Genesis 1:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens."

NIV: And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky."

NASB: Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.'

CSB: Then God said, "Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."

NLT: Then God said, 'Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.'

KJV: And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

NKJV: Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

Verses 20 through 23 describe God's fifth day of creation, in which He creates all the creatures of the seas, as well as the birds. This is according to the pattern of Genesis, where God used the first three days to prepare an environment, and the second three days to populate that environment. On day one God created light, and on day four He created the sun, moon, and stars. On day two God created the sea and sky, and here, on day five, is His creation of sea and air life.

The pattern will then continue in later verses: On day three, God created dry land, and we will see the origin of land animals on day six.

God's spoken command is to let the waters—the seas—teem or swarm with swarms of living creatures. The picture is of filling up an ocean intended to carry the abundance of God's creation. In a similar way, God commands the sky to be full of birds that would fly across its previously empty expanse. This is all part of a process where God's design comes into focus. He didn't merely create the oceans for their own sake. The purpose of the seas was to support active, teeming life. The purpose of the empty sky was to host the countless variety of birds He would create.

Genesis 1:14–25 describes the second three days of creation: days four, five, and six, just prior to the creation of human kind. As with the first three, there is a common pattern. God's spoken word results in creation, which God then names and declares ''good.'' The day is then numbered. Each of these days fills something created in one of the prior three days. The sun and moon are created on day four, while day and night were created on day one. Sea creatures are created on day five, for the oceans formed on day two. Land animals—and, later, human beings—are made on day six, for the dry land and plants which God created on day three.

Genesis 1 is nothing less than a bare-bones claim that God created the universe. Setting all of the debates on models and interpretations aside, the chapter undeniably insists on one thing: God means to be known as the Creator of all things. Written in the original Hebrew language according to a rigid, poetic structure, the chapter unfolds in a series of patterns and revelations. For those who believe these words, our response should be nothing less than to worship our Maker.

Genesis 1 is the first chapter of what came to be known as the Pentateuch: the first five books of the Bible. Likely written by Moses, Genesis 1 begins the story of God and His relationship with His people Israel. The role of God as Creator is not only important for setting up His work in later chapters, but also in His supremacy and authority for all of the other words of the Scriptures. God intends first to be known to all peoples as the Creator of all things—from sun, moon, and stars, to human life itself. And as the Creator, He is owed worship by all He has made, including and especially human beings

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.