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**Lou Newton** · July 10, 2016, 10:09 AM

Very good question Blane. It shows that you are studying the Holy Scriptures.

I will post the verse is those English translations that you posted the link for. Sometimes when I am reading an old post or article the link has been done away with.

KJ21
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
ASV
And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
AMP
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
AMPC
And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.
BRG
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
CEB
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.”
CJB
God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.”
CEV
God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
DARBY
And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.
DRA
And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.
ERV
God blessed them and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
ESV
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
ESVUK
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
EXB
God blessed them and said [^Lto them], “�Have many children and grow in number [^TBe fruitful and multiply]. �Fill […and fill]the earth and �be its master [subdue it]. �Rule [^THave dominion] over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the �sky[heavens] and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
GNV
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruit, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over every beast that moveth upon the earth.
GW
God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
GNT
blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.
HCSB
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
ICB
God blessed them and said, “Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
ISV
God blessed the humans by saying to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it! Be masters over the fish in the ocean, the birds that fly, and every living thing that crawls on the earth!”
JUB
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every beast that moves upon the earth.
KJV
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
AKJV
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
LEB
And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth.”
TLB
And God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals.
MSG
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
MEV
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
NOG
Elohim blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
NABRE
God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.
NASB
God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
NCV
God blessed them and said, “Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
NET
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”
NIRV
God blessed them. He said to them, “Have children so that there will be many of you. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Rule over every living creature that moves along the ground.”
NIV
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
NIVUK
God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’
NKJV
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
NLV
And God wanted good to come to them, saying, “Give birth to many. Grow in number. Fill the earth and rule over it. Rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
NLT
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
NRSV
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
NRSVA
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’
NRSVACE
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’
NRSVCE
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
OJB
And G-d blessed them, and G-d said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
RSV
And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
RSVCE
And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
TLV
God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the land, and conquer it. Rule over the fish of the sea, the flying creatures of the sky, and over every animal that crawls on the land.”
VOICE
Then God blessed them and gave them this directive: “Be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth. I make you trustees of My estate, so care for My creation and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that roams across the earth.”
WEB
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
WYC
And God blessed them, and said, Increase ye, and be ye multiplied, and fill ye the earth, and make ye it subject; and be ye lords to the fishes of the sea, and to [the] volatiles of (the) heaven(s), and to all living beasts that be moved on [the] earth (and be ye lords, or rule ye, over the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the air, and all the living beasts that move on the earth).
YLT
And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'

**Lou Newton** · July 10, 2016, 10:24 AM

Here is the definition of the word replenish from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

It seems the word replenish could have meant to fully supply perfectly and NOT to fill again like it does today.

replenishplay
verb re�plen�ish \ri-ˈple-nish\
Popularity: Bottom 50% of words
Simple Definition of replenish
: to fill or build up (something) again
Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary
Examples: replenish in a sentence

Full Definition of replenish
transitive verb
1
a : to fill with persons or animals : stock
b archaic : to supply fully : perfect
c : to fill with inspiration or power : nourish
2
a : to fill or build up again <replenished his glass>
b : to make good : replace
intransitive verb
: to become full : fill up again
replenishable play \-ni-shə-bəl\ adjective
replenisher noun
replenishment play \-nish-mənt\ noun
See replenish defined for English-language learners

See replenish defined for kids

Examples of replenish in a sentence
An efficient staff of workers replenished the trays of appetizers almost as quickly as guests emptied them.
He replenished his supply of wood in preparation for the winter.
Drink this—you need to replenish your fluids after your hike.
plants that replenish soil nutrients

Origin and Etymology of replenish
Middle English replenisshen, from Anglo-French repleniss-, stem of replenir to fill, from re- + plein full, from Latin plenus — more at full

**Lou Newton** · July 10, 2016, 10:46 AM

Here is the entire chapter of Genesis 1 to read the verse in context:
Genesis 1English Standard Version (ESV)

