EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 1:11

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: plants yielding seed [according to their kinds] and fruit trees bearing fruit [in which is their seed, according to their kinds] on the earth.” It was so.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes the phrase “whose seed is in it” (literally “which its seed is in it”) modifying “fruit tree,” which is not present in the LXX manuscripts. This phrase emphasizes that the fruit trees produce seed-bearing fruit according to their kinds. The word rendered “vegetation” translates a Greek term that literally means “grass” or “herbage,” but in context refers broadly to plant life or vegetation as a category.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

WEB (World English Bible):

“God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth”; and it was so.”

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness and the fruit-tree bearing fruit, whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth: and it was so.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

The Apostoliki Diakonia version is a specific edition, and I don’t have direct access to fetch text from a copyrighted edition like that. However, I can provide you with a translation of Genesis 1:11 from commonly used versions like the New International Version (NIV): “Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so.” If you need an exact translation from a specific Greek version, you would typically need access to that text directly either online through a digital library or a physical copy.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

“And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth;’ and it was so.”

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, plants producing seed, and fruit-trees giving fruit in which is their seed, every one true to its sort, on the earth: and it was so.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Genesis 1:11 – Commentary

The Divine Command to the Earth

This verse marks a significant moment in the creation narrative where God addresses the earth directly, commanding it to bring forth vegetation. The threefold distinction of plant life—grass (deshe), herb yielding seed, and fruit trees—reveals the divine wisdom in establishing order and purpose within creation from its very beginning.

Patristic Interpretation

Saint Basil the Great, in his Hexaemeron, emphasizes that the earth’s immediate obedience to God’s command demonstrates that creation itself possesses an inherent capacity to respond to the Creator’s voice. The earth did not produce vegetation by its own power but received the capacity to generate life through the divine word. Basil notes that this single command continues to operate throughout all generations, as the earth perpetually brings forth its fruit according to its kind.

Saint Ambrose similarly observes that the phrase “according to its kind” (kata genos) establishes the principle of natural order and species distinction, reflecting God’s wisdom in maintaining creation’s integrity. This patristic insight counters any notion of random development, affirming instead purposeful divine design.

Christological and New Testament Connections

The Orthodox tradition sees in this passage a foreshadowing of spiritual realities fulfilled in Christ. The seed-bearing plants anticipate the Gospel parables where Christ speaks of the Kingdom as seed sown in the earth. Our Lord Himself becomes the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies to bring forth much fruit (John 12:24). The fruit-bearing trees point toward the Tree of Life, which in Revelation is Christ Himself, whose leaves bring healing to the nations.

The command “let the earth bring forth” also prefigures the Theotokos, the blessed earth who brought forth the Fruit of Life. Orthodox hymnography frequently employs this imagery, calling the Virgin Mary the “earth unsown” who produced the divine Wheat.

Liturgical and Spiritual Significance

In the Orthodox blessing of fruits on the Feast of the Transfiguration, the Church acknowledges that all vegetation exists by God’s creative word spoken at the beginning. The prayers recall that God commanded the earth to bring forth plants and trees, connecting the Eucharistic gifts of bread and wine to this primordial blessing.

The verse also carries ascetical significance. Just as the earth was commanded to be fruitful, so the human soul, created from earth, is called to bring forth spiritual fruit. The distinction of plants “according to their kind” reminds us that each person is called to bear fruit according to their unique gifts and calling, yet all growth comes from responding to God’s word, just as the earth responded on the third day of creation.

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