally comes, the ground teems with new growth. The word “swarm” captures that explosion of life after a long season of barrenness.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does the command to “be fruitful and multiply” still apply to Christians today, or was it only for Noah and ancient Israel?
- How do we reconcile this command with overpopulation concerns and responsible family planning?
- What does it mean to be spiritually fruitful in a world that often devalues life?
Leading a Discussion
This short verse sits at the pivot of the Noah story. Judgment has come and gone. Now God speaks a fresh word, the same word He spoke at creation. This command is a gift: it tells Noah that the future is open, that life will continue, and that God is still for humanity. As you discuss, ask yourselves what this command says about God’s character and our calling.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think God repeats the creation mandate after the flood? What does this repetition tell you about His intentions for humanity?
- The Hebrew verb sharats (“swarm”) is used for teeming life. Why might God choose such a vivid word for human multiplication?
- Read Genesis 1:28 and compare it to Genesis 9:7. What is similar, and what is different? How do the surrounding laws (vv. 4, 6) shape the meaning of verse 7?
- Calvin said the command contains a promise. In what ways might the command to be fruitful also be a promise of God’s blessing?
- How does the prohibition of murder in verses 5, 6 connect to the command to multiply? What does this teach us about the value of human life?
- This command was given to a small, traumatized group. How might it have addressed their fears about the future?
- What does it look like for a Christian community today to “be fruitful” in its own context, not just in terms of children, but in terms of good works, discipleship, and cultural engagement?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 1:28 | 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.” |
| Genesis 8:17 | Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.” |
| Genesis 9:1 | God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. |
| Genesis 9:19 | These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that this passage marks the formal institution of civil government. The command for man to shed the murderer's blood delegates the civil sword to humanity, shifting the administration of justice from God alone to a human authority tasked with enforcing retribution for murder.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that this command is not a bare instruction but carries a promise meant to lift Noah and his family from their dejection after the flood. God assures them that He Himself is committed to preserving humanity, and they are to cooperate by raising children. The same words also warn against murder and unjust violence.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible Notes highlight the renewed divine command to multiply after the flood, using the forceful phrase "bring ye forth fruit" to emphasize activity and abundance. The note stresses that this is not merely permission but a direct call to grow plentifully and fill the earth again.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points out that the command to be fruitful and multiply is given in stronger terms here because only four men remained on earth after the flood. The prohibition against murder in the previous verse serves to prevent the decrease of mankind, making this command especially urgent so the earth would be fully repopulated.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that God's permission to eat meat was not a new practice but the first divine authorization of it. The blood prohibition pointed ahead to animal sacrifice and, together with the death penalty for murder, laid the foundation for civil government by placing judicial authority in human hands as representatives of God's image.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights a shift in God's dealing with human sin. Before the flood, the evil imagination of the heart was judged as the root
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that God's spoken blessing to Noah is the outward expression of what He had already determined in His heart. He draws a connection between Noah blessing God through sacrifice and God now blessing Noah in return. For Henry this demonstrates that all God's promised blessings flow from His own eternal purposes of love.