The Creation of the World

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³And God said, �Let there be light,� and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

⁶And God said, �Let there be an expanse^[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.� ⁷And God made^[b] the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸And God called the expanse Heaven.^[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

⁹And God said, �Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.� And it was so. ¹⁰God called the dry land Earth,^[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹And God said, �Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants^[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.� And it was so. ¹²The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

¹⁴And God said, �Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and forseasons,^[f] and for days and years, ¹⁵and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.� And it was so.¹⁶And God made the two great lights�the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night�and the stars. ¹⁷And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

²⁰And God said, �Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds^[g] fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.�²¹So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.²²And God blessed them, saying, �Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.� ²³And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

²⁴And God said, �Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds�livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.� And it was so. ²⁵And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶Then God said, �Let us make man^[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.�

²⁷So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

²⁸And God blessed them. And God said to them, �Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.� ²⁹And God said, �Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.� And it was so. ³¹And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

**Lou Newton** · July 10, 2016, 01:23 PM

A person once offered to lend me a book that was a photocopy of one of Isaac Newton's books that was written by him. It was written not long after the introduction of the King James Bible.

When I first opened it, I simply could not read it. The letters were far different that the ones we use today and the spelling of words and the meaning of words was also far different. It looked like it was written in a foreign language, but it was Old English.

I did finally learn to read it and read the whole book and some parts more than once. But it was quite a bit of time and effort to do so.

My point is this: The English language has changed tremendously since 1611. Old English could be called a foreign language to us. It was language from a different country and a far different time.

So one possibility is that the word replenish meant something different than it does today.

BUT that is not the only possibility.

**Baruch** · July 10, 2016, 03:15 PM

Hi, Blane. Good to hear from you. I puzzled over that word, too. When I searched, the quick answer I found was that our use and sense of the word replenish has changed from the old English. There are some online resources that can be used to make a case for this.

The following resource is Webster's Dictionary from 1828, written almost 200 years ago. Lately I am finding it very valuable for interpreting and understanding the thoughts of previous generations as expressed in their writings.

http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/replenish
Replenish
REPLEN'ISH, verb transitive [Latin re and plenus, full.]
1. To fill; to stock with numbers or abundance. The magazines are replenished with corn. The springs are replenished with water.
Multiply and replenish the earth. Genesis 1:28.
2. To finish; to complete. [Not in use.]
REPLEN'ISH, verb intransitive To recover former fullness.

We see that Webster understood that the English of his day supported both uses: fill and refill.

We also have two available source texts (the Hebrew Masoretic and the Greek Septuagint), and quite a few concordances and lexicons we can cross-check.

Here is a handy all-in-one web page: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html.

Strong's Greek 4137
http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strong...n&isindex=4137
4137. pleroo play-ro'-o from 4134; to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.:--accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.

Strong's Hebrew 4390
http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strong...n&isindex=4390
4390 male' maw-lay' or malae (Esth. 7:5) {maw-law'}; a primitive root, to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively):--accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, X draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-)full, + have wholly.

(Note: clicking the links gives a few more hits than what I pasted.)

So we can see that according to translators there is really nothing there to suggest a redo - except the word "replenish" at 4390, which we can't honestly use to define itself.

Caveat: this is a shallow word study. I'm not capable of better. Accomplished scholars always warn about (ab)using concordances and lexicons. Context is essential to disambiguate words which usually have multiple meanings, and for that you need to learn the language.

**Baruch** · July 10, 2016, 03:36 PM

If anyone cares to get scholarly, this looks like a very nice list of "good" online resources.

http://meta.hermeneutics.stackexchan...online/640#640

The author Dan advises to beware of concordances and lexicons published prior to 1893, which is the year that groundbreaking work was made after (if I understand correctly) the discovery of papyri that provided valuable context for words that were previously thought to exist nowhere outside of holy texts. Among these was Thayer, a very popular lexicon and widely available online resource; and the early Strong's which links to the outdated Thayer. I guess older is not always better.

