Genesis 1:20 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.

Genesis 1:20 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."

Genesis 1:20 niv

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

Genesis 1:20 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."

Genesis 1:20 nlt

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

Genesis 1 verses

Genesis 1 20 Meaning

On the fifth day of creation, God commanded the waters to actively produce and abound with swarms of living creatures, while also bringing forth birds to fly through the expanse of the sky. This act filled the aquatic and aerial domains, prepared on previous days, with diverse and animate life. It signifies God's sovereign power to call forth specific categories of life by His spoken word, establishing distinct biological orders and filling His created cosmos with living beings.

Genesis 1 20 Context

Genesis 1:20 is part of the first account of creation, outlining God's systematic and progressive work in six days. On Day Five, the focus shifts to "filling" the realms previously established: the waters (separated from dry land on Day Three) and the firmament or sky (created on Day Two). Days one to three dealt with establishing the basic framework and environments (light/dark, sky/waters, dry land/vegetation). Days four to six involve filling those realms: Day Four, the celestial lights (sun, moon, stars) in the firmament; Day Five, marine and avian life in the waters and air; Day Six, land animals and humanity on the dry land. This verse highlights God's sovereignty over the deep and the air, directly addressing areas that ancient Near Eastern myths often associated with chaotic or divine forces.

Genesis 1 20 Word analysis

• And God said: (וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים - vayyōmer ’Ĕlōhīm). This phrase is central to the creation narrative in Gen 1. It signifies that creation is not through struggle or magic but through divine, intentional, and authoritative spoken word. God's dabar (word) possesses inherent power to bring into existence what it declares.
• Let the waters: (יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם - yišrᵉṣū hammaim).
  • yišrᵉṣū (from the root שׁרצ, šāraṣ): Verb meaning "to teem," "to swarm," "to crawl forth abundantly." It suggests a rapid, prolific, and spontaneous generation of life from the waters themselves at God's command, indicating abundance and fertility, not merely populating. It highlights life emerging directly from the waters.
  • hammaim: "the waters." This specifies the immediate source and habitat of the newly created aquatic life.
• swarm/teem forth: (יִשְׁרְצוּ - yišrᵉṣū). Emphasizes the immediate and copious manifestation of living beings. It denotes a bustling, multitudinous emergence, covering the water's surface and depths.
• swarms of living creatures: (שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה - šereṣ nepeš ḥayyāh).
  • šereṣ: Noun form related to the verb šāraṣ. Refers to "creeping things" or "swarming things." While it can include small land animals, here it specifically denotes marine creatures. The term emphasizes their abundant and perhaps lowly or creeping nature.
  • nepeš ḥayyāh: "living soul" or "living creature." This significant term indicates animate life, possessing breath (or life principle) and movement. It distinguishes animal life from plant life, which is described as dasha' (vegetation). This same term, nepeš ḥayyāh, is used for mankind in Gen 2:7, underscoring a shared animate nature, distinct from non-living matter or purely vegetative life.
• and let birds fly: (וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף - wᵉ‘ōp̄ yᵉ‘ōp̄ēp̄).
  • ‘ōp̄: "bird" or "winged creature." General term for flying animals.
  • yᵉ‘ōp̄ēp̄: (from the root עוּף, ‘ûp̄) The Piel/Pilpel stem (intensive) of "to fly." This repetition, ‘ōp̄ yᵉ‘ōp̄ēp̄, provides an emphatic sense of active and pervasive flight, filling the airspace. It implies not just the existence of birds but their vibrant activity.
• above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens: (עַל־הָאָרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם - ‘al-hā’āreṣ ‘al-pəney rāqîa‘ haššāmāyim).
  • ‘al-hā’āreṣ: "above the earth." Refers to their general presence over the land.
  • ‘al-pəney: "across the face of," or "in the open."
  • rāqîa‘ haššāmāyim: "firmament of the heavens." The expanse or dome-like structure separating upper and lower waters, created on Day Two (Gen 1:6-8). This phrase clearly designates the airspace as the domain for birds.

Words-group by Words-group analysis:

• "And God said, 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures'": This phrase directly links God's powerful decree to the emergence of aquatic life. The double use of the root šāraṣ (verb and noun) emphasizes the immediate and prolific nature of marine life – not just scattered creatures, but teeming abundance. God activates life within an existing medium.
• "'and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.'": This second part of the command delineates a new domain for life: the air. The intense verbal form yᵉ‘ōp̄ēp̄ ("let them actively fly") suggests a vibrant, dynamic creation, filling the entire atmospheric expanse that God had created on the second day. It showcases God's specificity in creating distinct life forms for distinct environments.

Genesis 1 20 Bonus section

The creation of diverse marine and avian life on Day 5, before land animals and humans, illustrates God's principle of provision and prepared environments. He first sets up the habitat (water, firmament), then fills it with appropriate life, anticipating the larger design and sustenance needs of the cosmos. The distinct "kinds" (mîn) implicitly suggested by "swarms" and "birds" in this verse become explicit in the subsequent verse (Gen 1:21) and other creation accounts, highlighting the divine order and inherent boundaries within biological diversity. Furthermore, the blessing for fruitfulness is extended immediately to these creatures in the very next verse (Gen 1:22), showcasing God's desire for life to thrive and multiply from the very beginning. This command of fertility, first given to marine and avian life, foreshadows its bestowal upon mankind (Gen 1:28).

Genesis 1 20 Commentary

Genesis 1:20 presents the pinnacle of the fifth day of creation, a divine command that fills the water and sky with teeming life. Having already separated waters from waters (firmament) and waters from dry land, God now populates these distinct environments. His word, the consistent vehicle for creation throughout Genesis 1, brings into being the vast and varied world of aquatic creatures and airborne fowl. The language used, particularly "swarm" (yišrᵉṣū / šereṣ) for marine life, indicates not merely existence but immense fecundity and a multitude of beings. The emphatic "let birds fly" (yᵉ‘ōp̄ēp̄) highlights the active and widespread presence of avian life.

This verse refutes ancient cosmogonies that depicted primordial chaos or deified sea monsters, as God simply commands and life springs forth in ordered abundance. There is no struggle or pre-existing material needing form from opposing forces. Instead, the water, often a symbol of chaos in other myths, is here a source of life by the benevolent will of God. It further demonstrates God's purposeful and progressive creation, filling the structured universe He established. This creative act sets the stage for the creation of land animals and mankind, showing God's provision and preparation before humanity's arrival.