Replenish the Earth?

[XChristian]

I was just reading in Genesis, Genesis 1:28 where God creates Man and Woman and it reads "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and REPLENISH the Earth..."

What does the replenish part imply? Does my Bible have typos in it or something?

 

[Disippelen]

I think that "replenish" here just means "fill up", spread out all across etc.

 

[XChristian]

Nope, my Websters Dictionary clearly states what replenish means and it is not to "fill up, spread out all across".

 

[Osiris]

Nope, my Websters Dictionary clearly states what replenish means and it is not to "fill up, spread out all across".

It'd be helpful if you were more direct. There'd be less posts on this thread if you had told us what you think it means, or what the Webster Dictionary states it means.

From Dictionary.com
re·plen·ish
–verb (used with object)
1. to make full or complete again, as by supplying what is lacking, used up, etc.: to replenish one's stock of food.
2. to supply (a fire, stove, etc.) with fresh fuel.
3. to fill again or anew.

 

[Secundulus]

It meant to fill in the original Hebrew.

 

[Bombila]

XChristians OP seems direct enough to me, given one knows the meaning of 'replenish'. Unless the word/phrase is mistranslated, it implies that the earth was previously full, then was empty, and the command is to fill it up again. That raises a question for me - what or who filled up the earth before, that are gone?

 

[Bombila]

It meant to fill in the original Hebrew.

"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish" was one word in the original?

 

[Caitlin.ann]

XChristians OP seems direct enough to me, given one knows the meaning of 'replenish'. Unless the word/phrase is mistranslated, it implies that the earth was previously full, then was empty, and the command is to fill it up again. That raises a question for me - what or who filled up the earth before, that are gone?

Good point.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

It meant to fill in the original Hebrew.

And so it is translated in the NRSV: "‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; ...’"

 

[Lord Emsworth]

XChristians OP seems direct enough to me, given one knows the meaning of 'replenish'. Unless the word/phrase is mistranslated, it implies that the earth was previously full, then was empty, and the command is to fill it up again. That raises a question for me - what or who filled up the earth before, that are gone?

I guess it is just a mistranslation (in the KJV). In any case, compare with Gen 1:22. Here even the KJV has only "fill" and not "replenish" (≈"fill up again"), while the Hebrew is the same.

Why it was mistranslated, I don't know.

 

[Secundulus]

Why it was mistranslated, I don't know.

It may simply be due to a difference in usage in Elizabethan English.

 

[Disippelen]

It meant to fill in the original Hebrew.

Yeah, as I thought, as the Norwegian translations also point to that.

 

[Druweid]

I was just reading in Genesis, Genesis 1:28 where God creates Man and Woman and it reads "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and REPLENISH the Earth..."

What does the replenish part imply? Does my Bible have typos in it or something?

It may simply be due to a difference in usage in Elizabethan English.

I'm inclined to agree with Secundulus. The Hebrew word in question is (transliterated) {male'}, pronounced mah-LAY, which, according to Strong's Concordance, primarily means "to fill, to make full." It could very well be that "replenish," while not fully inaccurate, may be a clumsy interpretation of the word, but was chosen to preserve the grammatical meter or poetic quality of the verse at the time it was translated.

Lexiconically,
-- Druweid

 

[XChristian]

What is NRSV? I assume it is a copy of the Bible that is more accurately translated?

 

[Secundulus]

What is NRSV? I assume it is a copy of the Bible that is more accurately translated?

NRSV is New Revised Standard Version.

Here is a good page to compare Bible Translations http://www.ibs.org/bibles/translations/

The KJV is very accurate, but because it is 400 years old, some of the English words have changed meaning or fallen out of use.

A good modern version that is very accurate word for word is the NASB, New American Standard Bible. Its latest version was in 1995.

 

[XChristian]

Thanks.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

It may simply be due to a difference in usage in Elizabethan English.

I had thought about something like that as well but, no, the etymology of "replenish" does not seem to support it at all.

Also look at Gen 1:22 (KJV)
"... Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, ..."
and compare with Gen 1:28 (KJV).
"... Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, ..."

What is NRSV? I assume it is a copy of the Bible that is more accurately translated?

New Revised Standart Version.

 

[Holy Roller]

Secular people want to destroy the earth without replenishing it. Why do you think secular people are against the Kyoto Protocol? They don't care about G-d's Green Earth, that's why.

 

[XChristian]

Lol, I never thought of looking at the verse that way, HR. After that it says we have domion over the earth. So it could be taken as being given responsibility for taking care of our environment. It would make sense in that way.

 

[Secundulus]

I had thought about something like that as well but, no, the etymology of "replenish" does not seem to support it at all.

Also look at Gen 1:22 (KJV)
"... Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, ..."
and compare with Gen 1:28 (KJV).
"... Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, ..."

You made me look it up.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | Date: 1996

replenish
A. (obs. or arch.) fill or stock abundantly XIV;

B. fill up again XVII. f. repleniss-, lengthened stem of OF. replenir, f. RE- + plenir, f. plein :- L. plēnus FULL; see -ISH2.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-replenish.html