The command from God to Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply” first appears in Genesis 1:28, when God blessed them and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This command came right after God created Adam and Eve in His own image and placed them in the Garden of Eden. It was one of the first instructions God gave to humankind.
So what did God mean by this command to “be fruitful and multiply”? Let’s explore some key aspects:
1. It was a blessing from God
First, we see from the context that being fruitful and multiplying was presented as a blessing from God to Adam and Eve. God created man and woman in His own image as the pinnacle of His creation (Genesis 1:26-27), and immediately blessed them with the abilities and charge to reproduce and fill the earth. The emphasis is positive – this command enables humankind to participate in God’s ongoing creative work.
2. It emphasizes God’s design for marriage and family
God gave this command to Adam and Eve even before sin entered the world. So this principle highlights God’s design for marriage and family from the beginning. God designed man and woman to come together in marital union and bear children. Bearing children is a natural, blessed outcome of the marital covenant. God desires children to be raised in stable, loving families.
3. It shows the value and dignity of human life
This command dignifies human life as being made in God’s image. Human beings have immense value and worth in God’s eyes. Bearing children propagates life created by God in His own image. God cares deeply about human life from conception to death. So being fruitful by having children expresses God’s heart for life.
4. It points toward a flourishing creation
God’s original creative intent was for humans to flourish and multiply and fill the whole earth (Genesis 1:28; 9:1,7). As people follow God’s design for marriage and family, they spread His image bearers across the world. God wants His glory reflected across all lands and people groups. So being fruitful contributes toward a flourishing creation.
5. It provides important context for other commands
Other commands and prophecies in Scripture about multiplying provide crucial context for properly understanding this passage. For example, after the flood, God again commanded Noah and his family to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” as they repopulated it (Genesis 9:1). Jeremiah 29:6 and Ezekiel 36:11 also speak of multiplying families in the context of cultures where people rejected God’s ways.
So in contexts of rebuilding and rejuvenating godly culture, multiplying families takes on heightened importance. God’s blessing enables his people to bring forth new image bearers even in the most decadent of cultures. So being fruitful continues even amidst wayward societies.
6. It leads to filling the earth
When God first commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful in Genesis 1:28, He coupled it with the charge to “fill the earth.” As humans multiply, they spread out and inhabit larger areas of God’s world. Jesus repeated this connection in the Great Commission by commanding His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Bearing offspring served (and serves) the purpose of filling the earth with God’s people, influence, and glory.
7. It applied to Adam and Eve, and continues to apply today
This command originated with Adam and Eve within the specific context of being the first humans God directly created. They needed to propagate the human race. But while modern readers are not in the exact same situation as the original couple, the spirit of this command continues as God’s ideal. God designed marriage and children as blessings, even after the Fall. Christians see bearing children as a general calling for most able-bodied married couples.
8. It emphasizes godly offspring
While God blessed conception in general through this command, Scripture elsewhere emphasizes the priority of raising godly offspring. Passages like Malachi 2:15 speak of raising “godly offspring” as a key purpose of marriage. And parental instruction of children in following the Lord is repeatedly emphasized (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Psalm 78:5-7, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). So the emphasis is not just on having children, but nurturing spiritual fruitfulness.
9. It mirrors God’s own triune nature
There is mysterious triune significance to male and female coming together and bearing offspring. The triune nature of God is reflected in the one-flesh union producing children. The loving communion and joy shared by Father, Son, and Spirit from all eternity overflows into human marriages and families. So being fruitful reflects God’s glory.
10. It foreshadows Christ and the Church
Human marriage and offspring also foreshadow the spiritual marriage between Christ and His Church. Producing godly offspring represents Christ’s work of bringing spiritual life through rebirth in His Church. And a flourishing Christian family points toward the fellowship enjoyed between Christ and believers. So natural family multiplication hints at deeper spiritual multiplication.
In summary, God commanding Adam and Eve to be fruitful had multilayered significance. It involved the joy of marital intimacy producing children, the blessing of filling the earth with image bearers, and the responsibility of nurturing spiritually fruitful families. This command continues to apply as God’s general ideal for most married couples today. By God’s grace, Christians echo Adam and Eve’s original calling by raising up godly offspring in stable, thriving families for the glory of God.