Replenish the Earth

[jcright]

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

This is from the King James. If I read it from the NIV, it says to increase in number.

So here's my question. What is the earth depleted of that it has to be replenished? Is this a poor translation or is the NIV wrong? If the NIV is wrong, then I don't understand what is being replenished. It can't be to replenish the earth with humans because Adam and Eve are the first. If it's not refering to man, then what was depleted that man now has to replenish the earth?

 

[SumTinWong]

The original Hebrew word for replenish is maw-lay'
or malae (Esth. 7:5) {maw-law'}; a primitive root, to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively):--accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, X draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-)full, + have wholly.

Here is the link to the online version of Strongs and the number for the word is 4390

http://www.sacrednamebible.com/kjvstrongs/STRHEB43.htm

Hope that helps in some small way.

 

[jcright]

It does, thanks!