Genesis 9:1–7

Context

These are the words God spoke to Noah and his sons after the Flood had ended. Noah had come out of the ark and built an altar (Genesis 8). Verses 1 and 7 frame the passage with the same command, "Be fruitful, and multiply," and between them stand regulations concerning food and life. The passage renews for the new humanity after the Flood the blessing given to the first human beings in Genesis 1:28. Immediately afterward, in verses 8–17, God proclaims the covenant that He will never again destroy the world by a flood.

Interpretation

• As a renewal of the creation mandate: Many commentators read this passage as reestablishing the order of Genesis 1. However, the command to "have dominion" in chapter 1 is replaced here by the statement that "the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth." This is interpreted as a sign that the relationship between humans and animals has changed in a world that has passed through the Fall and the Flood.
• As a permission to eat meat: In Genesis 1:29, plants and fruit were given as food. In contrast, it is widely held that the eating of meat is here explicitly permitted for the first time. Some scholars, however, hold that the text says nothing about actual dietary practice before the Flood.
• The prohibition of blood as respect for life: Verse 4 is interpreted as identifying blood with life and thereby showing that God is the owner of life. Jewish rabbinic tradition cites this passage as one of the bases for the "Noahide laws," which were given to the descendants of Noah, that is, to all humanity.
• The prohibition of murder grounded in the image of God: Verse 6 grounds the prohibition of murder in the fact that human beings were made in the image of God. For this reason, the verse is often cited in theological discussions of human dignity.

Debates and Issues

• Capital punishment: Some within the Reformed tradition and in conservative circles have read verse 6 as God's delegation to human authority of the power to punish murderers. This reading is cited as a biblical basis for retaining the death penalty. Opponents read the verse as a proverb describing the reality that bloodshed begets bloodshed. Others hold that it should be reread in light of the Sermon on the Mount and the atonement of Christ. For details, see the article Capital Punishment and the Church.
• Translation issues: The Hebrew ba'adam in verse 6 can be rendered "by man," but also "because of man" or "in place of man." As a result, translations differ in their wording. Rendering it "by man" brings out the sense that humans carry out the punishment, whereas other renderings weaken that sense.
• Blood and transfusion: Jehovah's Witnesses cite this passage together with Leviticus 17 and Acts 15:28–29 as grounds for refusing blood transfusions. Most Protestant denominations regard the prohibition of blood as a dietary regulation. They also understand the decision of Acts 15 as a measure enabling fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers in the early church, and they do not connect it with transfusion.

Questions of Application

Among Korean churchgoers, the question sometimes arises whether it is permissible to eat foods containing blood, such as seonji (congealed blood) or sundae (blood sausage). Views are divided: one side holds that the food laws were abolished in the New Testament (Mark 7:18–19), while the other holds that the prohibition in Acts 15 remains in force today.

Related Passages

• Genesis 1:28–29
• Leviticus 17:10–14
• Acts 15:28–29
• Matthew 5:38–42
• Romans 13:3–4