Genesis 1:20-23 - Be Fruitful and Multiply
“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” — Genesis 1:20–23 (KJV)
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Genesis 1:20–23 introduces the fifth day of creation. Until this point, Genesis has described light, the firmament, dry land, seas, vegetation, and the heavenly lights. Now something new appears:
living creatures that move.
The waters begin to swarm with life, and winged creatures fly through the open firmament of heaven.
But another major truth also appears for the first time:
“And God blessed them...”
God does not merely create life. He blesses life and commands it to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the realms He prepared for it.
“And God Said”
The fifth day begins with the familiar words:
“And God said...”
Again, God's Word precedes what creation produces.
The seas do not independently generate life.
The heavens do not independently produce birds.
God commands.
Psalm 33:9 declares:
“For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
Everything that follows in these verses happens because the Creator has spoken.
“Let the Waters Bring Forth Abundantly”
God commands:
“Let the waters bring forth abundantly...”
The language emphasizes abundance.
The waters are not merely to contain a few living creatures.
They are to teem with life.
What was previously described simply as Seas in Genesis 1:10 now becomes an environment overflowing with living creatures.
This reveals something about God's creative abundance.
God prepared the waters before He filled them.
Now the environment that He established becomes inhabited.
God Forms and Then God Fills
There is an important pattern developing in Genesis 1.
God first establishes realms.
Then He fills those realms.
Day One
God establishes Day and Night.
Day Four
God appoints the heavenly lights to govern Day and Night.
Day Two
God establishes the waters and firmament.
Day Five
God fills the waters with living creatures and the open firmament with flying creatures.
Day Three
God establishes dry land and vegetation.
Day Six
God will fill the land with animals and humanity.
Creation is unfolding according to divine order.
God prepares the environment before placing life within it.
“The Moving Creature That Hath Life”
Genesis 1:20 introduces an important expression:
“the moving creature that hath life...”
The Hebrew expression includes the word:
נֶפֶשׁ — nephesh
Nephesh can mean living being, creature, life, soul, or person, depending upon context.
Here the expression refers to living creatures inhabiting the waters.
This is significant because nephesh is not used exclusively of human beings.
Genesis describes animals as living creatures possessing nephesh life.
Later, Genesis 2:7 will describe Adam as:
“a living soul.”
The context determines how the word should be understood.
“Fowl That May Fly Above the Earth”
God also commands:
“and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”
The waters below become filled with swimming creatures.
The open firmament above the earth becomes filled with flying creatures.
The environments God previously established are now receiving their inhabitants.
The skies that appeared empty are now filled with movement.
The seas that appeared empty are now filled with life.
God fills what He has prepared.
“And God Created”
Genesis 1:21 says:
“And God created...”
The Hebrew verb translated “created” is:
בָּרָא — baraʾ
This is the same verb used in Genesis 1:1:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The word emphasizes God's creative activity.
Now it appears again as living creatures fill the seas and skies.
Life ultimately originates with God.
“Great Whales”
The KJV says:
“And God created great whales...”
The Hebrew expression is:
הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים — hattanninim hagedolim
It can refer broadly to great sea creatures, large aquatic creatures, or great creatures associated with the waters.
Therefore, we should not restrict the expression only to what modern zoology classifies specifically as whales.
The emphasis is upon the great creatures of the waters.
Even the largest and most intimidating creatures of the sea are creations of God.
They are not God's rivals.
God made them.
Why the Great Sea Creatures Matter
In various ancient cultures, great sea creatures could be associated with chaos, fear, or divine powers.
Genesis strips them of divine status.
The great creatures of the deep are introduced simply as:
things God created.
They are not gods.
They are not independent powers.
They are creatures.
The Creator remains supreme over everything inhabiting the sea.
Psalm 104:25–26 declares:
“So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.... there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.”
Even the great creatures of the sea belong to God.
“After Their Kind”
Genesis 1:21 repeats a principle introduced with vegetation:
“after their kind...”
The living creatures of the waters reproduce according to their created kinds.
The winged creatures likewise reproduce:
“after his kind.”
Again we see order within reproduction.
God creates diversity without confusion.
Different creatures possess different forms, functions, habitats, and reproductive patterns.
Creation displays both:
diversity
and
order.
Both originate with God.
“And God Saw That It Was Good”
After creating the creatures of the sea and the winged creatures:
“God saw that it was good.”
Again, טוֹב — tov.
The creatures are functioning according to God's design.
The seas are filled.
The skies are filled.
The creatures reproduce according to their kinds.
The environment and its inhabitants fit together according to God's wisdom.
God sees the whole arrangement and calls it good.
“And God Blessed Them”
Genesis 1:22 introduces something we have not previously encountered in the creation narrative:
“And God blessed them...”
The Hebrew word translated “blessed” comes from:
בָּרַךְ — barak
God bestows blessing upon the living creatures He created.
This is significant.
The first explicit blessing recorded in Scripture is connected with life, fruitfulness, multiplication, and filling what God has prepared.
God's blessing empowers creation to fulfill the purpose He established for it.
Blessing and Purpose
Notice that God's blessing is immediately followed by a command:
“Be fruitful, and multiply...”
Biblical blessing is therefore not merely about personal comfort.
The blessing carries purpose and responsibility.
God blesses the creatures so that life will continue and multiply.
The blessing enables the fulfillment of God's intention.
This principle will become even more important when God blesses humanity in Genesis 1:28.
“Be Fruitful”
God commands:
“Be fruitful...”
The Hebrew idea of fruitfulness involves producing fruit or offspring.
Life is designed to produce more life.
The creatures are not created merely to exist individually.
God establishes within them the capacity for continuation.
