Genesis 1:28

1:28 God blessed ¹  them and said ²  to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! ³  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” ⁴ 

Genesis 2:19

2:19 The Lord God formed ⁵  out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would ⁶  name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

Genesis 35:5

35:5 and they started on their journey. ⁷  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ⁸  and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Leviticus 26:6

26:6 I will grant peace in the land so that ⁹  you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. ¹⁰  I will remove harmful animals ¹¹  from the land, and no sword of war ¹²  will pass through your land.

Leviticus 26:22

26:22 I will send the wild animals ¹³  against you and they will bereave you of your children, ¹⁴  annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population ¹⁵  so that your roads will become deserted.

Job 5:22-23

5:22 You will laugh at destruction and famine ¹⁶ 

and need not ¹⁷  be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

5:23 For you will have a pact with the stones ¹⁸  of the field,

and the wild animals ¹⁹  will be at peace ²⁰  with you.

Psalms 8:4-8

8:4 Of what importance is the human race, ²¹  that you should notice ²²  them?

Of what importance is mankind, ²³  that you should pay attention to them, ²⁴ 

8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? ²⁵ 

You grant mankind ²⁶  honor and majesty; ²⁷ 

8:6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; ²⁸ 

you have placed ²⁹  everything under their authority, ³⁰ 

8:7 including all the sheep and cattle,

as well as the wild animals, ³¹ 

8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea

and everything that moves through the currents ³²  of the seas.

Psalms 104:20-23

104:20 You make it dark and night comes, ³³ 

during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.

104:21 The lions roar for prey,

seeking their food from God. ³⁴ 

104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw

and sleep ³⁵  in their dens.

104:23 Men then go out to do their work,

and labor away until evening. ³⁶ 

Ezekiel 34:25

34:25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely ³⁷  in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods. ³⁸ 

Hosea 2:18

New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel

2:18 “At that time ³⁹  I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals,

the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.

I will abolish ⁴⁰  the warrior’s bow and sword

– that is, every weapon of warfare ⁴¹  – from the land,

and I will allow them to live securely.” ⁴² 

James 3:7

3:7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature ⁴³  is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. ⁴⁴ 

[1:28]  ¹ tn As in v. 22 the verb “bless” here means “to endow with the capacity to reproduce and be fruitful,” as the following context indicates. As in v. 22, the statement directly precedes the command “be fruitful and multiply.” The verb carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); Gen 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendants); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendants). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).

[1:28]  ² tn Heb “and God said.” For stylistic reasons “God” has not been repeated here in the translation.

[1:28]  ³ tn Elsewhere the Hebrew verb translated “subdue” means “to enslave” (2 Chr 28:10; Neh 5:5; Jer 34:11, 16), “to conquer,” (Num 32:22, 29; Josh 18:1; 2 Sam 8:11; 1 Chr 22:18; Zech 9:13; and probably Mic 7:19), and “to assault sexually” (Esth 7:8). None of these nuances adequately meets the demands of this context, for humankind is not viewed as having an adversarial relationship with the world. The general meaning of the verb appears to be “to bring under one’s control for one’s advantage.” In Gen 1:28 one might paraphrase it as follows: “harness its potential and use its resources for your benefit.” In an ancient Israelite context this would suggest cultivating its fields, mining its mineral riches, using its trees for construction, and domesticating its animals.

[1:28]  ⁴ sn The several imperatives addressed to both males and females together (plural imperative forms) actually form two commands: reproduce and rule. God’s word is not merely a form of blessing, but is now addressed to them personally; this is a distinct emphasis with the creation of human beings. But with the blessing comes the ability to be fruitful and to rule. In procreation they will share in the divine work of creating human life and passing on the divine image (see 5:1-3); in ruling they will serve as God’s vice-regents on earth. They together, the human race collectively, have the responsibility of seeing to the welfare of that which is put under them and the privilege of using it for their benefit.

[2:19]  ⁵ tn Or “fashioned.” To harmonize the order of events with the chronology of chapter one, some translate the prefixed verb form with vav (ו) consecutive as a past perfect (“had formed,” cf. NIV) here. (In chapter one the creation of the animals preceded the creation of man; here the animals are created after the man.) However, it is unlikely that the Hebrew construction can be translated in this way in the middle of this pericope, for the criteria for unmarked temporal overlay are not present here. See S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 84-88, and especially R. Buth, “Methodological Collision between Source Criticism and Discourse Analysis,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 138-54. For a contrary viewpoint see IBHS 552-53 §33.2.3 and C. J. Collins, “The Wayyiqtol as ‘Pluperfect’: When and Why,” TynBul 46 (1995): 117-40.

[2:19]  ⁶ tn The imperfect verb form is future from the perspective of the past time narrative.

[35:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).

[26:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[26:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and there will be no one who terrifies.” The words “to sleep” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[26:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “harmful animal,” singular, but taken here as a collective plural (so almost all English versions).

[26:6]  ¹² tn Heb “no sword”; the words “of war” are supplied in the translation to indicate what the metaphor of the sword represents.

[26:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal.

[26:22]  ¹⁴ tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[26:22]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and diminish you.”

[5:22]  ¹⁶ tc The repetition of “destruction” and “famine” here has prompted some scholars to delete the whole verse. Others try to emend the text. The LXX renders them as “the unrighteous and the lawless.” But there is no difficulty in having the repetition of the words as found in the MT.

[5:22]  ¹⁷ tn The negated jussive is used here to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen (GKC 322 §109.e).

[5:23]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “your covenant is with the stones of the field.” The line has been variously interpreted and translated. It is omitted in the LXX. It seems to mean there is a deep sympathy between man and nature. Some think it means that the boundaries will not be violated by enemies; Rashi thought it represented some species of beings, like genii of the field, and so read אֲדֹנֵי (’adone, “lords”) for אַבְנֵי (’avne, “stones”). Ball takes the word as בְּנֵי (bÿne, “sons”), as in “sons of the field,” to get the idea that the reference is to the beasts. E. Dhorme (Job, 71) rejects these ideas as too contrived; he says to have a pact with the stones of the field simply means the stones will not come and spoil the ground, making it less fertile.

[5:23]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the beasts of the field.”

[5:23]  ²⁰ tn This is the only occurrence of the Hophal of the verb שָׁלֵם (shalem, “to make or have peace” with someone). Compare Isa 11:6-9 and Ps 91:13. The verb form is the perfect; here it is the perfect consecutive following a noun clause (see GKC 494 §159.g).

[8:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.

[8:4]  ²² tn Heb “remember him.”

[8:4]  ²³ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

[8:4]  ²⁴ tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).

[8:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:5]  ²⁷ sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).

[8:6]  ²⁸ tn Heb “you cause [i.e., “permit, allow”] him to rule over the works of your hands.”

[8:6]  ²⁹ tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).

[8:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “under his feet.”

[8:7]  ³¹ tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”

[8:8]  ³² tn Heb “paths.”

[104:20]  ³³ tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”

[104:21]  ³⁴ sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.

[104:22]  ³⁵ tn Heb “lie down.”

[104:23]  ³⁶ tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”

[34:25]  ³⁷ tn The phrase “live securely” occurs in Ezek 28:26; 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26 as an expression of freedom from fear. It is a promised blessing resulting from obedience (see Lev 26:5-6).

[34:25]  ³⁸ sn The woods were typically considered to be places of danger (Ps 104:20-21; Jer 5:6).

[2:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “And in that day” (so KJV, ASV).

[2:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “I will break”; NAB “I will destroy”; NCV “I will smash”; NLT “I will remove.”

[2:18]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “bow and sword and warfare.” The first two terms in the triad וְקֶשֶׁת וְחֶרֶב וּמִלְחָמָה (vÿqeshet vÿkherev umilkhamah, literally, “bow and sword and warfare”) are examples of synecdoche of specific (bow and sword) for general (weapons of war, so CEV). However, they might be examples of metonymy (bow and sword) of association (warfare).

[2:18]  ⁴² tn Heb “and I will cause them to lie down in safety.” The causative nuance (“will make them”) is retained in several English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[3:7]  ⁴³ tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”

[3:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the human species.”