Genesis 1:21

1:21 God created the great sea creatures ¹  and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.

Genesis 8:17

8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out ²  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase ³  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” ⁴ 

¹ tn For the first time in the narrative proper the verb “create” (בָּרָא, bara’) appears. (It is used in the summary statement of v. 1.) The author wishes to underscore that these creatures – even the great ones – are part of God’s perfect creation. The Hebrew term תַנִּינִם (tanninim) is used for snakes (Exod 7:9), crocodiles (Ezek 29:3), or other powerful animals (Jer 51:34). In Isa 27:1 the word is used to describe a mythological sea creature that symbolizes God’s enemies.

² tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.

⁴ tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”