This connects with the seed-bearing vegetation of Genesis 1:11–12.
Throughout creation we see a recurring principle:
God creates life with the capacity to reproduce.
“And Multiply”
Fruitfulness is followed by:
“and multiply...”
To multiply means to increase greatly or become numerous.
The blessing of God moves creation toward abundance.
Remember how the fifth day began:
“Let the waters bring forth abundantly...”
Now God commands the creatures themselves to:
“Be fruitful, and multiply...”
Abundance is woven throughout the passage.
“Fill the Waters in the Seas”
God commands the creatures to:
“fill the waters in the seas...”
God does not merely want life present in the sea.
He commands life to fill it.
The realm God prepared is to become occupied according to His purpose.
Again we see:
Preparation → Life → Blessing → Fruitfulness → Multiplication → Filling
This pattern becomes extremely important when humanity receives a similar command.
“Let Fowl Multiply in the Earth”
The birds are also commanded to multiply:
“and let fowl multiply in the earth.”
The sky becomes filled with flying creatures, while the earth provides places for them to reproduce, nest, and live.
God has created interconnected environments.
The sea, land, vegetation, atmosphere, lights, seasons, animals, and eventually humanity all function within the ordered world God has established.
Creation is not a collection of isolated parts.
It is an ordered whole.
The First Blessing in Scripture
It is worth emphasizing again that Genesis 1:22 contains the Bible's first explicit use of blessing.
God's first recorded blessing is not connected with money.
It is not connected with possessions.
It is connected with:
life,
fruitfulness,
multiplication,
continuation,
and fulfillment of created purpose.
This helps establish a biblical understanding of blessing.
To be blessed by God is ultimately to be enabled and favored to fulfill His purpose.
Fruitfulness Is More Than Increase
We should also distinguish biblical fruitfulness from mere numerical increase.
Something can increase without necessarily fulfilling God's purpose.
In Genesis 1, multiplication occurs within God's established order:
“after their kind.”
Therefore, biblical fruitfulness is not simply:
more.
It is:
more according to God's design.
True fruitfulness remains connected to the purpose of the Creator.
Spiritual Application — Created to Bear Fruit
Genesis 1:20–23 concerns literal living creatures, but later Scripture uses the language of fruitfulness to describe God's purpose for His people.
Jesus says:
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit...” — John 15:8
And:
“I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit...” — John 15:16
Just as God's physical creation was designed for fruitfulness, believers are called to lives that produce spiritual fruit.
Fruitfulness Requires Connection to the Source
Jesus teaches:
“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” — John 15:4
This adds an important spiritual truth.
Fruitfulness does not come from human effort alone.
The creatures of Genesis were fruitful because God created them, blessed them, and gave them the capacity to reproduce.
Likewise, spiritual fruitfulness comes from remaining connected to Christ.
God Blesses for Purpose
Genesis 1:22 teaches us that blessing should never end merely with the recipient.
God blessed the creatures and immediately gave them an assignment:
Be fruitful.
Multiply.
Fill.
Later, God will tell Abraham:
“I will bless thee...and thou shalt be a blessing.” — Genesis 12:2
God's blessing carries purpose.
Therefore, when considering the blessings God has placed in our lives, we should ask:
What does God intend me to do with what He has given me?
“The Evening and the Morning Were the Fifth Day”
Genesis 1:23 concludes:
“And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”
The fifth day is complete.
The world that was previously silent now contains the movement and activity of living creatures.
The seas swarm with life.
The skies are filled with flying creatures.
And God's blessing rests upon them with the command:
“Be fruitful, and multiply.”
Observation Questions
What did God command the waters to bring forth?
Where were the winged creatures commanded to fly?
What great creatures are specifically mentioned in Genesis 1:21?
According to what pattern were the creatures created?
What did God say after seeing the creatures He had made?
What is the first explicit blessing recorded in Scripture?
What two commands follow God's blessing?
What were the sea creatures commanded to fill?
What were the birds commanded to do?
Which creation day ended in Genesis 1:23?
Reflection Questions
What does the abundance of life in Genesis 1:20–23 reveal about God's creative power?
Why is it significant that even the great creatures of the sea are described simply as things God created?
What does “after their kind” teach us about order and distinction within creation?
What do you learn about biblical blessing from Genesis 1:22?
Why should blessing be connected with purpose rather than merely personal benefit?
What is the difference between simply increasing and being truly fruitful according to God's purpose?
What spiritual fruit is presently visible in your life?
How are the gifts and blessings God has given you benefiting others?
Are you abiding in Christ as the source of spiritual fruitfulness?
Personal Application
Genesis 1:22 gives us a powerful sequence:
God created them.
God blessed them.
God commanded them to be fruitful.
God commanded them to multiply.
God commanded them to fill.
God's blessing was connected to God's purpose.
This challenges us to examine how we think about blessing.
Instead of asking only:
“What has God given me?”
we should also ask:
“Why has God given it to me?”
What knowledge has He given you?
What gifts?
What opportunities?
What resources?
What influence?
What spiritual understanding?
The question becomes:
Am I using what God has given me to produce fruit for His glory?
Jesus said:
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit...” — John 15:8
God's desire is not merely that we possess His blessings.
His desire is that His blessing produces fruit through us.
Key Truth
Genesis 1:20–23 reveals God as the Creator and source of living creatures. He filled the waters and skies with abundant life, established reproduction “after their kind,” and pronounced His creation good. For the first time in Scripture, God explicitly blesses what He has made, connecting His blessing with the command to be fruitful, multiply, and fill. Biblical blessing is not merely something to possess—it empowers the fulfillment of God's purpose.
Scripture to Remember
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” — John 15:8
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