Genesis 9:7

But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — God addresses Noah and his three sons immediately after establishing the principle of capital punishment for murder. This directive follows the flood narrative and precedes the subsequent covenant with the animals.

The words — The Hebrew text uses פְּר֣וּ (pe.Ru) for "be fruitful" and שִׁרְצ֥וּ (shir.Tzu) for "swarm" or "spread out," paired with two instances of וּ/רְב֑וּ (u./re.Vu) meaning "and multiply." These terms command a rapid increase in population and geographic expansion across the land.

The thread — This expansion command echoes the creation mandate in Genesis 1:28 and repeats the post-flood blessing in Genesis 9:1 before concluding with the population summary in Genesis 9:19.

Why it lands — The text explicitly commands human reproduction and territorial dispersion without adding conditions or promises. Readers must acknowledge this as a direct directive for post-flood humanity to repopulate the world.

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

וְאַתֶּ֖םve./'a.Temand/ you פְּר֣וּpe.Rube fruitful וּרְב֑וּu./re.Vuand/ multiply שִׁרְצ֥וּshir.Tzuswarm בָאָ֖רֶץva./'A.retzon the/ earth וּרְבוּ־u./re.vu-and/ multiplyבָֽהּ׃ סVa/hon <the>/ it

King James Version

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

Cross-references

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
Genesis 9:19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
Genesis 8:17 Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”