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Genesis 1:22

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, [and let the birds multiply on the earth].”

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes “saying” (Hebrew: lemor) before the blessing, which is absent from the LXX. The MT also reads “let them be fruitful” as a jussive command, while the LXX uses an imperative form “increase” (Greek: auxanesthe). The phrase “and fill the waters in the seas” in the MT corresponds closely to the LXX “fill the waters in the seas.” No DSS manuscript witness exists for this verse.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

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

WEB (World English Bible):

God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowls be multiplied on the earth.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

“Bless them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.”

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And God blesses them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply in the earth.”

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

“Be fertile and have increase, making all the seas full, and let the birds be increased in the earth.”

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

GENESIS 1:22 – THE FIRST BLESSING

The Divine Blessing and Its Significance:
This verse records the first blessing (Hebrew: berakah) in all of Scripture, establishing a pattern of divine benediction that flows throughout salvation history. God’s blessing upon the creatures of sea and sky is not merely a wish but an effective word that imparts the power to fulfill the command to “be fruitful and multiply.” The blessing carries within itself the capacity for its own realization, demonstrating that God’s word accomplishes what it declares.

Patristic Interpretation:
Saint Basil the Great, in his Hexaemeron, notes that this blessing explains the perpetual fruitfulness of marine life and birds throughout all generations. The blessing given at creation continues to operate, sustaining the abundance of creatures even to the present day. Saint John Chrysostom similarly observes that God’s blessing contains generative power, enabling creatures to reproduce according to their kinds without requiring a new creative act for each generation.

Typological Reading:
The Church Fathers perceived in this first blessing a foreshadowing of the blessings that would come through Christ. Just as the waters brought forth abundant life through God’s word and blessing, so the waters of baptism bring forth spiritual children of God through the Word made flesh. The multiplication of fish particularly anticipates the miraculous multiplications performed by Christ, who blessed loaves and fishes to feed the multitudes. The fish (ichthys) became an early Christian symbol precisely because Christ demonstrated His lordship over creation by commanding its abundance.

Liturgical Connections:
The blessing of waters at Theophany echoes this primordial blessing, as the Church prays for the sanctification of waters and all creation. The Great Blessing of Waters recalls how the Spirit moved over the waters at creation and now descends to renew all things. Similarly, the blessing of food, particularly the blessing of fish during festal meals, connects the faithful to this original divine benediction.

Spiritual Application:
Orthodox spirituality recognizes that humanity, created on the sixth day, receives an even greater blessing. Yet the blessing of the creatures teaches that fruitfulness comes not from autonomous effort but from divine gift. The spiritual life likewise depends upon God’s blessing for growth and multiplication. The Church, like the teeming waters, is called to be fruitful, bringing forth children of God through evangelism and spiritual generation. Saint Maximus the Confessor would note that this physical fruitfulness points toward the spiritual multiplication of virtues in the soul that receives God’s blessing and cooperates with divine grace.

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