Genesis 9 · Verse 1

Genesis 9:1

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Genesis 9:1, King James Version

Genesis 9:1 in other translations

BSBAnd God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
WEBGod blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
ASVAnd God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
YLTAnd God blesseth Noah, and his sons, and saith to them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth;
DARBYAnd God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
BBEAnd God gave his blessing to Noah and his sons, and said, Be fertile, and have increase, and make the earth full.
WebsterAnd God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

What does Genesis 9:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Ge 9:1-7. Covenant.

1. And God blessed Noah--Here is republished the law of nature that was announced to Adam, consisting as it originally did of several parts. Be fruitful, &c.--The first part relates to the transmission of life, the original blessing being reannounced in the very same words in which it had been promised at first [Ge 1:28].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

God blesses Noah and his sons, Gen 9:1. The brute creation to be subject to them through fear, Gen 9:2. The first grant of animal food, Gen 9:3. Eating of blood forbidden, Gen 9:4. Cruelty to animals forbidden, Gen 9:5. A man-slayer to forfeit his life, Gen 9:6. The covenant of God established between him and Noah and the whole brute creation, Gen 9:8-11. The rainbow given as the sign and pledge of this covenant, Gen 9:12-17. The three sons of Noah people the whole earth, Gen 9:18, Gen 9:19. Noah plants a vineyard, drinks of the wine, is intoxicated, and lies exposed in his tent, Gen 9:20, Gen 9:21. The reprehensible conduct of Ham, Gen 9:22. The laudable carriage of Shem and Japheth, Gen 9:23. Noah prophetically declares the servitude of the posterity of Ham, Gen 9:24, Gen 9:25; and the dignity and increase of Shem and Japheth, Gen 9:26, Gen 9:27. The age and death of Noah, Gen 9:28, Gen 9:29. Verse 1 God blessed Noah - Even the increase of families, which appears to depend on merely natural means, and sometimes fortuitous circumstances, is all of God. It is by his power and wisdom that the human being is formed, and it is by his providence alone that man is supported and preserved.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 9:1-3
The blessing of God is the cause of our doing well. On him we depend, to him we should be thankful. Let us not forget the advantage and pleasure we have from the labour of beasts, and which their flesh affords. Nor ought we to be less thankful for the security we enjoy from the savage and hurtful beasts, through the fear of man which God has fixed deep in them. We see the fulfilment of this promise every day, and on every side. This grant of the animals for food fully warrants the use of them, but not the abuse of them by gluttony, still less by cruelty. We ought not to pain them needlessly whilst they live, nor when we take away their lives.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Genesis 9:1 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיְבָ֣רֶךְvay.Va.rekhand he blessedH1288
אֱלֹהִ֔ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
נֹ֖חַNo.achNoahH5146
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
בָּנָ֑יוba.Navsons hisH1121
וַיֹּ֧אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לָהֶ֛םla.Hemto <the> them
פְּר֥וּpe.Rube fruitfulH6509
וּרְב֖וּu.re.Vuand multiplyH7235
וּמִלְא֥וּu.mil.'Uand fillH4390
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָאָֽרֶץ\׃ha.'A.retzthe earthH776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 9:1

  • Genesis 1:28

    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.

  • Genesis 9:7

    And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

  • Genesis 1:22

    And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

  • Genesis 8:17

    Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

  • Isaiah 51:2

    Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

  • Psalms 128:3-4

    Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

  • Genesis 10:32

    These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

  • Genesis 2:3

    And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

  • Genesis 24:60

    And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

  • Genesis 9:19

    These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 God blesses Noah and his sons, and grants them flesh for food.
4 Blood and murder are forbidden.
8 God's covenant, of which the rainbow was constituted a pledge.
18 Noah's family replenish the world.
20 Noah plants a vineyard.
21 Is drunken, and mocked by his son.
25 Curses Canaan.
26 Blesses Shem.
27 Prays for Japheth, and dies.

blessed.
7; 1:22,28; 2:3; 8:17; 24:60; Ps 112:1; 128:3,4; Isa 51:2
Be.
7,19; 1:28; 8:17; 10:32

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 9:1

    And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

  • Genesis 9:2

    And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Read all of Genesis 9

Genesis 9:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y BENDIJO Dios á Noé y á sus hijos, y díjoles: Fructificad, y multiplicad, y henchid la tierra:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Dieu bénit Noé et ses fils, et leur dit: Fructifiez et multipliez et remplissez la terre.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Gott segnete Noah und seine Söhne und sprach zu ihnen: Seid fruchtbar und mehret euch und füllet die Erde;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Benedixitque Deus Noë et filiis ejus. Et dixit ad eos: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram.