Genesis 1:22
“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 1Meaning
Fruitfulness is described as blessing. God grants living creatures the capacity to multiply and fill the habitats prepared for them.
Read carefully
The blessing is addressed to animal life within the creation narrative. It should not be reduced to a metaphor that ignores the text's concrete interest in biological abundance.
Reflection
Genesis portrays the continuation of life as a gift. Reproduction and flourishing belong to the chapter's broader picture of a world empowered to remain fruitful.