What does God mean when He tells Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28)?

Answer

On the sixth day of creation, God created land animals and the first human beings. Unlike every other created thing, humans (both male and female) were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27;5:1-3;9:6;James 3:9). God blessed Adam and Eve—His crowning achievements—and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” «And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. », (Genesis 1:28).

God’s first assignment for this pioneering couple was, in reality, a divine blessing to “fill the earth and subdue it.” The task of “filling” or populating the earth was related to God’s command to “be fruitful and increase in number.” As heads of the human race, Adam and Eve were sanctioned by God to reproduce and inhabit the earth with children. Later, after the flood, Noah and his family (the subsequent heads of the human race) were given the same blessings by God to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” «And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. », (Genesis 9:1).

The job of filling the earth could only be accomplished if the pair worked together. Physically, God created Adam and Eve uniquely so that they could not complete the task alone. Likewise, both would need to work together emotionally, spiritually, and relationally.National, and social cooperation are necessary to populate the earth with many children. In God’s paradisal plan, both a father and mother were crucial for producing and raising children. While single-parenting is common today, the circumstances are often demanding and require support from friends and family members.

It’s important to acknowledge that God’s command to be fruitful and multiply is generally interpreted as an individual directive to heads of the human race (Adam and Eve, and Noah and his wife). God would not require every person to “fill the earth” or reproduce as many children as possible while allowing some couples to face infertility. Some individuals are unable to have children, while God calls others to remain single and childless «I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. », (1 Corinthians 7:8).

Not only did God bless Adam and Eve with the task of populating the earth, but also of working the earth and subduing it. In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “subdue” means “to make subordinate, dependent, or subservient.” The concept of subduing the earth involves actively governing it with physical force or effort, not to destroy it but to cultivate it, making the land productive and life-sustaining.

The Lord created everything for us but entrusted us with the responsibility of managing it. He intended for us to work to prevent disorderly conditions from spoiling the earth and making it unusable. Adam and Eve were to utilize God’s creation to sustain themselves and to serve the Lord. Along with the privilege, God gave us the duty of caretakers: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” «And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. », (Genesis 2:15).

God graciously and generously blessed humans with “every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” «And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. », (Genesis 1:29). People were vegetarians in the Garden of Eden, but God broadened their diet to include animals after the flood of Noah’s day «Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. », (Genesis 9:3).

When the Lord told Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it, He was showing humanity one of the primary reasons we were created—to be God’s representatives throughout the world and to rule over all things in His name (Psalm 8:6; Psalm 115:16). We were fashioned in God’s image so that we could represent Him on the earth. And we were made like Him so that we could be in relationship with Him. From the beginning, God desired to bless us with His magnificent creation, and He enjoyed living in close fellowship with us.