Kejadian 1:22

1:22 God blessed them ¹  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ² 

Kejadian 4:23

4:23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man ³  for hurting me.

Kejadian 41:43

41:43 Pharaoh ⁴  had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, ⁵  and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” ⁶  So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

Kejadian 41:55

41:55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, ⁷  “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

Kejadian 42:2

42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ⁸  so that we may live ⁹  and not die.” ¹⁰ 

[1:22]  ¹ tn While the translation “blessed” has been retained here for the sake of simplicity, it would be most helpful to paraphrase it as “God endowed them with fruitfulness” or something similar, for here it refers to God’s giving the animals the capacity to reproduce. The expression “blessed” needs clarification in its different contexts, for it is one of the unifying themes of the Book of Genesis. The divine blessing occurs after works of creation and is intended to continue that work – the word of blessing guarantees success. The word means “to enrich; to endow,” and the most visible evidence of that enrichment is productivity or fruitfulness. See C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).

[1:22]  ² sn The instruction God gives to creation is properly a fuller expression of the statement just made (“God blessed them”), that he enriched them with the ability to reproduce. It is not saying that these were rational creatures who heard and obeyed the word; rather, it stresses that fruitfulness in the animal world is a result of the divine decree and not of some pagan cultic ritual for fruitfulness. The repeated emphasis of “be fruitful – multiply – fill” adds to this abundance God has given to life. The meaning is underscored by the similar sounds: בָּרָךְ (barakh) with בָּרָא (bara’), and פָּרָה (parah) with רָבָה (ravah).

[4:23]  ³ tn The Hebrew term יֶלֶד (yeled) probably refers to a youthful warrior here, not a child.

[41:43]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:43]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”

[41:43]  ⁶ tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).

[41:55]  ⁷ tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.

[42:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:2]  ⁹ tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.

[42:2]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.