Genesis 1:30

And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God speaks on the sixth day of creation to establish the diet for terrestrial and aerial creatures. He declares that every green plant serves as sustenance for all living beasts, birds, and creeping things.

The words — The terms חַיַּת (chaiyat, "animal") and רוֹמֵשׂ (romes, "creeping thing") categorize the recipients of the divine provision. Together with עֹף (of, "bird"), they delineate every mobile creature inhabiting land and air.

The thread — This provision echoes in Psalms 104:14, 145:15, and 147:9, where God’s ongoing care for animal sustenance is repeatedly affirmed. The pattern establishes a consistent theme of divine provision across the creation narrative and later biblical texts.

Why it lands — The text records God’s direct assignment of green plants as food for all non-human creatures, followed by the statement that it was so. Readers note the immediate fulfillment of the command and the broad scope of the provision without adding dietary restrictions.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Cross-references

Psalms 104:14 He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth:
Psalms 145:15 The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season.
Psalms 147:9 He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
Job 38:39 Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions
Job 40:15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.
Job 40:20 The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby.
Genesis 9:3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.
Job 39:4 Their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field; they leave and do not return.
Job 39:8 He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing.
Job 39:30 His young ones feast on blood; and where the slain are, there he is.”