Isaiah 45:12

45:12 I made the earth,

I created the people who live ¹  on it.

It was me – my hands ²  stretched out the sky, ³ 

I give orders to all the heavenly lights. ⁴ 

Genesis 1:28

1:28 God blessed ⁵  them and said ⁶  to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! ⁷  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” ⁸ 

Genesis 9:1

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

Psalms 115:16

115:16 The heavens belong to the Lord, ⁹ 

but the earth he has given to mankind. ¹⁰ 

Ezekiel 36:10-12

36:10 I will multiply your people ¹¹  – the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities will be populated and the ruins rebuilt. 36:11 I will increase the number of people and animals on you; they will increase and be fruitful. ¹²  I will cause you to be inhabited as in ancient times, and will do more good for you than at the beginning of your history. ¹³  Then you will know that I am the Lord. 36:12 I will lead people, my people Israel, across you; they will possess you and you will become their inheritance. No longer will you bereave them of their children.

[45:12]  ¹ tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[45:12]  ² tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.

[45:12]  ³ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[45:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.

[1:28]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “and God said.” For stylistic reasons “God” has not been repeated here in the translation.

[1:28]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.

[115:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the Lord.”

[115:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to the sons of man.”

[36:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will multiply on you human(s).”

[36:11]  ¹² sn These verbs occur together in Gen 1:22, 28; 9:1.

[36:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “your beginning.”