Genesis 1:28

Context

In Genesis 1, immediately after God creates human beings in His image (1:26–27), He blesses them with these words. The fish and the birds had also received the blessing "Be fruitful, and multiply" (1:22), but the commands to "subdue" the earth and to "have dominion" over living creatures are given to humans alone. After the Flood, a similar blessing is given again to Noah (9:1, 9:7).

The Hebrew word translated "subdue" is kabash, and the word translated "have dominion" is radah; both carry a strong sense of exercising power.

Interpretations

• As the cultural mandate: The Reformed tradition, particularly the stream influenced by Abraham Kuyper, reads this verse as God's commission for the whole range of human cultural activity, including scholarship, the arts, economics, and politics. It serves as a basis for affirming Christians' vocations and their engagement in society.
• As a stewardship mandate: On this reading, "dominion" does not mean acting as owner but rather bearing the responsibility of a steward entrusted with the care of what belongs to God. It is read together with the immediately preceding teaching on the image of God (humans as royal representatives) and with 2:15, where God puts the man in the garden "to dress it and to keep it."
• As a declaration of blessing: This interpretation emphasizes that the verse is a blessing from God before it is a command. The spread of life is itself an expression of the goodness of creation.

Debates and Issues

• Responsibility for the environmental crisis: In a 1967 article, the American historian Lynn White Jr. argued that the anthropocentric view of nature in Western Christianity, especially its understanding of "subdue" and "have dominion" in this verse, became an ideological root of the ecological crisis. In response, many theologians have countered that the text speaks of a responsibility to care rather than to exploit, while also holding that the church must reflect critically on its history of misusing this verse. The debate fed into the development of ecotheology and the "creation care" movement.
• Procreation and marriage: Views differ on whether "Be fruitful, and multiply" should be understood as an obligation for every believer to bear children or as a blessing given to humanity as a whole. The Catholic Church connects this verse with its teaching on marriage and openness to procreation, whereas Protestants generally leave celibacy and family planning to individual conscience.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently cited in sermons and denominational campaigns addressing Korea's low birth rate. It is also used in church environmental movements responding to the climate crisis, and it is read during the Season of Creation observed in the liturgical calendars of some denominations.

Related Passages

• Genesis 2:15
• Genesis 9:1–7
• Psalm 8:5–8
• Romans 8:19–22