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Commentary on Genesis 9:7
The Divine Command to Multiply
This verse echoes and renews the original blessing given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28, yet it comes after the catastrophic judgment of the Flood. God’s command to Noah and his sons to “be fruitful and multiply, and bring forth abundantly in the earth” represents not merely biological reproduction but the restoration of the divine economy for humanity. The repetition of this blessing signals that God’s original purpose for creation remains unchanged despite human sinfulness.
Patristic Interpretation: Saint John Chrysostom observes that this command demonstrates God’s unwavering love for humanity. Even after witnessing the depths of human corruption, the Lord renews His covenant and His blessing. Chrysostom notes that the fruitfulness commanded here extends beyond physical progeny to spiritual fruitfulness—the multiplication of virtue and godliness throughout the earth.
Christological Significance: The Church Fathers understood this passage typologically as pointing toward the New Covenant. Just as Noah emerged from the ark to repopulate a cleansed earth, so Christ emerges from the tomb to establish a new humanity. The command to multiply finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Great Commission, where Christ commands His apostles to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The physical multiplication of Noah’s descendants prefigures the spiritual multiplication of the Church throughout the world.
Liturgical Connections: In the Orthodox baptismal service, the waters of the font are blessed with references to the Flood as a type of baptism. The one being baptized emerges, like Noah, into a new life with the calling to be spiritually fruitful. The Paschal season particularly emphasizes this theme of new creation and spiritual fecundity, as the Church celebrates Christ’s victory over death and the renewal of all things.
Spiritual Application: For Orthodox spirituality, this verse speaks to the vocation of every Christian. We are called not to spiritual barrenness but to abundant life that overflows to others. The hesychastic tradition teaches that the purified heart becomes a source of blessing for the entire cosmos. Saint Seraphim of Sarov’s famous words—”Acquire the Spirit of peace, and thousands around you will be saved”—reflect this understanding of spiritual multiplication.
The command to “swarm upon the earth” (as some translations render it) suggests an overwhelming, abundant presence. The Church, as the new humanity in Christ, is called to permeate all of creation with the Gospel, sanctifying every aspect of human existence and culture for the glory of God.
The Book of Leviticus receives its English title from the Latin Vulgate, which is derived from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) title Leuitikon (Λευιτικόν), meaning “Levitical” or “pertaining to the Levites.”
The Book of Exodus receives its English title from the Greek Septuagint (LXX), where it is called Exodos (Ἔξοδος), meaning “departure” or “exit.” This name was chosen because the central
I. Date and Authorship Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church, affirmed by the Fathers and the liturgical usage of the Church from the earliest centuries, attributes the Book of Genesis
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