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

Genesis 1:30

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

“To all the wild animals of the earth, to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” It was so.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes an additional phrase “in which there is a living soul” (Hebrew: asher-bo nephesh chayyah) modifying “every creeping thing that creeps on the earth,” which is not present in the LXX. This phrase emphasizes the animate nature of the creatures being given vegetation for food.

Other Translations:

KJV (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.

WEB (World English Bible):

To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

To all the wild beasts of the earth and to every winged bird of heaven and to every reptile creeping on the earth, which has in itself the breath of life, even every green plant for food, and it was so.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

And to all the wild animals of the earth, and to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that crawls on the earth that has the breath of life in it, I have given every green plant for food.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to every creeping thing on the earth, in which is a living soul, every green herb is for food.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to every thing moving on the earth which has life, I have given all the green plants for food: and it was so.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 1:30

The Divine Provision for All Creatures

This verse completes the picture of God’s original economy of creation, revealing that in the primordial state, all living creatures—beasts, birds, and creeping things—were given green plants for food. The Fathers understood this to indicate a peaceable kingdom before the Fall, where violence and death through predation were absent from God’s original design.

Patristic Interpretation: St. Basil the Great, in his Hexaemeron, reflects on the harmony of the original creation, noting that the ferocity we now observe in certain animals was not part of their original nature but a consequence of the cosmic disruption introduced by human sin. St. John Chrysostom similarly emphasizes that the entire created order was affected by Adam’s transgression, and what we witness now in nature—predator and prey—represents a fallen condition rather than the Creator’s primordial intention.

Eschatological and Christological Significance: This verse finds its prophetic fulfillment in Isaiah’s vision of the messianic age, where “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” and “the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:6-7). The Orthodox Church understands this not merely as poetic imagery but as a genuine restoration of the original created order through Christ. The Second Adam reverses what the first Adam corrupted. In the age to come, when Christ makes all things new (Revelation 21:5), creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to corruption (Romans 8:21).

Liturgical Connections: During the blessing of animals on certain feast days, and particularly in prayers for the protection of livestock and fields, the Church implicitly acknowledges God’s providential care for all creatures as established in this foundational text. The Paschal proclamation that Christ has “trampled down death by death” extends hope not only to humanity but to the entire groaning creation awaiting redemption.

Spiritual Application: For the Orthodox Christian, this verse serves as a reminder that violence, death, and suffering—even in the animal kingdom—are not normative but represent the tragic consequences of sin’s entrance into the world. This understanding cultivates a spirit of compassion toward all creatures and ecological responsibility as stewards of God’s creation. The ascetic tradition, with its stories of saints living peacefully among wild beasts—such as St. Seraphim of Sarov with his bear or St. Gerasimos with his lion—offers glimpses of Paradise restored through holiness, anticipating the final transfiguration of all creation in Christ.

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