Biblical Command to Multiply and Reproduce Successfully
The Biblical Command to Multiply and Reproduce Successfully
The biblical command to "be fruitful and multiply" is first given to humanity in Genesis 1:28, where God blesses Adam and Eve and instructs them to "be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it" [2]. This command is repeated to Noah and his sons after the flood (Genesis 9:1, 7) [1]. The phrase is also used in relation to the fish and birds, where God blesses them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth" (Genesis 1:22) [3].
The command to be fruitful and multiply is understood by many as a divine mandate for humanity to procreate and populate the earth. John Gill interprets this command as "a power and faculty of propagating his species" given to Adam and renewed to Noah and his sons after the flood [8]. The Tyndale House commentary on Genesis 9:7 notes that this command is in contrast to those who would destroy human life, emphasizing God's desire for human life to abound and flourish [7].
The command is not limited to the initial creation narrative but is reiterated in various contexts throughout the biblical account. For instance, God says to Abraham, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body" (Genesis 35:11) [4]. This reiteration underscores the significance of the command beyond the initial creation.
The interpretation of this command varies across traditions. Ramban (Nachmanides), a Jewish Kabbalistic/Philosophical commentator, understands the command as a blessing and a directive for procreation, similar to its interpretation in relation to Adam and the fish [6]. Adam Clarke, representing the Methodist/Wesleyan tradition, sees the blessing and command to be fruitful and multiply as continuing to be fulfilled in the increase of genuine Christians, who are considered Abraham's seed [9].
The command to be fruitful and multiply is closely tied to the concept of marriage and the procreation of children. Torrey's Topical Textbook lists "increasing the human population" as one of the purposes of marriage, citing Genesis 1:28 and 9:1 as references [5]. This understanding is consistent across various Christian traditions, which view the command as a divine institution related to the natural order and the propagation of humanity.
The biblical command to be fruitful and multiply remains a foundational aspect of Christian understanding regarding human reproduction and the natural world. Its repetition and the contexts in which it is given underscore its importance as a divine directive for humanity.
Sources
- Genesis “Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.” -- Genesis 9:7”
- Genesis “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 1:28”
- Genesis “God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” -- Genesis 1:22”
- Genesis “God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body. -- Genesis 35:11”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Marriage — Divinely instituted -- Ge 2:24. A covenant relationship -- Mal 2:4. Designed for The happiness of man. -- Ge 2:18. Increasing the human population. -- Ge 1:28; 9:1. Raising up godly seed. -- Mal 2:15. Preventing fornication. -- 1Co 7:2. The expectation of the promised seed of the woman an incentive to, in the early age -- Ge 3:15; 4:1. Lawful in all -- 1Co 7:2,28; 1Ti 5:14. Honourable for all -- Heb 13:4. Should be only in the Lord -- 1Co 7:39. Expressed by Joining together. -- Mt 19:6. Making affinity. -- 1Ki 3:1. Taking to wife. -- Ex 2:1. Giving daughte”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 9:7: AND YOU, BE YE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY. The plain meaning thereof is as its Midrash, i.e., that it is a commandment. 203 Ibid. , 59b. A similar verse mentioned with reference to Adam, 204 Above, 1:28. also one with reference to the sons of Noah 205 Verse 1 here. in conjunction with the statement that G-d blessed them, constitutes a blessing, just as it is said concerning the fish. 206 Above, 1:22. Now because He spoke here of the other living things and said, that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth , 207 Ibid. , 8:17. H”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 9:7: 9:7 Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate (literally swarm and fill): In contrast to those who would destroy human life (9:5-6), God’s desire is that human life should abound and flourish.”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 9:1: And God blessed Noah and his sons,.... With temporal blessings, not spiritual ones; for though some of them were blessed with such, yet not all, particularly Ham: and said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth; depopulated by the flood: this is a renewal of the blessing on Adam, a power and faculty of propagating his species, which was as necessary now as then, since there were so few of the human race left in the world; and the renewal of this grant was the rather necessary, if, as has been observed, Noah and his sons were restrained from coh”
- Hebrews (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Hebrews 6:14: Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee - I will continue to bless thee. Multiplying I will multiply thee - I will continue to increase thy posterity. In the most literal manner God continues to fulfill this promise; genuine Christians are Abraham's seed, and God is increasing their number daily. See the notes on Gen 22:12-18 (note); and Gen 23:1 (note).”