Fear and Dread (Gen 9:1–2)

The Flood

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¹ and said to them, “Reproduce, proliferate, and fill the earth.

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֖וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

As we saw last time, Genesis 9 is replicating what the original humans were told. Let’s compare:

• Gen. 1:28 — ‏ וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒

• Gen. 9:1 — וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־נֹ֖חַ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑יו

• Gen 1:28 — וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ

• Gen 9:1 — וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֖וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

With a few inconsequential differences (“them” of 1:28 is specified as “Noah and his sons” in 9:1; elohim is repeated as the subject of the second verb in 1:28 but not in 9:1), these two phrases are exactly the same.

Our verse, marked as you see by ׃ (the double-dot or נקודתיים nequdatáyyim), ends here; 1:28 has not even reached its halfway point. Both 1:28 and 9:2 mention fish, birds, and other creatures, but as we’ll see in a moment something quite different is going on. Here’s the complete verse from Creation 1.0:

^{Gen 1:28} God blessed them, and God said to them: Reproduce, proliferate, and fill the earth and subdue it so that you control the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and every beast that creeps over the ground.”

Human beings are in charge, but as the next few verses make clear, they are not permitted to eat any of those animals they control. They and the animals alike are to live by eating plants. (Sorry, breathatarians.)

Now let’s go on with the matching text from Creation 2.0.