Genesis 8:17

8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out ¹  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase ²  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” ³ 

Genesis 9:7

9:7 But as for you, ⁴  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

Exodus 1:7

1:7 The Israelites, ⁵  however, ⁶  were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, ⁷  so that the land was filled with them.

Exodus 8:3

8:3 The Nile will swarm ⁸  with frogs, and they will come up and go into your house, in your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading troughs. ⁹ 

¹ tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

² 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.

³ tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

⁴ sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).

⁵ tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”

⁶ tn The disjunctive vav marks a contrast with the note about the deaths of the first generation.

⁷ tn Using מְאֹד (mÿ’od) twice intensifies the idea of their becoming strong (see GKC 431-32 §133.k).

⁸ sn The choice of this verb שָׁרַץ (sharats) recalls its use in the creation account (Gen 1:20). The water would be swarming with frogs in abundance. There is a hint here of this being a creative work of God as well.

⁹ sn This verse lists places the frogs will go. The first three are for Pharaoh personally – they are going to touch his private life. Then the text mentions the servants and the people. Mention of the ovens and kneading bowls (or troughs) of the people indicates that food would be contaminated and that it would be impossible even to eat a meal in peace.