**Fisherman** · July 11, 2016, 11:32 AM

My thoughts are this. It appears that God had started a wonderful, marvelous physical cycle at creation, and it seems He is instructing Adam and Eve to maintain that cycle as stewards and custodians.

"And God said to them, �Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.� (Gen. 1:28)

Also, God gave them food per Gen. 1:29, "And God said, �Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food."

It would appear to me from Gen. 1:29 that God is providing them food in order to 'replenish' the nutritional needs of their natural, physical bodies.

**Lou Newton** · July 11, 2016, 11:41 PM

Originally posted by Baruch View Post

Hi, Blane. Good to hear from you. I puzzled over that word, too. When I searched, the quick answer I found was that our use and sense of the word replenish has changed from the old English. There are some online resources that can be used to make a case for this.

The following resource is Webster's Dictionary from 1828, written almost 200 years ago. Lately I am finding it very valuable for interpreting and understanding the thoughts of previous generations as expressed in their writings.

http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/replenish
Replenish
REPLEN'ISH, verb transitive [Latin re and plenus, full.]
1. To fill; to stock with numbers or abundance. The magazines are replenished with corn. The springs are replenished with water.
Multiply and replenish the earth. Genesis 1:28.
2. To finish; to complete. [Not in use.]
REPLEN'ISH, verb intransitive To recover former fullness.

We see that Webster understood that the English of his day supported both uses: fill and refill.

We also have two available source texts (the Hebrew Masoretic and the Greek Septuagint), and quite a few concordances and lexicons we can cross-check.

Here is a handy all-in-one web page: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html.

Strong's Greek 4137
http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strong...n&isindex=4137
4137. pleroo play-ro'-o from 4134; to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.:--accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.

Strong's Hebrew 4390
http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strong...n&isindex=4390
4390 male' maw-lay' or malae (Esth. 7:5) {maw-law'}; a primitive root, to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively):--accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, X draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-)full, + have wholly.

(Note: clicking the links gives a few more hits than what I pasted.)

So we can see that according to translators there is really nothing there to suggest a redo - except the word "replenish" at 4390, which we can't honestly use to define itself.

Caveat: this is a shallow word study. I'm not capable of better. Accomplished scholars always warn about (ab)using concordances and lexicons. Context is essential to disambiguate words which usually have multiple meanings, and for that you need to learn the language.

Hi Barry, I enjoyed your posts, thanks.

**Lou Newton** · July 11, 2016, 11:42 PM

Originally posted by Fisherman View Post

My thoughts are this. It appears that God had started a wonderful, marvelous physical cycle at creation, and it seems He is instructing Adam and Eve to maintain that cycle as stewards and custodians.

"And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:28)

Also, God gave them food per Gen. 1:29, "And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food."

It would appear to me from Gen. 1:29 that God is providing them food in order to 'replenish' the nutritional needs of their natural, physical bodies.

Hi Fisherman, I agree that what you say seems very reasonable.

**Baruch** · July 11, 2016, 11:51 PM

Good comments by all. I find it edifying and very enjoyable to explore mysteries like this.

**Blane** · July 13, 2016, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by Baruch View Post

Good comments by all. I find it edifying and very enjoyable to explore mysteries like this.

A hearty amen to that, Barry. Thanks for the insight, everyone. The English language has certainly evolved over the last 405 years, since the KJV was translated. So I'm inclined to agree with those who suggest the word "replenish" may no longer be an ideal English word choice to properly translate what God wrote in the original text 3500 years ago.

We no longer talk like people did in 1611. Today nobody would describe the fate of Daniel's enemies regarding the lion's den like they did back then. Today nobody would say, "and the beasts had the mastery of them and brake all their bones."

Not gonna happen.

Blane

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Interesting word choice in Gen 1:28...

Interesting word choice in Gen 1:28...

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